Data Roaming in Japan: What To Know

(Accidental) cellular roaming in Japan was once a traveler’s nightmare, but roaming has become, for some visitors at least, a viable alternative to travel SIMs and rental Wi-Fi.

Here, we review Japan roaming rates for some of the most popular phone networks in the U.S., U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Malaysia, so you can figure out whether it’s the best way to stay connected on your trip.

Roaming in Japan on U.S. mobile providers

Some of the bigger U.S. providers offer roaming to existing customers as part of their monthly plans, or as an add-on. Here’s a look at some of the bigger names.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile customers can use their existing plans to roam while traveling overseas. The basic Go5G, Magenta, and One plans offer unlimited 256kbps speeds, which might work for someone who just wants to use maps and check locations on the go, but otherwise plans to rely on the hotel Wi-Fi.

Other plans like Go5G Next, Plus, or Better Value will give you between 5 and 30GB of high-speed data and unlimited 256kbps speeds while in Japan. All of these plans also include US$0.25 calls and free texts.

T-Mobile also has data passes for 1, 10, or 30 days costing $10, $35, or $50, which come with unlimited calls and 2, 5, or 15GB of data.

Verizon

Verizon’s TravelPass will give you unlimited calls, text, and data for US$12 per day. You’ll only get charged for the days you receive or make calls, send texts, or use data.

The fine print says that while your data is unlimited, it’ll be slowed down to 3G speeds after your first 5GB of data use. You’ll need to purchase extra high-speed data if you want more.

AT&T

Similar to Verizon, the International Day Pass from AT&T offers roaming for US$12 per day. It is an add-on for those with an existing Unlimited plan.

Roaming in Japan on U.K. mobile providers

Vodafone UK and EE offer some of the most feasible data roaming in Japan. Here are the details.

Vodafone UK

Vodafone UK has different roaming plans depending on how you pay your phone bill and when you started your existing contract.

If you pay monthly and started your contract after August 2021, you’ll get calls, texts, and up to 25GB of data for an extra £7.86 per day. If you started your contract before August 2021, you’ll get the same for £6 per day, on top of your existing monthly bill.

If you’re on a PAYG Plus plan, you can buy an Around the World Extra add-on for between £6.40 and £28.75. Those on a PAYG plan will be charged for individual calls, texts, and data, with rates available via the company website.

EE

For Pay Monthly customers, EE has rather expensive call rates at £2.46 per minute for both incoming and outgoing calls. Texts are also 98p. However, you can buy 24-hour roaming passes — these might be useful for those needing very little data.

Day rates start from £8 per day for 500MB of data. Calls and texts only apply to Japan or the U.K., and you can only purchase the pass after you land. For PAYG customers, calls and texts are a bit cheaper at £1.80 per minute and 60p.

Roaming in Japan on Australian mobile providers

For Australia, Telstra and Optus offer reasonable roaming plans for those who want the option of voice calls and text. If you only need data, an eSIM might be a cheaper option if you’re coming from this part of the world.

Telstra

Telstra has a pre-paid International Roaming Day Pass for customers on a plan. Their prices differ depending on the region you’re traveling in, but for those visiting Japan, you can get unlimited calls, SMS, and 2GB data for AU$10 per day.

They also have international roaming packs for prepaid customers, which come in 3, 7, and 15-day increments for $10, $15, and $25. Data, texts, and minutes vary depending on the length of the pack.

Optus

Optus Choice Plus customers can roam in Japan for AU$5 per day for 5GB of data and unlimited standard calls and texts with the Optus Daily Roaming add-on.

If you’re not a Choice Plus customer, the Optus Roaming Pass is $10 per day and includes 1GB of data and unlimited national calls and texts. This applies to most postpaid mobile plans; certain plans may already have certain roaming inclusions or incur standard roaming rates.

Roaming in Japan on New Zealand mobile providers

New Zealand also has a few providers that offer feasible roaming rates for Japan. Here are the details.

Spark

For NZ$30, you can add a roaming pack (with data) to your Spark plan or prepaid card. It gets you 2GB of data, 300 minutes of outgoing and incoming calls each, and 300 texts for 14 days. They also offer a 14-day, data-only plan for $25, which will give you 2GB of data.

One NZ

If you are on most Pay Monthly plans, you can add roaming for NZ$10 a day to use your One NZ data, minutes, and texts in Japan.

For those with Prepay plans, there are a few different general or data-only roaming options. The Daily Prepay add-on will set you back NZ$6 per day for 200MB of data, 20 minutes of calls, and 20 texts.

The weekly one costs $22 for 1GB of data, 100 minutes of calls, and 100 texts. The data-only packages are $17 for 40MB, $35 for 100MB, and $58 for 200MB of data.

Skinny

Skinny has a 7-day roaming data pack of 1GB for NZ$17. You can make it NZ$23 if you want calls and texts as well (200 minutes and 200 texts). If it’s a shorter trip, 500MB of data, 100 minutes of calls, and 100 texts will set you back $11 for 3 days.

2degrees

2degrees offers a pretty straightforward NZ$8 per day option to use your active Prepay or Pay Monthly NZ plan overseas, but you only get 1GB of high-speed data. After that, your speeds will slow down to a crawling 128kbps.

