Last updated: July 2025. Credit to Jason Yang for most of the information.
As in much of the world, having a smartphone with data access allows you to keep up with friends locally and back home, keep track of your finances, stream videos and music, pay for public transit, and with the introduction of the My Number portal (and if you have an iPhone, load a virtual My Number card into your Apple Wallet), also have easy access to tax info, health issuance data, and more. You’ll also need a Japanese phone number to sign up for a variety of services like banking, both online and offline. Your BOE/school will need to have a phone number on file for you so they have a way to contact you if LINE doesn’t work. For these reasons, you’ll absolutely need to sign up for local phone service.
Do you need a new phone?
If you’ve got a flagship model phone (Galaxy S series, Pixel, iPhone etc.) from within the last 4-5 generations, you can likely continue to use the same phone in Japan on any carrier as long as it’s unlocked. For cheaper or older models, it’s a good idea to check online and see what LTE bands your phone supports. There are four major network operators, and these are the bands they use:
docomo (Sakura Mobile): Bands 1, 3, 21, 26, 28, 42
Softbank (YMobile, Linemo, Mobal): Bands 1, 3, 8, 11, 28, 42
au (UQ Mobile, Povo): Bands 1, 3, 11, 26, 28, 42
Rakuten Mobile: Bands 3 and 26
Bands 1 and 3 are critical for basic coverage. Bands 8, 26, and 28 are low-band coverage for coverage in buildings, underground, and in rural areas. They’re not strictly essential but you won’t have a very good time without them. The rest are “extra capacity” bands, and they’ll help you get faster data speeds when the network is crowded. They’re also not strictly essential but are nice to have if you’re in a big city or will be traveling to cities often.
If you’re from the US and you have an iPhone from the last few years, it may not have a physical SIM card slot. That won’t be an issue in Japan as all of the major carriers support eSIM.
Signing up for service
Companies to choose from
There are four major physical network operators. Each has their advantages and disadvantages. Be aware that these providers usually charge extra for making phone calls (¥22 per half minute unless your plan has a call allowance) and regular texts (¥3 per domestic text if sent through the regular “Messages” app and not Line, WhatsApp, or similar). However, receiving calls and texts is always free. Additionally, almost all carriers will charge an activation fee of around ¥3000 (Rakuten is an exception).
As Sakura Mobile and Mobal are fairly well-advertised by the JET Programme itself, they’ll be skipped over here. Just keep network bands in mind as stated above; if your phone only has low-band support for one of the two, go with that one.
Before you make a decision about signing up, it’s would be best to check with your predecessor about what service they used since some service providers have better service in certain areas and all four have dead spots (in the case of au, keep in mind that Starlink coverage only allows texts). In addition to coverage, there’s also data speeds to consider; some providers may cover your area but you may not be able to do anything data-intensive.
docomo/ahamo
The grandfather of Japanese cell phone companies, owned by NTT (the national telephone company). It still has an over 50% share of the market, but has fallen in recent years due to strong competition. Coverage is good throughout most of Japan, but may be somewhat weaker in rural areas.
Suggested Plan: ahamo
Monthly fee: ¥2970
Data: 30GB
Calling: Free domestic calls up to 5 minutes
Extras: Free international roaming in 91 countries for up to 15 days (data slows down afterwards)
Payment Method: Credit/debit card or direct debit from a Japanese bank account
Supported Devices: Ahamo supports the following list of iPhones and the following list of Android devices
English Support: No
Cancellation Fees: No cancellation fees. Just pay off any outstanding balance (this includes if you’re paying for a device in installments from them)
They also have the Max unlimited plan, which costs ¥8400 after tax and includes unlimited domestic data and 30GB of international data (¥1100 a month discount if you have docomo fiber or 5G home internet).
UQ
UQ is au’s secondary brand, intended for people who don’t necessarily need a full unlimited plan.
