Assuming you go with the original provider you were looking at -- yes that is correct. Whatsapp will work fine -- but anything associated with your base SIM card will not work while you are using the eSIM -- like iMessage, phone calls, and voicemail... The Line app will work as well.

Newer iPhones allow multiple SIMs to be active at the same time -- and if you do this you have to be careful to not activate your physical SIM plan by accident. What I always do when I am using my base SIM in Japan is activate airplane mode when using my Japanese SIM, turn it off, Activate my base SIM and then after it turns on I just turn on Wifi. My base SIM allows phone calls over WiFi so I can get my my messages and make calls. I have occasionally forgotten to turn on airplane mode before switching SIMs and when I turn it back on it connects to the cell network and I get charged $10 to use my US plan...

iMessage is data based and will work

Perhaps with an eSIM it will. When I put my physical Japanese SIM in my iPhone my US text messages -- including iMessage - do not work or come in until I put the US SIM back in place. It does ask me if I want to associate iMessage with the new number when I put the Japanese SIM card in and I always say no as I am not aware of the consequences lol...

Maybe next time back in March I'll say yes and can get my texts -- at least those from another iOS app. I am assuming that SMS texts still would not work as they are not based by ID -- only connected to a phone number...

attaching iMessage to your other phone number (which you rightly assume is unnecessary and in some respects u desirable, especially if you ever change that other phone number) has no impact as to whether or not you can receive and send iMessages as long as iMessage has not been deactivated on whatever other sim/number/email you have it activated on. You can test by turning airplane mode and then connecting to WiFi - iMessage will continue happily humming along just like any other data based service 👍

I'll be in Hokkaido/Tohoku for a month in October and will have a roaming pack from my telco at home for 600 mins for calls and 600 texts which will be sufficient for me, but only 4GB data.

I'm wondering if renting a pocket WiFi would be the ideal way to go as well for ease of use - cost of rental doesn't come into it. I'll be renting a car for the whole month and relying on the car GPS but Google Maps as backup, as well as data for Booking.com etc with iPhone/iPad and thought it would be easier than connecting to Hotel/accommodation WiFi as I don't speak or read Japanese - I'm sure the majority of lodgings have English instructions to connect but being connected permanently via pocket WiFi is appealing.

I'll planning to be going off the beaten track a bit and winging it primarily, so for ease of use really - can the experts share their thoughts please?

[QUOTE=Outbound24;35962366]I'll be in Hokkaido/Tohoku for a month in October and will have a roaming pack from my telco at If

If you have esim and ability to switch sims (not physically - just by using sim manager on your phone) you could get a data package from ubigi (that was the cheapest I found and worked wll for me) I'd use data on the esim when you need data.- but if you may not need much data if you use hotel wifi when not out and about. I don't read a bit of Japanese and never had problems connecting to any hotel wifi.

We used a pocket wifi for our 3 week trip. Got it from Ninja Wifi and picked it right up after we landed. I think next time we go we will take the esim route as I know generally what our data usage will be but it was a godsend to know even have to think about it during the trip. The coverage was great from Osaka all the way up to Hokkaido on the train and we lost service a handful of times (usually just in tunnels) in Hokkaido. Hotel wifis tend to be very easy to use but are not always included in our experience.

No free WiFi? Whoa?! Every hotel I stayed in Japan last year had free WiFi.

One of the places we stayed in Hokkaido had a fee. We didn't bother as we had the pocket WiFi.

Okay, from also looking at other sources online as well, it looks like for my situation the only advantage of using a SIM or eSIM is the price. For convenience, ease of use, portability, being able to use multiple devices as my iPad and laptop that don't have cellular availability which I will sometimes need to use when out on the road, and unlimited data it seems pocket WiFi is the way to go.

Two Pocket wifi disadvantages are that it has to be returned when you leave (need to allocate time, usually pre-security) and if you have more than one person, you need to be physically nearby to get signal. If both people are out and about separately then they may not be able to message each other unless one without the unit can find wifi.

SIM/eSIM - It can also depend on your phone's network bands to ensure maximum coverage and the sim/esim provider allowing tethering for your other devices. It usually isn't too hard to figure out compatibility and limitations, it just takes time and attention to detail. Rental pocket wifi is typically a hotspot unit manufactured for the domestic market, even if it is a bit older model, and the rental agency takes care of the phone contract. Some pocket rental companies repackage carrier corporate rate postpay plans on their side which usually means higher data prioritization (less likely to get throttled in congested areas and sufficient priority in under-provisioned areas). Most people apart from live streamers and conference/sporting event goers wouldn't run into issues with a less expensive 4G/LTE pocket wifi rental or mvno sim if they're just checking maps & e-mail, even off the foreign tourist beaten track*.

If you're using a recent iPhone, the bands part is likely taken care of as the mobile modems used tend to offer wide compatibility. If you're using a Samsung, probably better to check the model sku and do a bit more research as Samsung's historical approach to carrier band locking was more region based.

Most travel esim providers offer tethering but sometimes domestic roaming (and their overseas plans) don't. Tethering is often in US postpaid contracts but always check the fine print if opting for their pricier roaming solution. In contrast, there have been JP roaming tethering friendly prepaid data plans from HK and Thailand for several years, so again, YMMV.

* I sometimes visit countryside places where there's no combini, probably a vending machine, sometimes a Post Office. There's a few trips where I've opted to get a direct carrier sim from Softbank/Docomo (easier with a physical sim card slot) or from a Japanese MVNO like iijmio https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japa...idated-47.html rather than a foreign roaming data sim solution to reduce chances of running into data routing and configuration issues https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/35365095-post731.html.

I'm flying in and out of Narita Airport Terminal 1 and Japan Wireless have pickup/drop off counters there so no hassle, I'm risk adverse and usually arrive at international airports at least three to four hours ahead of my flight, I also have lounge access so make the most use of the facilities there.
I'm traveling solo so no problem there either.
The only other disadvantage I could see was that you have to charge the the pocket WiFi after around ten hours, but they supply a power bank free with them, and since I'm in the car a lot of the time I can also charge it via USB.

How to translate JP webpage text to another language on a mobile device (The translation probably isn't perfect but often helps impart the general idea)

iOS

Android Chrome

Hope this helps some people who weren't aware of these features

Many years ago I would rent a local mobile phone. Then I adopted pocket wifi and loved it.

But ever since data sim cards became easily available, I never looked back. I'm an android user and for the past many years my devices have all been dual sim, which makes using the JP data sim card that much easier. I collect it at the airport when I arrive and dispose of it when I get back home after the trip.

{delete, wrong thread}

I'll leave this part here:


First time visitors can register their arrival here:
https://www.vjw.digital.go.jp