Roaming in Japan on Singaporean mobile providers

Most SG phone providers provide data-only roaming options. Here’s an overview of what you can get.

Giga

GigaRoam costs S$5 for 5 days and gives you 1GB of data, making it a reasonable option for your trip to Japan if you only need a bit of data. However, if you want to make calls and texts, you may want to check their standard roaming rates.

StarHub

If you’re a StarHub 5G Unlimited or 5G Platinum customer, you can buy 10GB of data for $20, which is valid in 20 APAC destinations and lasts for 30 days.

Their DataTravel plan is S$6 for 3 days and gives you 1GB in the Asia Pacific region. If you’re in Japan for longer, 30-day plans come in 2GB and 3GB options for $16 and $20, respectively.

They also have an unlimited Data Travel plan for $30 per day and a daily plan that costs $10 per 100MB.

GOMO

GOMO offers Japan roaming as an add-on to their 4G and 5G eSIM plans. To roam in Japan, you’ll need to buy the Worldwide add-on, which includes roaming in 50 destinations. Packages range from 1GB to unlimited.

Singtel

Singtel has a simple but effective ReadyRoam data plan for 18 Asian destinations, including Japan, which costs S$18 for 6GB of data and is valid for 30 days.

The newer UnlimitedRoam plan is valid for 14 days and gives you 15GB of high-speed data for $35. After that, you’ll still have data, but speeds will slow down until the end of the subscription.

MyRepublic

MyRepublic offers two different roaming offerings for its customers. Their data-only plans, dubbed “Travel Boosters”, include a 7-day, 1GB Japan option for S$14.90.

They also have 30-day worldwide options for $39.90 with 1GB of data.

Standard charges will be applied for calls and texts, and will differ depending on your location — so be sure to check the fine print.

M1

M1 has a range of different prepaid and postpaid roaming options depending on your existing plan.

For postpaid customers, their Daily Passport will get you a rather large 3GB for S$3.95 per day, while their Data Passport will let you use your local data overseas for $35 per month in Japan or $65 in wider Asia. If you pay per megabyte, it’s $0.02 per MB.

Their prepaid plans give you 2GB of data and 10 minutes of calls for $28 every 10 days or a rather expensive $0.03 per kilobyte.

Roaming in Japan for Malaysian mobile providers

Here is a quick comparison of two of the bigger providers — CelcomDigi and Maxis.

CelcomDigi

CelcomDigi has multi-day and monthly worldwide passes valid in Japan. Their daily passes range from 3 to 30 days, offer a great 2–3GB of daily high-speed data and cost between RM48 and RM118 depending on the length of your trip.

Their monthly roaming passes are RM70 and offer free in-flight roaming, a huge 80GB of monthly data, and 15 minutes of voice calls. The advantage of both these daily and monthly plans is that they’re valid in 82 countries, so they’re great if you’re doing a multi-country trip.

Maxis

Maxis has a few data roaming packages for travelers to Japan. The plans range from a pricey 1-day, 500MB plan for RM38 up to 2GB 7, 15, and 30-day plans for RM69, RM99, and RM149, respectively.

If you’re making calls, you can get cheaper rates if you use their 120 dial code. Incoming calls are RM5.80 per minute, and SMS rates depend on your plan.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use roaming, pocket Wi-Fi, a travel SIM, or eSIM when I’m in Japan?

It depends on your individual needs and budget. If you’re traveling in a group and just want data, it may work out cheaper to share data using a pocket Wi-Fi device.

If you’re traveling solo, an eSIM is a good alternative to roaming (only if your device is unlocked) — it may work out cheaper, and could also give you more data. There are lots of options for less than US$10, too.

If you want the option of using your existing phone number for voice calls and texts, as well as the general convenience, then roaming is for you.

How do I use roaming while I’m in Japan?

Once you land in Japan, check that your roaming is turned on. While the location of this setting depends on your phone model, it is usually found in settings under “cellular data” and then “roaming”.

Note that some providers need you to dial a number, receive a text, or agree to roaming charges on their website for it to be turned on, so check the fine print.

Can I use roaming outside of Japan with a Japanese SIM or eSIM?

Indeed, you can. Mobal has a range of voice and data eSIMs that come with a Japanese phone number, which offer roaming outside of the country.

This can be handy for things like buying tickets to concerts in Japan, as well as receiving a one-time password for Japanese apps and services.

Can I use Wi-Fi calling in Japan?

Yes, here’s how it works. Wi-Fi calling uses your local provider, i.e., the one you use at home, presuming it has voice-call capability.

Instead of using cell towers to make the call, it uses Wi-Fi and is authenticated by your home SIM provider as a voice call over Wi-Fi. So if you’re in Japan and call a number in your home country, it’s treated as a local call.

If you call a Japanese number using Wi-Fi while you’re in Japan, however, you could incur roaming charges, so be careful. Your phone and provider must have Wi-Fi calls enabled.

This article is intended only as an initial guide. While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change, so please carefully compare all options and prices before deciding on cellular roaming in Japan. The first version of this post was published in March 2020. Last updated in April 2026, by Patrick Balfe.