I’m moving to Japan next month and I’m wondering the best route to go regarding a SIM card. A couple Japanese friends of mine recommended me to get Rakuten because they said it’s the most affordable. My company said that as an alternative, there’s also Line Mobile as a data-only solution. Any thoughts or advice?
4 comments
Hi! Depending on what phone you have, you can simultaneously use both, allowing you to save a little bit on your phone expenses.
Phone capabilities require a physical SIM card, while only data options such as Line Mobile uses eSIM, if your phone is capable I’d recommend using both.
I went for Google Fi
Works everyone around the world
There’s no more Line Mobile. It rebranded to LINEMO with totally different plan.
And you will probably want number too. If you don’t use a lot of data it might be easier to just use some good MVNO like IIJmio (which run on Docomo network). If you use a lot of data (15GB+) you might want to look into LINEMO or ahamo.
I haven’t personally used their services before but I was pondering a similar question and noticed a company offering Japanese SIM cards that you can get in the states before you leave (or pick up in the airport when you land). They’re called Mobal and the different packages seem to be priced fairly reasonably, I think. I’m pretty sure that the GB amounts in their pricing section aren’t hard limits either, so you could still get a trickle of service if you go over that amount. Like I said though… I’ve never used this company before. Maybe someone that’s tested it out can chime in with some info or pros/cons. FWIW, I did use a similar outfit for a trip to France and it’s been a solid “meh, seems fine” so far.
https://www.mobal.com/japan-sim-card/