There are two kinds of Sim cards in Japan: Prepard Sim Card and Contract Sim Card.
Preparded Sim Card is most suitable for short-term use purposes, such as business trip, travelling, short-term student visa, etc.
For long-term use, a Contract Sim Card is preferred. In this article, we will guide you through the process of what option to choose and how to apply for a prepaid sim card in Japan.
Service Company
The three major carriers are Docomo (NTT), au and Softbank.
Besides these three, we also recommend
Document Prepared
Here are the documents you need to prepare:
Vaid ID, such as your Residence Card or Driving License/ Insurence Card. It depends on the carrier you apply.
Photo with your ID.
a Japanese Credit Card
Onsite Contract Application
This is the best way to get a new sim card if you want to get it quickly. Normally you can get it the same day as you apply Go to any of the shops of the above carrier company.
Be careful that the staff in the shop will try to get you into a more expensive and unecessary package, make sure you ask for enough details for every package you are interested in , and avoid unecessary services you do not need.
Use MVNO Carrier
You can go directly through Ja
pan’s telco carriers, or, buying a SIM card from one of the many Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), which means an operator uses the network of one of the major players. For most MVNOs in Japan, this means using one of AU's, Docomo's, or Softbank's networks.
For example, in Mobal where you can apply for a sim card with a reasonable price.
Online Contract Application
Go to the official website of each carries and chose the one package that fits you first.
It may take up to a week to get your sim card if you apply online, but on the other hand, it allows you to compare different carriers' services and packages.
There are so many different packages of you choices. Good luck to your Sim Card hunting!