You will want to get your hands on a mobile phone as soon as possible after arriving in Japan, so you definitely need to buy a SIM card to make a call. Japan's advanced technology in communication enables you to stay connected with your family and friends while you travel in this incredibly modern country.
Internet and Wi-Fi are useful to your smart phone for handy things like maps and social media; the high cost of data roaming would probably put you off. Broadcast media like radio, television, newspapers and magazines also help you stay up-to-date with various domestic and foreign news.
Quick Facts
- Wi-Fi is relatively common in Japan; most accommodation and public places have Wi-Fi and it is usually free.
- You can buy data-only SIM cards or voice/data SIM cards online or at the airport when you arrive in Japan.
- A pocket Wi-Fi is a great solution, especially for families and groups.
- Keep up-to-date with the news both in Japanese and English.
- Find a post office easily in any city or town in Japan to send postcards, letters and packages, in country and overseas.
Do Foreign Cell Phones Work in Japan?
Any phones bought after May 2015 can be unlocked, provided you pay ¥3,000 and have been with the carrier for more than 180 days. A phone that has been unlocked can be used on any network worldwide. However, you may not get full functionality, for example a phone that gives 4G, may only give 3G in Japan.
If you have an unlocked phone from your home country that happens to run on the same GSM frequencies Japan uses, you might be able to purchase a SIM card from Docomo or Softbank.
There are also a number of independent SIM card providers offering both, data and voice plans; though it may take a bit of research and hunting around, these can be the most practical and affordable options for anyone with an unlocked cell phone in Japan.
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98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
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Wonderful 10 day trip in Japan!!!
Well planned trip by Alisa . Everything was well scheduled, guides and drivers were excellent!! The cars were extremely comfortable and the hotel she chose for us was beautiful!! Enjoyed planning with her she was very professional and always offered other choices. More
Lianne Stone,
May 2023
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11 days trip to Japan
I am planning my trip to Japan in November with Sharon's help and she has provided amazing customer service.She is very responsive and put together very quickly an incredible plan for 11 days in Japan. She provided recommendations and made changes based on our interests and budget. She also provided information about visa restrictions and the best way to get tickets for transportation services. Thanks so much Sharon, looking forward to this trip! More
LE,
May 2023
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Japan trip
Hi Cathy! I just want to thank you for making our Japan trip so much fun & memorable! We loved everything that you had scheduled for us! All the guides and drivers were great & punctual! We love Japan so much that we’re planning to go back next year to different part of Japan! We’ll definitely contact Asia Highlights for our trip again! Serene More
Serene Storslett,
May 2023
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Quick, easy and detailed service
Alisa was our advisor from Asia highlights and she prepared for us a wonderful 28 day trip to Japan, taking into consideration our needs and desire not to be traveling everyday and to have a mixture of slow and busy days. We've not yet taken our trip, but very much looking forward to it Thank you Alisa for the quick response and wonderful itinerary More
Lynette Whittle,
Apr 2023
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Japan Tour
Sharon Huang did an excellent job in planningour 15 day Cherry Blossom Japan tour. Shewas available during our trip to answer our questions and readily agreed to the itinerary changes.Everything was arranged - accommodation,breakfast, guide, car, entrance fees and train tickets. The guides were knowledgeable, and managed the tour very efficiently. The drivers were punctual and very patient. We visited must see places in and near Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima. We also got to experience Japanese Tea ceremony, Sushi making, Sake tasting, shopping etc.We highly recommend Asia Highlights for your travel needs. More
Madhu,
Apr 2023
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I organized a trip to Japan for my
I organized a trip to Japan for my parents who don’t speak English and Alisa was so amazing helping make an itinerary for them. They needed a Spanish guide and she coordinated everything so they wouldn’t have any trouble when they got there. She was so patient changing and adjusting the itinerary to their needs and wants, it’s been a total pleasure working with her and she always responds promptly to any question I have. I definitely recommend this company and if you can ask to work with Alisa. More
Luisa,
Apr 2023
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Trip to Japan. I have had the pleasure to book with…
For the reasons above, I decided to book again with Asia highlights for our trip to Japan this year in September. Until now it’s been a pleasure dealing with Albee Ning. She was so efficient and pleasant in adjusting our itinerary. Whenever I had any questions I could count on her to answer promptly. I am very lucky to have her as our organiser for our future trip to Japan. I have had the pleasure to book with Asia Highlights when we went to China in 2018. We were extremely satisfied with the exceptional services rendered by our organiser, Robert Hui and private guide William. More
Mrs Cristina Hidalgo Loris,
Apr 2023
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Albee Ning and Asia Highlights - wonderful to work with.
