There are lots of different eSIMs for Japan, but only a few cater to heavy data users. If you’re a digital nomad, business traveler, or just love data, you might be looking for options with flexibility in terms of data limits. Here, we test and compare 100GB, semi-unlimited, and truly unlimited Japan eSIMs, so that you can see which Japan eSIM works best for you.
We also have a more general overview of eSIMs for tourists and short-term visitors to Japan, where we look at a broad range of different plans.
Quick comparison
Here’s an overview of the different eSIMs with big or unlimited data plans.
| Brand | Plan | Avg. Speed ▼ /▲ Mbps | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 31 days 100GB | 104.3 ▼ 11.14▲ | ¥8,000 (¥80/GB). See plans. |
 | 16 or 31 days 100GB | 24.76 ▼ 18.55 ▲ | ¥6,500–¥8,000 (¥65–¥80/GB). See plans. |
 | 1-90days Unlimited | 34.4 ▼ 14.5 ▲ | ¥1,500–¥24,000 easy top-ups. See plans |
 | 1-30 days 1-100GB | 20.11 ▼ 9.35 ▲ | ¥16,280 (¥163/GB). |
 | 15 days 5G unlimited – no speed cap | 38.27 ▼ 11.16 ▲ | US$11.99–US$45.99. See plans. |
 | 5-30 days 2-5GB/day | 54.4 ▼ 9.22 ▲ | ¥3,000–¥12,600. |
 | 7-30 days 4GB/day | 67.65 ▼ 11.84 ▲ | US$19.99–US$59.99. |
 | 7-30 days Unlimited | 67.54 ▼ 9.7 ▲ | US$26.00–US$59.99. |
 | 7-30 days Unlimited | 90.23 ▼ 5.14 ▲ | US$38.50–US$86.90. |
100GB eSIM plans for Japan
These are some of the big players that we thought were reasonable, price and speed wise.
RakuRaku eSIM for Japan: Super-fast speeds on a reliable network
Provided by Wireless Gate, a Japan-based mobile virtual network provider (MVNO), RakuRaku’s eSIM scored the highest in our speed tests with an average download speed of 104Mbps. Since we liked what we saw, we negotiated a special discount — enter the code “cheapo” for 10% off when you order.
What happens when you run out of data?
If you reach your 100GB data limit, you’ll still have access to the internet, but your speeds will be throttled to a rather sluggish 200Kbps. One thing to note is that the 31-day period begins from installation, so you’ll want to wait until you’re physically in Japan to activate your eSIM.
Note: This eSIM theoretically supports tethering, but compatibility may depend on the model of your phone.
Mobal Japan Tourist eSIM: Good all-round option from a local provider
Another reliable 100GB, 31-day option is Mobal. Also running on the Docomo network, Mobal didn’t score quite as highly on our speed tests but clocked in at a fairly steady 24.76Mbps. This is enough speed for things like maps, social media, data calls, and high-definition video streaming, but you may experience some lag with Zoom calls that have a large amount of participants.
In case you also want the option of voice calls, voice + data plans are available with 7GB of data per month on 30 to 90-day plans. The Mobal website is easy to use and more transparent than some other providers, and if you’re a philanthropically minded traveler, a portion of the company’s profits is donated to charity.
What happens when you run out of data?
Mobal’s 100GB eSIMs will also run at 200Kbps once you reach your data limit. Your 31-day usage period starts when you connect to the local Docomo network.
B-Mobile Visitor eSIM for Japan: Flexibility depending on your stay
The appeal of the B-Mobile eSIM for Japan is the ability to customize your plan. With options ranging from 1 to 30 days and 1GB to 100GB, users can tailor their length of validity and total data. While the maximum combination of 30 days and 100GB is more expensive than similar plans, their mid-range plans are reasonably priced. 5G is offered where available.
The usage period begins on the date you specify when customizing your eSIM, and you’ll receive your eSIM on or before this date. What this means is that although cancellations and returns aren’t possible with most other companies, B-Mobile offers the option to cancel your eSIM up to two days before the date you specify.
What happens when you run out of data?