Suggested Plan: Komi-Komi Plan Value
Monthly fee: ¥3828
Data: 35GB
Calling: Free domestic calls up to 10 minutes
Extras: Ponta Pass, gives you Lawson coupons and bonus point offers, or Subscription Plus Points, get up to 20% of the subscription fee of popular streaming services like Netflix, Apple Music and Youtube Premium in Ponta Points
Payment Method: Credit/debit card, direct debit from Japanese bank account or at a konbini
Supported Devices: See the following list of supported devices
English Support: Some (sign up process in Japanese; customer support has English)
Cancellation Fees: ¥990 if cancelled within one year (none if after a year)
Additionally, international data roaming costs an extra ¥1200 per 24 hours. If you keep data turned off, you can still receive texts (for example, from your Japanese bank or other online services) for free. There’s also a two-step Toku Toku Plan 2, which is only worth going for if you use EOnet or au for your home internet (since it gets you a ¥1100 a month discount). It costs ¥4048 (after tax) without EOnet for 30GB data, or ¥2948 for usage up to 5GB. One upside of this plan compared to ahamo is that unused data rolls over to the next month.
au
au has the second-largest share of the market, and is notable because of its major efforts to provide coverage to rural areas. Its own coverage is still second to docomo, but if you have an iPhone 13 or newer, it has Starlink Direct which allows you to continue texting people through the regular messaging app (not LINE) outside of cell coverage as long as you’re within line of sight of a Starlink satellite.
Suggested Plan: Smaho Mini Plan
Monthly fee: Ranges from ¥4,708 to ¥8,008
Data: Varies. From 1GB to up to 5GB a month (speed limited after 5GB)
Calling: Domestic calls are ¥22 per 30 seconds
Extras: Discounts available when paired with auPay Card (-¥220/month) or paired with their home internet plans (-¥1,100/month)
Payment Method: Credit/debit card, direct debit from a Japanese bank account and konbini
Supported Devices: List of supported devices here. Physical and e-sim supported
English Support: No
Cancellation Fees: No cancellation fees. Just pay off any outstanding balance (this includes if you’re paying for a device in installments from them)
Povo
Povo is au’s online-only budget brand. Its main selling point is that it doesn’t charge a monthly fee, and instead uses an “on-demand” pricing model- you have some flexibility in deciding how much data to buy, when to buy it, and how long you want it to last.
Suggested Plan: povo 2.0
Monthly fee: Base fee is ¥0. Pricing depends on the packages called “toppings” you purchase (how much data and the duration of the plan)
Data: Varies. From 1GB for 7 days to 360GB for a year
Calling: Domestic calls are ¥550 top up for up to 5 minutes or ¥1,650 for unlimited calling (otherwise ¥44 per minute)
Extras: Roaming packages for most Asian countries starting from ¥680 for 1GB for 3 days. Certain collaborations with other brands with package deals when purchasing a topping
Payment Method: Credit/debit card, direct debit from a Japanese bank account and konbini
Supported Devices: Doesn’t sell any devices. List of supported devices here. Physical and e-sim supported
English Support: No
Cancellation Fees: No cancellation fees. Just pay off any outstanding balance
Its second selling point is that you can be up and running very quickly- if your phone supports eSIM, then you can sign up as soon as you’re registered at city hall, and as long as you submit your application before 6PM or so, your number will be ready to go the same day. The only catches are that you have to spend at least ¥660 in paid add-ons every 6 months to keep your line active (easy enough if you regularly use data, but if you plan to have a Pocket WiFi then just remember to buy some data on the phone every so often), and because the only way to sign up is online, if the system doesn’t like your name due to length, there’s no other way to sign up, you’ll have to go elsewhere.
Softbank
Softbank was the underdog of the three back in the 2010s, but has expanded their network and raised their prices, and as a result is firmly a “big carrier” in pricing, even if their network isn’t quite there. It can also be rather slow to use if you have a non-Japanese Android phone due to their reliance on less common network bands for capacity (iPhones have less of an issue; most newer ones will have near-complete support for their network).