I and my daughter planned a trip to China and Japan. We worked with Albee Ning who was fantastic in developing a itinerary based on our desires and needs. She was extremely responsive, taking into account all of our requests and worked closely with us, it wasn't just selecting from one of several pre-developed itineraries. We decided to postpone the trip until next year and received the guaranteed refund, minus a small deposit on next years trip. We look forward to working with her again on next years trip and trips in the future. We highly recommend Asia Highlights and Albee Ning More
Nancy K,
Apr 2023
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Handcrafted tour of Japan by Asia Highlights
My initial inquiry to this company (based in China) was answered in under 10 hours by an amazing travel consultant, named Alisa. She is such a professional in the ways she conducts herself and serves her clients. Alisa is a great communicator and listener. She is very open to requests for additional experiences which require research on her part to arrange. Alisa also provides very detailed information about each experience, location, guides, private car transfers, trains, hotels. This approach is very appealing since detailed communication is so useful and important to me. Alisa also makes the process simple and easy to follow. Answered tons of questions and created the perfect tour for us. We are looking forward to this once in a lifetime visit to Japan and are so grateful we have had the chance to work with Alisa at Asia Highlights! More
Laurie Lee,
Feb 2023
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Great Overall Experience
Our guide in Tokyo, Fuki, was outstanding. We saw things we would never have otherwise seen, if Fuki had not been there. More
Todd Hankinson,
Dec 2022
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Plenty of options and personalized tours as needed
Monica Mo was very helpful from the beginning after I enquired about my travel plans to Japan. She listened with understanding and took careful notes and clarified things to make sure she got everything. More
Ginybel Belgira,
Sep 2022
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Asia Highlights especially Ms. Kanae Chida superb
Asia Highlights and particularly our Tokyo guide, Ms. Kanae Chida, were the best. When Kanae met us, she asked for details of what we wished to see and she constructed an outstanding combination of visits for the day. More
Geoff Rayner-Canham,
May 2019
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I have arranged a 27 day tour of China, Japan and Hong Kong China
Peggie's English is impeccable and she uses lots of nuances which usually only a native English speaker would know. I have found her very prompt in responding to emails and her knowledge is terrific. More
Ailsa West,
Jul 2018
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Very professional, great customer service
We travelled to Japan this May (2018). We had contacted Asia Highlights to organise our trip for us. Miss Peggie Lyoo was very helpful, super-friendly, very professional and very prompt with all her replies! More
Tibor Marton,
May 2018
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Great job!
Great job!! We had an amazing vacation to Japan. We will use Asian highlights for all of our trips to Asia More
Joe,
May 2018
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Trip-of-a-lifetime
In addition, I want to specifically mention the guides provided in certain locations. Rum, in Siem Reap, made the most memorable experience possible. His positivity was contagious - even when it felt like 1000 degrees and we were tired. He brought it all to life, and created a couple days of Ankor Wat, etc. that we will never forget! He heard my daughter's request for specific Cambodian food, and changed our itinerary to go to a village and eat at a locally known shop. He brought the dessert she asked about to us in the car! Overall, he and his driver "Lucky" were a reason to go to Siem Reap. In addition, the other guides (minus one which was switched out immediately) were stupendous. Mon in Bangkok was friendly and provided a great day there; Eak in Chiang Mai gave us a world-class food-tour and day touring the city and its surrounding temples with lots of laughs; Tommy in Hanoi kept us from getting killed in the traffic and gave a stupendous food and architecture/history tour - so very friendly and funny; the fishing village tour in Hoi An, as well as the side-car tour in Saigon, were both unforgettable! Thank you Sharon, and Asia Highlights. Would definitely use again for future trips! More
Teri Simpson,
Apr 2023
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Cambodia and Vietnam adventure!
