Mobile data in Tokyo: airports, stations and day trips
Tokyo is easy on a phone and hard without one: transfers between rail companies, the right exit out of a giant station and taxi apps all assume you are online. This guide covers the first hour after landing and the days that follow.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in Japan?
- Yes. It connects to NTT docomo, Rakuten Mobile, KDDI/au, SoftBank (5G).
- Price
- From 4,79 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 7,49 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- No: Japan is outside EU roaming, so even a plan from an EU country charges it as abroad.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in Japan. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Narita or Haneda: the first train into the city
Haneda is the closer of Tokyo's two airports. The Tokyo Monorail runs from it to Hamamatsucho, on the JR Yamanote Line, and the Keikyu line goes to Shinagawa, with some trains carrying on into the city. Narita is much further out: the Narita Express runs to Tokyo Station and on to Shinjuku and Shibuya, while the Keisei Skyliner ends at Nippori and Ueno, where you change for the Yamanote Line.
Each option means picking a line, a platform and a change before you leave the terminal, and that is the moment you want data already working. Install the eSIM at home over wifi and switch its line on after landing: the plan counts from that first connection in Japan, not from the day you bought it.
eSIM for Japan
Data on your phone the moment you land in Japan. No account, no app, no shop.
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For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Buy up to 180 days before you fly: the plan only starts when the eSIM connects at your destination.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
Giant stations, two subway companies and Suica on the phone
The Tokyo subway belongs to two operators, Tokyo Metro and Toei, and JR and private railways run alongside them, often under the same station name. Shinjuku, Shibuya and Tokyo Station have so many exits that the right one can save you a long walk, so a route planner that names the exit is worth keeping open. Tokyo Metro says its lines have mobile coverage underground, including between stations.
Paying is on the phone too. Welcome Suica Mobile, the JR East app for visitors on iPhone, issues a Suica that you top up in the app and tap at the gates; the plastic Suica and PASMO cards work the same way. For taxis, GO is the app most visitors use, in English. It sends its sign-up code by SMS, and this eSIM has no number, so register while your usual line can receive it.
Hakone, Nikko, Kamakura and the Fuji lakes
The usual escapes from Tokyo stay inside Japan, so the same eSIM keeps working: Kamakura and Yokohama to the south, Nikko to the north, Hakone and the Fuji Five Lakes to the west. Hakone in particular is a chain of mountain train, cable car, ropeway and lake boat, and every connection and timetable is easier to follow with the phone online.
In mountain valleys and along the lakes, signal can be patchier than in the city. Download the offline map of the area and screenshot your return times before you set off. If the route then heads west, the Tokaido Shinkansen takes you to Kyoto on the same pack, and the Kyoto guide picks up from there.
How many GB for Tokyo
- 3 GB, valid for 15 days: four or five days in Tokyo with maps, route planners and messages, and hotel wifi at night.
- 5 GB, valid for 30 days: a week, or Tokyo plus two or three day trips, sending photos as you go.
- 10 GB, valid for 30 days: video on the train, a second phone on your hotspot, or a laptop in cafés.
- 20 GB, valid for 30 days: a month in Japan, or working from the laptop most days.
Hotspot is included, and every device you share with draws from the same GB. If you run short, top up the same eSIM without reinstalling anything. The data calculator turns your own days into a figure, and the Japan eSIM page lists the networks it uses.
Is there signal in the Tokyo subway?
Tokyo Metro says its lines have mobile coverage underground, including between stations. On other lines, load your route before you go down in case a stretch drops.
Do I need data to use Suica on my phone?
Not at the gates: you tap and go even without signal. You need data to issue the card in Welcome Suica Mobile and to top it up, which the eSIM covers.
Can I book a GO taxi with this eSIM?
Yes, booking only needs data. The sign-up code arrives by SMS on your usual number, so create the account before the trip or with that line switched on.
Will it work around Mount Fuji and Hakone?
Yes, they are in Japan, so the pack works wherever one of its networks reaches. In valleys and on trails the signal depends on the spot, so carry an offline map.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See eSIMs for Japan