Japan is a beautiful country to visit! People have, somehow, made themselves more familiar with it thanks to how much they have expanded throughout the world with anime and manga. Therefore, a lot of people want to visit the Asian country at least once, and with the roaming Japan service, you will stay connected from the very first moment that you get there.
Today we will not only talk about the roaming service and where you can get it, but we’ll also talk about other alternatives that you can use in order to save a bit of money. If you have in mind going to Japan and visiting Tokyo, Osaka, or Kioto, you must be prepared to enjoy your journey as much as you can.
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Price comparison between the different American mobile operators
| USA Mobile Operator | Roaming Japan Price |
| T-Mobile | 30$ (Essentials) – 40$ (Magenta) – 47$ (Magenta Extra) |
| Verizon | 10$/per day (International) – 100$ (International Monthly Pass) |
| AT&T | 10$/day (International Pass) – 15$ (International Calling Plan) |
Price comparison between the different UK mobile operators
| UK Mobile Operator | Roaming Japan Price |
| O2 | 4.99£/per GB |
| Three | 5£/per roaming day |
| Vodafone | 6£ per roaming day |
Roaming Japan alternatives: Two options that can save your life and money
It is fair to say that one of the easiest ways to keep your internet service while traveling is with the roaming service, but is it truly the alternative that’s better for you and your pocket? Maybe you want to know more about other options that you can find in the market, you might come across one that suits you better!
We can talk about the eSIMs and SIM cards as alternatives, but there’s more, actually. People can also rely on the free WiFi that countries like Japan tend to offer, or they can rent a Pocket WiFi, it will all depend!
eSIM card for Japan
If you are familiar with the SIM cards, and probably you are because almost everyone has owned one at some point, then the eSIM for Japan will be easy for you to understand. These cards are completely digital, and people will only have to activate them on the device they want to use it in, there’s no need to put a new SIM on your phone.
Yet, this technology is somehow new, so chances are that you don’t find one everywhere you go, but in case you want to use one, we recommend Holafly. They have proven to give its clients a good service and competitive price, making it a good option in the market.
- eSIM cards tend to be cheaper than choosing a different alternative.
- With the eSIM, you will have access to 2G unlimited data if you run out of your 4G data.
- People can share internet with their eSIM to other devices.
- If you choose the Holafly eSIM, you’ll get access to 24/7 customer support.
- The coverage range of the eSIM is pretty good.
Data SIM Cards for Japan
Another alternative that might surprise people is SIM cards for Japan. Yes, we are mostly used to using them while we are in our country, but, now you can use them when you go out for travel too.
In case you want to put the roaming Japan service aside, you can trust in a prepaid international SIM card, and as a recommendation, you should try out Holafly as well. Just like it happens with eSIMs, they are also leading the market with SIM cards, so go and take your shot with them. Also, don’t think that you won’t have benefits, because, you actually will do.
- SIM cards give users access to phone calls and messages.
- Using a SIM card is way cheaper than other services.
- People can contact their mobile operator in a matter of seconds while using a SIM card.
Rent Pocket WiFi in Japan
Pockets WiFi are small devices that are designed to give people access to the internet in almost every single country from around the world. These devices are mostly rented from companies by people who like to travel and want to make things easier for them.
People can easily rent a Pocket WiFi within seconds, and they can even ask for the device to be delivered, which makes it a pretty useful solution. Yet, the main issue comes with its price, renting one for a week can cost between 50$ to 100$, which is a pretty high price. Also, people will have to pay for the device in case they lose it or something happens to it.
This is the only downside that we can find when talking about Pocket WiFi as a roaming alternative, other than that, people can rely on the service because it is actually pretty good and mostly unlimited.
Free WiFi in Japan
Japan is a first-world country, so people will have the chance to easily find free WiFi in almost every place that they go to. But, what if you forget to turn on the WiFi? It could happen, but there are some apps that can help you with it.
In case that you think that this is a good alternative for you to use, then you can search and download Avast Wi-Fi Finder, WinMan, and WiFi Map, some of the apps that are designed to help users to find WiFi in a matter of seconds without people worrying about it.
Details of Roaming Japan services offered by the most popular mobile operators in the USA
U.S mobile operators are quite famous even outside of the country, and you can access the roaming Japan service with them. But, let’s see what do they offer, and how each one of them works.