Our guide in Cambodia, Meas Darapolaith (Pol), was absolutely amazing. He was knowledgeable, friendly and so helpful. His English was excellent and he shared important insights about history and the magnificent sites we visited. We highly recommend him! More
Jennifer Roth Krieger,
Apr 2023
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My daughter and I wanted to discover SE…
My daughter and I wanted to discover SE Asia. Being the first in that region, we wanted to use a tour service company. We ended up using Asia Highlights. From the beginning we were impressed with their services. We left home with of mind because all the pre-travel arrangements were taking care and communicate to us efficiently. All our questions were answered promptly. Once in the countries, we were welcome by our excellent tour guides. Everything was taking care for us. We did not have one issue. They selected the right tours guides for us, they were highly knowledgeable and so much attentive to our needs. We had Dhat in Vietnam and Borin in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I highly recommend Asia Highlights. I came back home so much rested, and with plenty of wonderful pictures and memories. I will definitely use Asia Highlights again for my next trip to Asia. More
Isabelle Dessaux,
Apr 2023
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Fabulous tour and guide in Cambodia
We have been touring Cambodia, guided by Borin ( and driver 007) for the last 2 days. What a fabulous experience! Borin has been a wonderful guide, the best so far in Southeast Asia, explaining the history and culture of Cambodia through his tours of the temples in and around Angkor, as well as the Landmine museum. He has answered all our questions, made sure we were comfortable, and that we have had great food. 007 made sure we always had enough water and cool towels for our face/neck.We highly recommend Borin as a tour guide for Cambodia!! More
Monica,
Mar 2023
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Best Travel Service for Asia Travel
Alisa Liu was in charge of making the arrangements and she helped us from the start to make all of the arrangements and also helped us when we had questions and requested some adjustments. Her service is of the highest professional level. We are 100% confident that our trip will be perfect. We’re also 100% confident that, if anything comes up during our trip, that Alisa will be there to guide us through and take care of us. We won’t even consider using another agency for travel around Asia and we would like to have Alisa work for us again. More
Leo Pospichal,
Mar 2023
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How to Get a SIM Card?
Buy a “Tourist SIM” easily at any airport in Japan! These are usually valid for any period between one week and one month. There are two kinds of SIM cards in Japan, data-only and voice/data.
You can buy data-only SIM cards easily in Japan at major airports like Narita and Kansai, and at electronics shops in any city. You do not need to show ID to do so. Some cards require a brief registration process but it is usually pretty painless and you can do it on your phone. You can use them to make Skype or FaceTime calls, so you don’t need to pay roaming charges or rent a mobile phone for voice calls.
Voice/data SIM card is a good option if you want to make and receive phone calls with your own phone, without paying usurious roaming charges to your home phone company. You need to provide a scan of your passport photo page and visa page to the provider for the registration procedure.
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Making International and Local Phone Calls
International calling cards are popular among Japanese people and foreigners alike. Their prices vary, but they are very common and are usually sold in convenience stores and vending machines near public phones.
To make a phone call in Japan, simply dial the area code and the number that you want to call. If you are calling a number long-distance from inside Japan, make sure you include any zero at the beginning of the number. Otherwise, your line could try to treat the call as local and it might not go through.
To dial internationally from Japan, first dial the international access code. Then dial the code for the country you are dialing. If the country code begins with one or more zero, skip them and dial the remaining numbers. After dialing the country code, you then dial the area code and phone number.
Wi-Fi
Get online at any of the major airports in Japan, like Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Fukuoka, and Sapporo. Registration is quick, easy and free for unprotected connection, charged for security-protected connection.
A great way to stay online wherever you go in Japan is a pocket Wi-Fi or a portable Wi-Fi router. These are a great option for families or groups, since everyone can log onto the same unit. You can rent them from various companies in Japan, which will deliver it to your first accommodation or to your arrival airport. You can also rent one from counters in the arrival halls of major airports.
