When you first come to Japan to study abroad or start a new job, ensuring an internet connection and preparing a working SIM are top priorities. Many people have difficulty deciding between traditional calling SIMs, data SIMs or temporary connection options while waiting for residence procedures. Clearly determining your actual usage needs will help you choose an economical plan and avoid wasting monthly fixed costs.
Travel data SIM and long-term living SIM serve two completely different purposes. Travel SIMs are usually short-term data SIMs, do not come with a Japanese phone number for regular calls, and do not require complicated registration procedures. You can buy this type of SIM before your trip to use immediately upon entering the country.
Meanwhile, long-term SIM cards are SIMs that have contracts with carriers in Japan. This type of SIM provides the owner's main phone number prefixed with 070, 080 or 090, necessary for opening a bank account, registering for public services and completing administrative procedures. To register, you are required to present your alien card (Zairyu Card) and a valid payment card.
For newcomers, transitioning between these two types of SIM is quite common. In the first weeks, when you have not yet completed the residence registration procedure and have not yet opened a bank account, a short-term SIM data package will act as a bridge to help you maintain uninterrupted communication.
International students often have the habit of using Wi-Fi in dormitories, schools or public areas. The need to use mobile data on the road mainly revolves around looking up train routes, texting via applications and looking up dictionaries when studying.
Virtual network operators (MVNO) in Japan are a suitable choice for international students thanks to their lower monthly fees compared to major networks. However, the MVNO network registration process still requires you to have a residence identification card and a suitable payment method, sometimes taking several days to approve the application.
To save costs, you should choose packages with moderate capacity, combined with taking advantage of Wi-Fi in fixed living areas. If your calling needs are not too much, choosing a package that focuses on data and using messaging and calling applications over the internet will help significantly reduce monthly costs.
People who come to Japan to work as engineers or workers often have stricter needs for using the network. You need an official phone number for the company to contact, receive calls from delivery services or verify your residential service account.
In addition, the nature of travel requires a stable network connection, even when traveling on submarines or in remote areas. Choosing a carrier with good infrastructure and wide coverage is an important factor.
You should consider packages that combine basic calling and sufficient monthly data capacity. Please read the terms of the contract carefully to proactively control costs if there are changes in future work plans.
During the first week of arriving in Japan, you will have to deal with many procedures such as registering your address in the district, applying for a bank card, and waiting to receive your alien card. During this time, you cannot immediately register for a postpaid SIM from your local carrier.
Using a travel eSIM or prepaid data SIM during this period helps you be completely proactive. You can access maps, use translation apps and contact loved ones as soon as you land at Narita, Haneda or Kansai airports. You can refer to see Japanese eSIM package to prepare a connection plan right before flying.
Tip: When you first arrive, install a train lookup app like Japan Travel or Google Maps right from Vietnam. Having a data package ready helps you not be confused when traveling through complicated train stations in Tokyo or Osaka.
Preparing the network in advance helps you be proactive in your time, not depending on airport Wi-Fi, which can be intermittent or require complicated verification.
Accurately estimating the required capacity helps you choose the appropriate package, avoiding buying excess and causing waste or buying too little and running out of capacity midway. Each person's usage habits determine daily data consumption.
For basic users who only look at maps, read news, and send text messages, the average consumption is about 1GB per day. If you regularly watch high-resolution videos, make long video calls or play Hotspot for your work computer, the amount of data consumed will be much larger.
Once you have settled down and have fixed Wi-Fi at home, you should transfer space-consuming tasks such as downloading large files or updating applications to your home network, keeping mobile data for really necessary needs when traveling on the road.
Most popular smartphones today are compatible with telecommunications network infrastructure in Japan. However, the prerequisite is that your device must be an international version, not locked by a Vietnamese network operator.
If your device supports eSIM technology, such as iPhone XR, At the same time, you can still keep your Vietnamese SIM on your device to receive OTP authentication messages from domestic banking applications.
In addition, the grid system in Japan uses standard flat-pin Type A sockets with a voltage of 100V. Modern chargers often support a flexible voltage range from 100V to 240V. You just need to check the parameters recorded on the charger to ensure the device operates safely during your stay in Japan.
You need to complete the procedure to register your residential address on your alien card at the local government and open a bank account or payment card in Japan. This process usually takes from a few days to two weeks depending on the appointment schedule and administrative processing time.
Have. If your phone supports dual SIM or eSIM feature, you can completely maintain the Vietnam SIM to receive calls and OTP messages, and enable the Japanese eSIM for mobile data.
Depends on network operator and package type. Some packages of major carriers require a commitment of 1 to 2 years. If canceled before the deadline, there will be a contract compensation fee. Virtual carriers are now more open, offering many packages without time constraints.
You should prepare a travel eSIM package or prepaid data SIM purchased from Vietnam. This ensures you have instant internet access to contact your pick-up person and find your way back to your hostel or dormitory without language barriers.
Preparing a suitable internet connection solution for each stage of living in Japan will help you save costs and be proactive in every situation. In the early days of entering the country, you can refer to Japan travel eSIM packages from shibaSIM with a QR code received immediately via email, helping to keep a smooth connection before completing the long-term SIM registration.
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