T-Mobile Roaming Japan service
If you’re a T-Mobile customer, you’ll be able to choose from three different plans. The plans offered to T-Mobile customers are Essentials, Magenta, and Magenta Plus, obviously, each one is different and offers more than the previous one.
These plans are pretty similar, but Magenta and Magenta Plus are the winners here due to what they offer. These two plans offer 5GB and 40GB of mobile data, respectively, whereas the Essentials plan only provides 3G unlimited speed. For text messages and phone calls, you’ll get unlimited service on both.
Verizon Roaming Japan service
For those interested in getting roaming Japan service, Verizon is another choice in the U.S. So far, they offer only two plans: the International Travel Pass is mostly used by people who have a good mobile data plan due to this plan using their data allowance while traveling. Thankfully, it gives unlimited text messages and phone calls at no extra cost.
The other option people have is the International Monthly Pass, which costs 100$ per month and it gives users access to 5GB of high-speed mobile data, 250 minutes for phone calls, and unlimited text messages.
AT&T Roaming Japan Service
Let’s see what AT&T has to offer to its clients when it comes to roaming Japan. They offer two plans, just like Verizon does, but one of these plans is only focused on giving people access to phone calls and unlimited text messages. It costs 15$ per line, but it might not be the best alternative.
There is, however, a better choice. The International Pass provides text messages, phone calls, and mobile data, and the pricing is reasonable for what it provides. People can use this service while roaming Japan for only 10$ per day.
Details of Roaming Japan services offered by the most popular mobile operators in the UK
Now that you know about the operators available in the U.S you might be wondering, what are the main differences with the ones in the UK? Well, there are actually lots of differences, so let’s get to it and see what companies offer to people.
O2 Roaming Japan service
With O2, we’ll get to see what a truly cheap roaming service is. People who are customers of this company will only have to pay 4.99£ per day for the roaming Japan service. It is not a lot, and it will give users access to their local data allowance, which can be extended, and unlimited text messages and phone calls too.
Three Roaming Japan service
We got to see how cheap O2 is, but now, thanks to Three, we also have a different option. If you are a customer of O2, you will have to pay 5£ per day for the roaming service, which is a pretty low price. You will get access to text messages and phone calls as well.
Vodafone Roaming Japan service
The last company we’ll talk about is Vodafone. They are undergoing some changes, and right now, they only offer to roam through their Xtra Airtime Plan for 6£ per roaming day. This will eventually change, but as long as you own that plan, you can get that price while roaming in Japan and other countries.
How to activate roaming with the different mobile operators in The United States
So far, we have only talked about the alternatives for roaming and what companies offer on their roaming service. Now, the time has come to talk about how can people activate their roaming plans with a U.S mobile operator.
T-Mobile roaming activation
T-Mobile has chosen to keep things simple. People who are customers of this company will only need to call #RON# or #ROF to activate or deactivate their roaming Japan service.
Verizon roaming activation
Verizon keeps things simple as well, but people do have to follow some extra steps in order to activate the roaming on their devices.
- First, go to “Settings”.
- Now, click on “Mobile Data”.
- Press on the “Roaming” option to activate/deactivate it when needed.
AT&T roaming activation
AT&T offers a pretty similar service, it is pretty similar to what Verizon does. Here’s what you need to do:
- Press “Settings”.
- Go to “Mobile Data”.
- Now, press “Roaming” to activate/deactivate the service on your device.
How to activate roaming with the different mobile operators in the UK
Now that we have talked about the U.S operators, is time to move forward and talk about the other options that we have available. The UK operators also have a different way to activate the roaming, so let’s see how to do it.
O2 roaming activation
With O2, we get to see that the roaming can be activated with a simple message. People will need to send the message O2TRAVEL to the following number: 23336. Once it’s done, the roaming will be activated on the mobile.
Three roaming activation
Three is quite similar to what we talked about before. People will have to do a bit more to activate the roaming but is still simple.
- Go to “Settings” on your device.
- Press on the “Mobile Data” option.
- Now, press on “Roaming” to activate/deactivate the service.
Vodafone roaming activation
With Vodafone, you have two ways to activate the roaming. First, you can do it through their website with your Vodafone user, but in case that you don’t have time or the user, you can simply make a call to 199, where customer service will be glad to help you out with the roaming activation.
