If you’re traveling in Japan and wondering how to use your phone with an eSIM, this post will tell you everything you need to know and give you the confidence to use one.
For more help planning your trip, check out all of our posts about Japan.
When I was planning our Japan trip, I looked into using our cell phone overseas. Verizon said it was either $10 a day or $100 a month. That was so expensive since we were going for two weeks. I just couldn’t imagine paying $100 each, so I was just going to go without my phone for two weeks and hope for the best.
Both of my brothers and my mom were planning on using their phone carrier’s international plan, so I figured as long as I stuck with them, I wouldn’t need a GPS for directions, so I wouldn’t really need my phone.
But, I really wanted to go to the mountains to see Katsuoji, a temple filled with darumas. It was a long train ride to get there, followed by a long bus ride, and I knew my niece and nephews wouldn’t be interested in making the trip.
That meant Pete and I would be going by ourselves and we needed directions to get there. So, having some sort of data was a necessity — at least for that trip.
So, I looked into an eSIM. It only cost me $8 for 5 GB of data that I could use over the course of 30 days. Even though we were only going for two weeks, this was the best deal.
I’m so glad that I got it because it really worked out for us.
If you’re going to Japan, my best suggestion is to eat everything. But, the best things to eat are in our must-try foods in Japan post. It’s filled with what I eat every time I go back.
How To Use An eSIM In Japan
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What Is An eSIM?
Every phone has a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card that allows you to connect to a mobile network. When you change phones, you pop out your physical SIM card from your old phone and put it in your new phone. That allows you to keep your number but change your phone.
An eSIM is a digital version of that.
It’s easier to use an eSIM when traveling overseas because you can leave your physical SIM card in your phone. That means you don’t have to pop it out and don’t have to worry about losing it. Which, small aside, but we actually did see a physical SIM card left behind at a train station in Japan. So, even if you’re careful, it happens.
An eSIM card allows you to use data from an international carrier rather than using your home carrier. It’s for data only, not for calls or texting. But, there are exceptions to this.
Any iPhone to iPhone messages (iMessage) actually go over data rather than cellular. So, since I have an iPhone, I was able to text from my iPhone to any iPhones. Non-iPhone messages didn’t come through until I was back on US soil and my phone switched back to Verizon.
My cousin, who came with us to Japan, had an Android phone, so I wasn’t able to text her while we were there, but I was able to send her texts over WhatsApp because that’s a mobile app, so it used data.
Also, I couldn’t make any actual phone calls, but since FaceTime uses data, I was able to FaceTime.
Choosing An eSIM Brand
There are two major eSIM brands that offer eSIM cards that work in Japan: Airalo and Ubigi. They’re both very similar in their coverage, packages, and pricing.
Personally, I went with Airalo because it was a little cheaper (I found a $3 off code when I ordered mine; right now, you can get 15% off cards with the code NEWTOAIRALO15 here) and everything I read online said that the setup for Airalo was a little more user-friendly than Ubigi.
And, even though I do feel technologically savvy, I wanted the peace of mind that an easier setup brought. I didn’t want to get to Japan jetlagged and then stress about setting up an eSIM. I just wanted something easy.
But, if you feel comfortable, either will work.
Choosing An eSIM Package
You can choose an eSIM package that ranges from 2 GB to an unlimited plan. You can also choose from between three and 30 days.
Pete and I share a monthly plan of 4 GB at home and we don’t use the full 4 gigs each month. But, we’re often at home so our phones spend most of their time on WiFi. When we we’re in Japan, we knew we were going to be having a much different experience.
There is free, citywide WiFi in major areas, on some trains, and at major attractions like Universal Studios Japan. But you can’t completely rely on public spaces to connect to the internet.
If you’re staying at a hotel, you may have WiFi there, but you may not have it at a hostel or an Airbnb. So, you kind of have to guess how much data you’ll need.
We were staying 14 days, so I chose a 5 GB, 30 day plan because it made more sense mathematically. I knew that I was gonna be spending a lot of time with my cousin, who also had an international plan, so I knew I could piggyback off her WiFi if I had to.
But, I never had to. In the two weeks we were there, I didn’t even use two gigs of data.
Now, to be honest, I only used my data for directions. I didn’t use it to watch videos or scroll social media. And whenever I posted my Instagram photo of the day, it was back at the hotel on WiFi.
If you’re planning on using it for streaming, you might want to get a larger or an unlimited plan.
Setting Up An eSIM
You need to make sure that your phone is actually compatible with an eSIM card.
First, you need an unlocked phone. A carrier-specific phone may require you to use that carrier only. Second, you have to make sure that your phone can use an eSIM. My iPhone can, but Pete’s Samsung can’t, so he wasn’t able to get one.
You can check and see if your phone is compatible here.
When you purchase an eSIM online, you’ll set up an account with your email address so that a QR code can be emailed to you. There will be a “View Instructions” button in the email (if you use Airalo like I did) that will walk you through installing your eSIM.
You’ll want to follow those instructions, although, honestly, all I had to do was open settings and add the eSIM by scanning the QR code.
I did this as soon as I purchased it while I was at home on my home WiFi. I didn’t wait until I got to Japan to do this. However, the 30 days of my plan didn’t start until the eSIM was activated when I landed in Japan.
Connecting To The eSIM
I had a whole instruction process written down of how to change from my American cellular plan to my eSIM. It was a nine step process.
But, when I landed in Japan and took my phone off airplane mode, it knew where I was and automatically switched me over. I didn’t have to do anything. I didn’t have to turn my Verizon SIM off and I didn’t have to turn my Airalo eSIM on.
And, when I got back to America, as soon as I crossed into the country while still on the plane (because my phone wasn’t on airplane mode in that direction), my phone automatically switched me back to my Verizon plan.
Tracking Your eSIM Data
If you have the app, you can open it to see how much data you’ve used.
But, if you’re like me and just don’t want to add one more app to your phone, you can track it under settings. If you have an iPhone, like me, you can go to Cellular and then scroll down to see “Current Period.” Since you swapped from your regular SIM to your international one, that’s your current period. It’ll show you how much you’ve used.
You’ll also get a few emails from Airalo, like when you’re down to 50% and 25% left, when your package is down to three days, and when it’s down to one day.
Deleting Your eSIM
Once you’re home, you can simply delete your eSIM from your phone. Or don’t. It doesn’t do any harm sitting there.
Have you used an eSIM card when you were traveling internationally? Let us know your experience in the comments.