You sit down on a bench in the arrivals lobby and open the little cover on the side of your phone. You take out your home SIM, put the card for Japan in its place, close the cover and turn the phone on.
When your map pulls up the route to your hotel, you’re connected. Then a quick “Made it!” to your family.
Even if your phone can’t use eSIM, or setting up an eSIM just isn’t your thing, you can do this. Your home SIM is out of the phone, so your home carrier’s line stays off while you’re in Japan. It’s the simplest, most worry-free way to go, with no need to think about the bill after you get home.
Prices and procedures can change, so check each company’s information before you buy (as of October 2026).
First, check your phone — the SIM tray and the SIM lock
Some recent phones don’t have a place for a SIM card (a SIM tray). On an iPhone, if there’s a thin cover on the side with a tiny hole in it, that’s the SIM tray. If there isn’t one, that iPhone is eSIM-only. For other phones, check the information for your model.
Phones that can’t take a card include, for example, iPhone Air, recent iPhones bought in the U.S., Canada, Japan and some other countries (14 and later if bought in the U.S., 17 and later in Canada, Japan and some other countries), and Pixel 10 and 11 (standard, Pro and Pro XL) bought in the U.S.
It depends on the country where you bought it and the model, not your nationality. Even with the same iPhone 17, one bought in Korea or Taiwan has a SIM tray.
If your phone can’t take a card, see the “eSIM” or “Pocket Wi-Fi” article. Either way, you’ll be connected from the day you arrive.
The other thing to check first is the SIM lock. If your phone is SIM-locked, a Japanese SIM won’t work even if you put it in. Only your home carrier can unlock it, and it can take a few days, so if you’re going to check, do it before you leave. How to check is covered in the “How to Get Your Phone Online in Japan” article. If you only notice the lock after you arrive, pocket Wi-Fi will still work. See the “Pocket Wi-Fi” article.
Buying in Japan — at the airport or an electronics store
If you want to use it as soon as you land, you can buy one at the airport.
- Narita Airport — There are SIM vending machines in Terminals 1, 2 and 3
- Haneda Airport — At Terminal 3, the international terminal, you can buy a travel SIM at, for example, the counter in the 2nd-floor arrivals lobby (6 a.m. to 11 p.m.)
- Kansai Airport — There are SIM vending machines on the 1st floor of Terminal 1. Some run 24 hours
In the city, you can buy one at electronics stores such as BIC Camera and Yodobashi Camera. You may be able to buy one at a convenience store too, but what they carry is sometimes an eSIM, not a card. If you’re looking for a card, head to an electronics store.
If your flight lands late at night and you’re worried about finding one at the airport, you can also buy one online before you come to Japan.
Coming from Korea or Taiwan — buy one at home and bring it
If you’re coming from Korea or Taiwan, some people get a SIM for Japan at home before they leave and bring it along. Some companies ship worldwide, so you can receive it before you come to Japan.
That way, you don’t have to look for a place to buy one in Japan. Once you’re off the plane, just swap it in. After that, follow the instructions on the card the SIM comes on.
How you start using it differs from product to product, so take a look at the instructions from the company you bought it from before you leave.
Swap it — power off, and line it up the right way
- Turn off your phone
- Take out the SIM tray — Push a pin into the small hole beside the tray. On an iPhone, a paper clip works too. For a Pixel, use the SIM-eject tool that came with it. Don’t push too hard
- Take out your home SIM and put it away — You’ll need it when you get home, so keep it somewhere you won’t lose it
- Place the Japanese SIM on the tray — Only one corner of the card is cut off, so it fits only one way. Put the tray back in the same way it came out
- Turn your phone back on
Some travel SIMs can be popped out in different sizes to fit your phone. Pop it out following the instructions on the card the SIM comes on.
Once it’s in — set up and register as your SIM company says
If you follow what’s written on the card the SIM comes on or on the company’s instructions page, it works in most cases. The steps are mostly things like entering the network settings (APN) or registering an email address.
But some SIMs need you to take a photo of your passport with your phone’s camera and send it. Keep your passport handy when you put the SIM in, too, and you won’t be flustered.
There are also conditions, such as age or how many days you have to finish registering, that vary by product. Check the instructions from the company you bought it from.
Whether data roaming should be on or off also depends on what that SIM company’s instructions say. Your home SIM is out of the phone, so either way, you won’t run up charges on your home carrier’s line.
When it won’t connect — first, these 3 things
- Restart — Sometimes it only connects after you restart it once the SIM is in
- Check that Cellular Data / Mobile Data is on and Airplane Mode is off
- Wait a little — On some models, it can take around 15 minutes to connect
If it still doesn’t work, connect to the airport’s free Wi-Fi and look at your SIM company’s instructions or contact details. Free Wi-Fi is covered in the “Free Wi-Fi” article. Other things to check are in the “When Your Phone Won’t Connect in Japan” article.
When you get home
Once you’re home, swap in the home SIM you set aside, and your phone is back to normal. If you rented the SIM, check the instructions from the company you rented it from for how to return it.
For now, just this
- Before you leave, check whether your phone has a SIM tray
- Check for a SIM lock before you leave, too
- Buy a Japanese SIM at the airport or an electronics store. From Korea or Taiwan, you can also buy one at home and bring it
- Once it’s in, set up and register as your SIM company says. Keep your passport handy
- Keep the home SIM you took out somewhere you won’t lose it
Once you land, just swap it in. Your maps, your train transfers and your “Made it!” all work like usual from that day on.