The service will stop if you reach your data limit, but they do offer the option to add extra days or data if required.
Unlimited eSIMs with daily data caps
These are what we call “somelimited” plans — they are unlimited, with limits.
eSIM Japan Unlimited Data: Flexiblility to suit your stay
Roaming on the nationwide 4G/LTE KDDI network (read: reliable), eSIM Japan’s Unlimited Data plans have daily caps ranging from Lite (0.5GB) to Basic (1GB) and Pro (2GB). They also recently introduced a truly unlimited option, which we’ll get to later. The Lite plan has 3 to 12-day options, while the Basic and Pro plans are available from 3 to 30 days.
Your plan starts once you connect to the local network, and daily usage resets at midnight. In terms of coverage, at the time of writing, the Unlimited Data plans had 4.99 stars from 1,693 ratings on their website, with most users pointing to stable connectivity. Granted, it may not be unbiased, but it’s still strong.
What happens when you run out of data?
On all of the Lite, Basic and Pro plans, you’ll still have access to the internet with a download speed of 384Kbps once your daily limit is reached.
Sakura Mobile: Trusted local Japan provider
An established SIM and Wi-Fi provider popular with both short and long-term visitors to Japan, Sakura Mobile also has a line of eSIMs. A big selling point of Sakura’s Travel eSIMs is their flexibility. Short-term eSIMs are available from 1 all the way up to 90 days with a combination of unlimited and fixed-data options. If you’re after a semi-permanent option, Sakura offers long-term data-only and voice + data eSIMs at 5, 25, and 40GB per month. Their unlimited plans have a 3GB daily usage cap, after which the data download speed is limited.
Maya Mobile Japan Unlimited: Economical price points and high data limits
A good all-round “somelimited” plan for those after a combination of high daily data limits, cost performance, and speed. Running on the KDDI 4G/LTE network, Maya averages 54.40Mbps download speeds until you reach your daily cap.
Daily caps vary with each plan, from 2GB per day to a very nice 5GB per day. Plans run from 5 to 30 days. You’ll need to set up an account to receive your eSIM, but you can use it to add more data, and the registration process is quick and easy.
Compared to other providers, Maya had exceoptionally high trust ratings. At the time of writing, Maya had 4.7 stars from 4,830 reviews on Trustpilot, with most users mentioning ease of set-up and use.
What happens when you run out of data?
Maya Mobile’s speeds drop down to 1Mbps after your cap is reached, which is sufficient for maps, basic browsing, and audio streaming. You’ll probably experience a lot of buffering on even low-resolution video streaming, though.
eTravelSim International Travel eSIM for Japan Unlimited: High speeds and value for money
If you don’t mind the long name and 4GB-per-day cap, eTravelSim is a great overall bang-for-your-buck “somelimited” option — whether you buy for 7, 15, or 30 days. It averaged a strong 67.65Mbps on the local Docomo network. Although the unlimited plans don’t offer tethering capability, they do offer a reasonable price per gig regardless of your trip length.
What happens when you run out of data?
You can expect to continue receiving 2 to 3Mbps speeds after reaching your daily 4GB limit. This will allow you to do most things on your phone, including decent-quality video calls and standard-definition video streaming.
Sim Card Geek Japan eSIM Unlimited Data: Reliability for shorter trips
While they’ve been in the Japan SIM game for a while, somelimited eSIMS are a newer addition to Sim Card Geek’s lineup. A subsidiary of Mobal, their eSIMS run on the national SoftBank-KDDI network and don’t require roaming, which means reliable speeds and service. On top of that, a portion of Sim Card Geek’s profits goes to charities, providing things like food and sustainable income streams to struggling communities in Africa.
Sim Card Geek’s unlimited eSIM plans have 3-, 5-, 8-, 10-, and 12-day options, which means they’re better suited to shorter trips. In terms of data limits, you can choose from 1GB and 2GB per day, which is enough for things like maps, email, messaging, browsing, and social media.
Prices fall slightly on the more expensive end of the scale, but rank highly in terms of reliability and support for tethering. The Sim Card Geek eSIM is quick and easy to set up (just make sure you activate it after arriving), and they offer a money-back guarantee if you happen to have any issues.
