Best eSIM for Japan compared

Trip length sorts Japan eSIMs faster than any brand name. Five or six days of maps and messaging, and a small fixed plan is enough. Ten days or more, and the 15-day plans start to make sense.

The table sets Airalo against Ubigi, the two I'd pick between. Holafly, aloSIM and Nomad have a case too, made in the text below with no table rows.

The two I'd choose between

Airalo's Moshi Moshi plan gives 3 GB for 7 days at $8 (checked November 2, 2026). Airalo's Japan page names SoftBank as the primary network and "+2 others"; the plan's networks are SoftBank, KDDI, Rakuten. It is data only.

Ubigi's Japan plan gives 5 GB for 15 days at $10. Ubigi's plan list doesn't name the Japanese network. Its page says one-off plans can be topped up once the allowance runs out.

Take a hypothetical 10-day trip with 5 GB of use. Airalo's 7-day plan expires before you leave. Ubigi's covers it with 5 days to spare. For a 6-day trip, Airalo's smaller plan fits, and you'd pay $8 against $10. Try your own numbers in the data calculator.

Neither Japan page says whether hotspot works. Airalo's Japan FAQ only warns that a hotspot uses more data. Airalo's help page on tethering says it works as long as your device and the network support it, and Ubigi has an Android tethering article. I read only the Android one.

A catch on Airalo: its FAQ says a package "only starts when you connect in your destination". Its validity policy text says that for some eSIMs, validity starts at install, even outside coverage. Read that note on the plan before you buy.

Unlimited and phone-number plans

Holafly's 7-day plan is unlimited at $27.50. Holafly's page says you can share 1 GB a day by hotspot, so 7 GB over the week. It also says a network fair-usage policy can slow speeds for up to one day. The plan has no phone number, and validity starts when the eSIM connects to a supported network.

aloSIM's 7-day unlimited plan costs $27. Its page says you get 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps until the next day. That cap is stricter than a plain "unlimited" label suggests. aloSIM says hotspot works, top-ups are available and a free Hushed number comes with every plan. The network is KDDI.

Airalo sells an unlimited 7-day Japan plan too, at $26.50. It follows the same 3 GB a day, then 1 Mbps pattern.

Nomad's Japan page, read November 2, 2026, lists 5 GB for 30 days at $10. It also lists 3 GB for 30 days, which the page displayed as EUR 6.27. Hotspot is supported, per Nomad's FAQ. Add-ons extend a plan, and Nomad says to activate within 60 days of purchase, after which it starts on its own. Nomad's page says some plans include a local number but doesn't say which, so check the plan details.

Which to pick

For one light week, Airalo's 3 GB plan. For 10 to 15 days, Ubigi's 5 GB plan, with a top-up if you run dry. If you tether a laptop, aloSIM or Nomad, since both pages say hotspot works. If you need a number for hotel texts, aloSIM's Hushed number.

More on the brands in our Europe comparison, the Thailand version and the roundup by trip type. Browse every plan under travel eSIMs.