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Prepaid SIM discussion (consolidated)

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Old Mar 22, 2016, 3:00 am
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Last edit by: RichardInSF
Japan - Prepaid Data SIM Wikia

1) get a SIM before the trip, activate it when you land. you can find japan-specific prepaid SIMs on ebay/amazon/... .Some countries have providers that offer good roaming rates in other countries(eg Starhub in Singapore, Ais Sim2Fly available globally)
2) preorder it, delivered to your hotel
3) preorder it to airport post office, can pick up when you land
4) preorder it, pickup at some airport counter/store
5) at airport/city, find an store/kiosk/vending machine and buy from them
6) Use an app such as Iijmio, Airalo or Ubigi to buy an e-SIM if your phone supports it

If you are arriving at Haneda international terminal without a SIM: Exit customs, turn right, and continue to the BIC camera store on the left side. Ignore any other places and vending machines that will sell you a SIM. BIC has a good selection at regular camera store prices.
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Prepaid SIM discussion (consolidated)

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Old Oct 27, 2016, 12:58 am
  #256  
 
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
Do you need to visit the shop to set this up? I can buy an Apple SIM before I leave for Japan (I assume it will work in any device or phone, not just Apple devices, correct?) so I would already have the SIM card, but is there a way to setup the prepaid data plan in advance, or I need to go to a AU shop?

I tried visiting the AU website to preregister, but the site is in Japanese and trying to scan the QR code didn't seem to work. Y1,500 is half the price of any other SIM card from the airport, but not sure if it's worth a big hassle to activate the service.
I think if a provider is set up to use Apple SIM, they will offer registration on the iPad itself- select the provider, follow their directions to set up service, and you're on your way.
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Old Oct 27, 2016, 10:55 am
  #257  
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Originally Posted by jamar
I think if a provider is set up to use Apple SIM, they will offer registration on the iPad itself- select the provider, follow their directions to set up service, and you're on your way.
Except I am not using an iPad - the SIM will go into an Android phone first, then a new iPhone after that.
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Old Oct 28, 2016, 10:51 am
  #258  
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Are there any options for a SIM buyable at the airport, or shipped to the airport PO, for about US20 that allow 200MB of data per day or more?
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Old Oct 29, 2016, 8:25 am
  #259  
 
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
Are there any options for a SIM buyable at the airport, or shipped to the airport PO, for about US20 that allow 200MB of data per day or more?
for how many days? (apologies if you specified elsewhere, I couldn't find it)
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Old Oct 29, 2016, 8:50 am
  #260  
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Originally Posted by angra
for how many days? (apologies if you specified elsewhere, I couldn't find it)
Just 5 days
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Old Oct 29, 2016, 9:24 am
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Umobile prepaid is the one I use and seems to fit your criteria
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Old Oct 29, 2016, 9:50 am
  #262  
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Originally Posted by angra
Umobile prepaid is the one I use and seems to fit your criteria
Thank you, they do seem to be the cheapest option, but I don't remember ever seeing their SIMs for sale either at Narita phone counters, or remember seeing their vending machines in Terminal 1. I guess I will have to check carefully this week.
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Old Oct 29, 2016, 10:37 am
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I've always had a hard time locating them, but always found them in the end. Never searched for them in Narita, though.
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Old Oct 29, 2016, 8:33 pm
  #264  
 
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Is umobile service good enough for VOIP like Skype or Viber?
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Old Oct 29, 2016, 8:37 pm
  #265  
 
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Originally Posted by angra
I've always had a hard time locating them, but always found them in the end. Never searched for them in Narita, though.
per their website, if accurate:

U-NEXT Store
● GLOBAL WiFi Haneda Airport shop
● GLOBAL WiFi Fukuoka Airport shop
● Hato Bus Hamamatsucho Bus Terminal
Hato Bus Hamamatsucho Center
● GLOBAL WiFi Kansai
International Airport shop
● MINISTOP ( Narita Airport Terminal 1 Arrival Lobby )
● SHINJUKU WASHINGTON HOTEL (MAIN BUILDING 1F)
● Narita Airport Sky Counter
● Hotel New Otani Tokyo Business Support Center
● Hotel Monterey Kyoto
● Spring Japan
● Sanyo Shinkansen(Between Shin-Osaka Sta. to Hakata Sta.)
U-mobile vending machine's Installation location
●Kyushu Saga International Airport Arrival Lobby (1F)
●Narita Airport Terminal 1 Arrival Lobby
●Narita Airport Terminal 2 Arrival Lobby
●Narita Airport Terminal 3
(Doorway of Second Floor at the Main Building)
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Old Oct 30, 2016, 3:34 pm
  #266  
 
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How does bmobile compare to umobile? Family members are leaving the day after tomorrow for a 14 stay in Japan. Bmobile has a 15 day unlimited plan (throttled above cap) for less than umobile, and their cap is more flexible. How does their coverage and service compare? I believe they will be going to smaller towns as well as big cities.
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Old Nov 2, 2016, 4:43 am
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Originally Posted by deardaria
How does bmobile compare to umobile? Family members are leaving the day after tomorrow for a 14 stay in Japan. Bmobile has a 15 day unlimited plan (throttled above cap) for less than umobile, and their cap is more flexible. How does their coverage and service compare? I believe they will be going to smaller towns as well as big cities.
I was unable to find the umobile card that I wanted in my first three attempts this trip, so I grabbed a bmobile. I've only used it in Fukuoka, so far, but I'll report back my findings.

The one thing I found is that it was a bit more of a hassle to get set up, and the written instructions in the package listed a URL for registration that does not work! I was able to get it working, but it was far from seamless.
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Old Nov 2, 2016, 11:03 am
  #268  
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● Narita Airport Sky Counter
Can anyone tell me where this is?
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Old Nov 2, 2016, 7:44 pm
  #269  
 
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Any recent reports buying a SIM at KIX or in Osaka at a camera/electronics store?
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Old Nov 7, 2016, 7:51 pm
  #270  
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UMobile update - the kiosks (cash only) are available to the far left when you exit customs (Terminal 1). Look at the Narita Express/Hotel bus desks, turn left and walk all the way down the hall until you see the machine. Right before the machines, hidden behind the escalator is a 7-11 bank ATM for taking out money to buy the card. The blue UMobile machine is next to the far more expensive Docomo version, but UMobile also runs on the Docomo network, just with 4G instead of LTE.

Speed and coverage were perfectly fine for most needs including VOIP, and the 200MB daily cap is a huge benefit vs the far more expensive cards with 100MB caps.
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