Suggested Plan: Merihari Unlimited Plus
Monthly fee: ¥7425 (discount of ¥1,650 if data usage is 2GB or less, further discounts if you have SoftBank Air/Hikari)
Data: Unlimited
Calling: Domestic calls for ¥22 per 30 seconds
Extras: 2 months of YouTube Premium for free (10% off per month after that). Free unlimited roaming within the US (calls within US and to Japan)
Payment Method: Credit/debit card, direct debit from a Japanese bank account
Supported Devices: List of supported devices here. Physical and e-sim supported
English Support: Yes
Cancellation Fees: No cancellations fees. Just pay off any outstanding balance (this includes if you’re paying for a device in installments from them)
Y!Mobile
Y!Mobile is SoftBank’s budget sub-brand, although it’s the most expensive of the three if you don’t have their home internet. They do charge an activation fee of ¥3,850 in store but this gets waived if you sign up online.
Suggested Plan: Simple 2 Plan
Monthly fee: (S) ¥2,365, (M) ¥4,015 and (L) ¥5,115 (discount of ¥1,650 if you have their home 5G or fiber internet service)
Data: (S)4GB, (M)30GB and (L)35GB
Calling: (S&M) Domestic calls for ¥22 per 30 seconds, (L) Free domestic calls for up to 10 minutes (thereafter ¥22 per 30 seconds)
Extras: Unused data gets rolled over to the next month
Payment Method: Credit/debit card, direct debit from a Japanese bank account, PayPay, konbini
Supported Devices: Listed of supported devices here. Physical and e-sim supported
English Support: Yes
Cancellation Fees: No cancellations fees. Just pay off any outstanding balance (this includes if you’re paying for a device in installments from them)
Linemo
Linemo is SoftBank’s answer to docomo’s ahamo plan. They’re online-only, and they’re fairly affordable. The downside is, by “online-only” they mean it- no support in SoftBank stores, no phone support, only LINE chat or e-mail support is available, and only in Japanese.
Suggested Plan: Best Plan/Best Plan V
Monthly fee: (Best Plan) ¥990 to ¥2,090, (Best Plan V) ¥2,970
Data: (Best Plan) 3GB and 10GB, (Best Plan V) 30GB
Calling: (Best Plan) Domestic calls for ¥22 per 30 seconds, (Best Plan V) Free domestic calls up to 5 minutes (thereafter ¥22 per 30 seconds)
Extras: No data limit on LINE phone or video call usage.
Payment Method: Credit/debit card, direct debit from a Japanese bank account, PayPay
Supported Devices: Doesn’t sell any devices. List of supported devices here. Physical and e-sim supported
English Support: No
Cancellation Fees: No cancellation fees. Just pay off any outstanding balance
Rakuten
Rakuten is the newest and smallest network operator on the market, only having launched their own network less than a decade ago. They’re the most foreigner-friendly, being willing to accept international debit/credit cards for payment and having an account management site and documentation in English. They have the most coverage gaps out of any of the carriers, meaning they’re not the best idea if you’re in the countryside, but if they cover your area, they’re a very good value.
Suggested Plan: Saikyo Plan
Monthly fee: Ranges from ¥1,078 to ¥3,278 (depending on data usage)
Data: From 3GB to unlimited (adjusts accordingly to usage)
Calling: Free unlimited domestic calls with the Rakuten Link app (otherwise ¥22 per 30 seconds with standard phone app)
Extras: 2GB of monthly roaming data included. 5% back in points every time you shop on Rakuten Marketplace. Sign up bonus in Rakuten Points when you sign up a Rakuten Credit Card. Rakuten Cloud storage of up to 50GB. Discounts on streaming services.
Payment Method: Credit/debit card, direct debit from a Japanese bank account, konbini, Rakuten Points
Supported Devices: List of supported devices here. Physical and e-sim supported
English Support: Yes
Cancellation Fees: No cancellation fees. Just pay off any outstanding balance (though will get charged ¥1,078 if cancelled within a year and no service usage has been made)
IIJmio
IIJmio is also a small player in this market, using either the au or docomo network based on what the user chooses for their SIM card. Although it is quite cheap, they have an activation fee of ¥3,300. Various discount campaigns occur quite often so some higher data packages turn out to be cheaper for a few months.