Most accommodation in Japan have Wi-Fi, which is almost always free, but a few places charge for it. In some ryokan (inn) and older hotels, instead of Wi-Fi there might only be LAN cable internet access. If your device does not have a LAN port, you can buy a USB adaptor if necessary.
While you are out, you will find Wi-Fi in many restaurants, cafes, bars and some other public places like airports and museums. Some cities (like Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, Fukuoka) also offer public Wi-Fi in major downtown areas. It is almost always super-fast and very reliable.
Internet
It is easy for travelers to get internet access in Japan. You can easily get free internet access at airports, hotels, restaurants, or even in a downtown area of big cities. If you are into Japanese culture, especially youth culture, or have seen dramas, you might already be familiar with internet- and manga-cafes.
Internet-cafes, which are often joined with manga-cafes in Japan, are still convenient and inexpensive places to get online in Japan. The major chains are usually located near railway stations. It is a place where you can peruse stacks and stacks of manga for a set price, with drinks, private rooms, snacks and even showers. You can use computers and the internet for a certain amount of time for a small fee; the prices range from ¥200 to ¥700 per hour.
Newspapers and Magazines
Reading newspapers and magazines while you travel in Japan can keep you up-to-date on what is going on locally. Newspapers and magazines are circulated either nationally, by region, by prefecture, or by city.
There are two recommended local newspapers: The Asahi Shimbun and The Nikkan Gendai. The Asahi Shimbun is a great place for news and daily updates across a range of news topics. The Nikkan Gendai is a Japanese daily tabloid newspaper in Japan with a circulation of about 1.6 million.
The Japan Times and The Japan News are the best and the largest English-language newspapers. The Japan Times is an all-round news site with a treasure of articles about entertainment, sports, business and national news. The Japan News publishes a sport-specific newspaper and magazine in daily, weekly and monthly issues.
Television and Radio
Japan’s top broadcasters cover all you need for the most reputable and up-to-date news about Japan. Television networks provide many kinds of variety shows, serial dramas, and news. There are six nationwide television networks, among them are Nippon Television Network System (NNS) which is affiliated with The Japan News and All-Nippon News Network (ANN) which is affiliated with The Asahi Shimbun.
Japan's radio is divided into AM radio and FM radio. AM radio has NHK Radio for news and current affairs, National Radio Network (NRN) for cultural broadcasting, and Radio Nikkei for independent shortwave station broadcasts nationwide. FM radio has NHK FM for music and news, Japan FM Network (JFN) for commercial radio network, and MegaNet FM for multi-lingual commercial radio stations.
Postal Service
Japan Post has a very good reputation. Its prompt service is impressive and its more than twenty thousand post offices in Japan offer proximity to the smallest corner in the country. They send letters, packages, post cards and registered mail within Japan and overseas. Regular Japan Post offices are open during the week from 9am to 5pm, closed during the weekend and national holidays.
The postage charges depend on the type of mail, its weight and destination. For domestic mail, sending a postcard will cost you ¥52 and ¥82 for standard size mail. For overseas mail, sending a postcard will cost you ¥70 and ¥110 for standard size mail. If you want to send a parcel overseas, they will usually offer you 3 options: Airmail, surface mail and economy air (SAL). Each one varies by speed and cost, which depends on weight and destination.
Explore Japan with Asia Highlights
Don’t miss out on important communication when you travel to Japan. Feel free to consult with us about Japan’s Wi-Fi, internet, and SIM Card options, so that you can still use your smart phone to make local or international phone calls. Our experienced staff will be glad to help you!
Why Travel with Asia Highlights (98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+)
- Unique experiences tailored to your interests: Enjoy a premium trip that goes beyond the typical tourist attractions.
- Hassle-free travel and peace of mind: Every aspect of your trip will be carefully planned and organized by your 1:1 travel consultant.
- Experienced and knowledgeable guides: Your guides will be local and love to work for travelers' smiles.
Get Inspired with Our Sample Itineraries
At Asia Highlights, we create your kind of journey — your dates, your destinations, at your pace. You can have any trip tailor made for your travel.
