Tokyo E-Sim

csswiift

Hi there.

I’m looking for advise on phone usage when travelling to Tokyo.

EE don’t have any plans available so I’ll need to get an e-sim but even after reading guides, I’m still unsure how it works.

The plan I’ve seen is data only. 50GB for £50 which is OK. Once I’ve activated it I understand data will work as normal ie WhatsApp, maps, socials etc. however, what about calls and texts? Will these only work when connected to WiFi? Can I get a separate plan with EE for calls out with that?

any insights is much appreciated.

On-the-coast

Most Traveller ESims are data only. 

Sometimes SMS to your original EE sim (& voice) isn’t too expensive - but you need to read EE t&c. 

£50/50GB is reasonably expensive, but OK if you really need 50GB.   I use Airilo (via their App) and it’s easy to buy a smaller amount & top if I’m near the limit. 

You can of course make voice calls over messenger / WhatsApp etc using your ESIM. 

If you know what you’re doing you could leave your EE line open for emergency calls - but setting up esims is more prone to mistakes than it should be - so be careful. 

ThorOdinson

Ubigi works well in Japan. You just download the eSIM. Make sure your phone supports it. 

You need to be resident in Japan to get a SIM that can do voice and SMS. It's an anti harassment law. Visitor SIMs are data only, but you can of course use Skype for calls to Japanese numbers. 

If you want to get texts and calls to your EE number, just keep the SIM in your phone but make sure you set the eSIM as the primary one. People will be able to call/text you - handy for stuff like bank codes.

Speaking of which, activate the eSIM before leaving the UK to avoid problems with the payment.

MDMD

I am in Japan now and found it was cheaper to get a physical SIM, I used Sakura Mobile (which uses the NTT DoCoMo network - NTT is their equivalent of BT). There are others though. Data only but WhatsApp still works with my UK number. I just dispose of the SIM when I leave.

I paid about JPY7,200, about £36, for 15 days which supposedly gives unlimited Data but after 2GB a day it lowers the speed. I used WiFi if I needed large amounts of data.

They had a desk at the airport and they helped me install the SIM. They even supplied me with a key to open the SIM tray as I’d left mine at home.

ThorOdinson

Ubigi is £16 for 10GB over 30 days. For most people though their 3GB plan for £7 is probably enough.

techno12

I get physical SIMs from eBay - about £20 for 15 days 10GB. Better than Vodafone's £6.85 per day roaming!

Will do the same again for my forthcoming trip in July.

I'm an Android user and not many devices support eSIMs so I have to go down this route

The great thing about Japan is that there's a signal always everywhere (including all underground metros etc). Travelling back from Gatwick on the train the other week from my latest trip reminded me how rubbish we are in the UK. My Vodafone signal was dropping out all the time as is usual over here, and next to nothing on the Underground of course...

DullGreyGuy

MDMD said:

I am in Japan now and found it was cheaper to get a physical SIM

In most countries it is but depending on how long you are going will dictate if the saving is worth spending your time whilst on holiday getting a sim setup etc... the international esims you can do before leaving.

Personally, my UK sim is the esim and its the travelling one I get a physical one (not all places in the world are big on esims)

GeoffPierce

I’ve just returned from 3 weeks in Japan. Before going, I spent a lot of time researching eSIM’s, different providers etc.
In the end I went with Airalo, as they are one of the bigger providers, and this being my first eSIM trial, I was rather nervous and cautious.
I bought their ‘Moshi-Moshi’ Japan eSIM- 10Gb lasting a month at a cost of US$15 (£12) total!
I downloaded the Airalo App on my iPhone, read and reread the instructions many times and also watched some YouTube videos explaining the process.
It was relatively straightforward paying (in US$) and installing the eSIM.
I was slightly confused that after downloading the eSIM, it showed the supplier as ‘Singtel’ (Singapore Telecoms), and I contacted Airalo support who assured me that I had Indeed purchased a Japan eSIM, not a Singapore eSIM.

When my plane taxied to the gate at Nagoya Airport in Japan, I switched off ‘Airplane mode’, and the phone instantly connected to a Japan network and started downloading messages etc.
It continued to work flawlessly in Japan, and when I left Japan, after 3 weeks, I checked, and had only used 3.3Gb of the 10Gb I had purchased. 

One useful aspect of Airalo is the ability to monitor data usage on the App, and to purchase more if need be.

It is slightly fiddly working with the eSIM, and Airalo needs to update its own video which guides you through the process, since recent updates by Apple means the video doesn’t align with the actual appearance on my phone.

You do need to be reasonably comfortable making ‘adjustments’ in the Settings of your phone, but it’s really not difficult, and fairly obvious- selecting which line is your primary line for data etc.

I saved around £200 buying an eSIM compared to the cost of paying a roaming add-on that my network provider EE wanted to charge (£8.69 per day).

Having done it successfully once, I would now have no hesitation in recommending eSIM’s for Brits travelling outside of Europe.

GeoffPierce

csswiift said:

Hi there.

I’m looking for advise on phone usage when travelling to Tokyo.

EE don’t have any plans available so I’ll need to get an e-sim but even after reading guides, I’m still unsure how it works.

The plan I’ve seen is data only. 50GB for £50 which is OK. Once I’ve activated it I understand data will work as normal ie WhatsApp, maps, socials etc. however, what about calls and texts? Will these only work when connected to WiFi? Can I get a separate plan with EE for calls out with that?

any insights is much appreciated.

Yes, with an eSIM you can use maps, socials, WhatsApp etc whilst travelling around, wherever you have a signal basically. Obviously, it makes sense to use WiFi where it’s available, such as airports, hotels, and many stores and eating establishments, to avoid using your eSIM data allowance needlessly. However, you won’t receive or send regular phone texts or calls, as generally you ‘disable’ your uk provider number - deliberately-on your mobile phone to avoid the risk of incurring massive roaming costs from your UK network provider.

If you feel that you will need to make/ receive calls and texts (other than through WhatsApp etc), then a local physical SIM card may be the better option for you- they are readily available at Japanese airports arrivals halls, or the 7-11 convenience type stores, but you will then need to inform all your contacts of the new phone number etc.
The cost of a local physical SIM will be far less than an add-on package from your UK network supplier, but maybe double or treble the cost of an eSIM.