Suggested Plan: Giga Plan
Monthly fee: Ranges from ¥850 to ¥3900
Data: Data options from 2GB to 55GB
Calling: Domestic calls for ¥11 per minute (call packages available)
Extras: None
Payment Method: Credit card only
Supported Devices: List of supported devices here. Physical and e-sim supported
English Support: No
Cancellation Fees: No cancellation fees. Just pay off any outstanding balance
What you’ll need when signing up to a phone service
- Residence Card
- Passport (docomo and SoftBank only)
- Credit card, debit card, or cash card
You use to need to have a hanko stamp with you but most places don’t require it anymore. If applying online, you’ll be asked to take photos of your IDs and upload them for verification, then provide your debit card number or bank/branch/account numbers. If in person, you’ll have to show these to the store staff.
One other thing to take into consideration when signing up in person- technically, all phones used in Japan need to have a Japanese complicance mark, called the “giteki mark“, either etched into the phone or somewhere in the settings menu (it looks like a T with a second bar and a zigzag line over it). In most cases, the store won’t enforce this, and the network won’t block you from activation, but some carrier shops have been known to be sticklers about this and won’t sign you up without seeing it. If your phone doesn’t have it, be prepared for the possibility of being refused and have a backup plan in mind or be ready to sign up online.
Transferring your phone number to a different provider
It is possible if you want to change providers and keep your Japanese number. All major providers (and some smaller ones) provide this ability through the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) scheme. You will need to request this from your current provider within 2 weeks before making the switch (as there is a time limit, you will need to request it again if you don’t make the switch in time). Depending on the provider, you will be charged a fee per request.
Need a phone?
If you want or need a new phone and you’re on a tight budget, every carrier has a couple of ¥1 Android phones to choose from. These are low-end devices that won’t do much beyond browsing and texting, but if you just need something for a year or two, they’ll do the job and there’s no contract term associated with them. You can cancel the first month if you need to and the phone is yours to keep, and it’s unlocked so you can use it on another provider either in Japan or abroad. If you have a few thousand yen to spare, you can get somewhat pricier and better-quality Android phones as well. It’s best to do this at an electronics store, where you can compare across all of the network providers and their sub-brands in one place. No matter what you choose, almost all phones have an English option these days, so the language barrier isn’t as much an issue as it used to be. If possible, avoid Arrows brand phones as these are known for quality issues, however sometimes they’re the only ¥1 option.
If you’re fine with used phones, your choices widen quite a bit. Checking a secondhand shop like Second Street, Off-House, Hard-Off, Geo etc. can yield some good results. If you go to Kobe or Osaka there are also specialist stores like Iosys, Janpara, or Sofmap with bigger selections, and sometimes carrier promotions. When browsing, keep in mind that phones newer than September 2021 come unlocked regardless of which carrier sold it, and phones sold between end of 2017 and September 2021 can be unlocked by submitting an application to the carrier it came from, but they may lack the network bands for other carriers (docomo and au phones will generally work fine on each other’s networks and Rakuten, but may not fully support SoftBank and vice-versa). You can usually find a phone’s release date by searching on Google or it listed on the price tag label at some stores.
Tips
- Phones sold in Japan have a mandatory shutter sound. If for whatever reason you would rather not deal with that, then make sure you get a Japan-ready phone before arriving.
- In case of emergencies or needing to receive 2FA text messages from your number back at home, (generally fee-free), you can choose to get another phone dedicated to connecting your home country’s mobile number. However, check if your phone has a dual-sim (either physical or e-sim) function. This method allows you could store both your Japanese phone number and your home country’s phone number back at home on the one device.
- It is probably a good idea to get in the habit of leaving your phone in silent or vibrate mode all the time (マナーモード). Trust me, a day will come when you forget to silence it and your phone goes off in the middle of a class. Most schools prohibit their students to bring phones to class, and teachers are supposed to set an example by not doing so either (just leave it in the staffroom). Letting your phone ring on the train is also taboo, but at least that won’t affect your standing with your schools and/or BOE.