What happens when you run out of data?
If you reach your daily 1 or 2GB limit, your speed will slow down to 384Kbps until the next day. At these speeds, browsing and social media will be pretty slow, but you’ll still be able to communicate via messaging apps, and use maps.
Truly unlimited eSIMs for Japan
Not willing to risk running out of data? Here are three unlimited plans with no daily data limits.
Yoho Mobile Japan eSIM Unlimited: Good-value truly unlimited plan
With no daily data caps, and the option to tether, the Yoho Mobile Japan eSIM checks a lot of boxes for nomad-types and other high data users. Featuring unlimited 7, 15, and 30-day options, Yoho scored fairly well on our speed tests with 67.54Mbps download speeds.
Despite the relatively no-frills website (and needy chatbot), Yoho comes highly recommended on Trustpilot, particularly for their customer service. Depending on your daily data usage, the shorter 7 and 15-day plans may be priced a little higher than some of the above “somelimited” plans, but the 30-day plan is very economical.
Yesim eSIM Japan Unlimited: High speeds and added extras
Another big name in unlimited data, Yesim also offers truly unlimited 7, 15, and 30-day plans. While their price points might be higher, Yesim ranked second-highest in our speed tests, with a blistering average 90.23Mbps on the KDDI network. If you also factor in VPN capability (for iOS), 5G (where available in Japan), smooth installation, and great user ratings, Yesim is a good all-round option for those with a slightly higher budget.
eSIM Japan 5G Unlimited Max Data: No speed caps!
eSIM Japan has entered the truly unlimited data realm with their 5G Unlimited Max Data plan. Also on the reliable KDDI network, the new offering supports 5G (where available) and offers free access to AU WiFi in places like Starbucks, Don Quijote, and Bic Camera.
Although validity tops out at 15 days, eSIM Japan say there’s no throttleing of speeds on this plan. An additional advantage to this plan is that you have the flexibility of choosing from 3 all the way up to 15 days, instead of being tied to 7- or 15-day options.
Ubigi Japan Unlimited eSIM: Fast speeds for short to long stays
Special offer: Use discount code TOKYOCHEAPO for 10% off!
Ubigi is a global eSIM provider currently offering eSIMs for over 200 destinations. Having quickly become a big name in the Japanese eSIM market, they have plans to cover most needs. From economical single-day 500MB plans for ¥390 to beefy month-long plans with unlimited data for US$74.00, there’s something for all travelers. Their truly unlimited plans come in 7- and 30-day options and they also have an option or ongoing monthly plans if you’re planning a longer stay.
While the plan is essentially unlimited, their fair use policy says that your speeds will be capped if you happen to achieve the feat of using over 15GB on a 7-day plan or 60GB on a 30-day plan.
Note: eSIM companies offering truly unlimited data plans are ultimately bound by the fair-use policy (FUP) of their network providers (Docomo, KDDI, etc). Although there are no daily data limits, providers may opt to institute their FUP by throttling your internet speeds until the next day, if they deem that your data usage has been excessive.
How did we test these eSIMs?
Let’s start with a big fat disclaimer: Testing eSIMs is inherently difficult, due to transient network conditions. You can test the same connection, on the same phone, in the same place, twice in a five-minute interval and get two completely different results for speed and latency. So take everything with a grain of salt.
RakuRaku, B-Mobile, Maya, eTravelSim, Yoho and Yesim
We tested these six eSIMs across two days, in separate locations, using the Ookla speed test app. We assessed the download and upload speeds, as well as latency.
The first six tests were conducted in Setagaya, using the same test server for each test. The following 12 tests were done in two separate central Tokyo locations (Shibuya and Shinjuku) on the same server as the previous day. We then averaged the results across the three tests for each eSIM. As part of the tests, we checked videos on YouTube to assess streaming capabilities, and also made brief video calls to look for lag.
Mobal and eSimJapan
We carried these results over from our previous tests.
While we do our best to ensure everything is correct, information is subject to change. Prices are approximate. Post first published in May 2024. Last updated: July 2024.
