Airport counters · the 2027 ID rule · when to bother
Japan SIM cards for tourists
Japan amended its SIM identity law in May 2026. Most advice online has the date wrong. Here is what the law and the ministry actually say, and what it means for a visitor.
When does Japan start asking ID for a data SIM?
April 2027, not April 2026
What changes, in the ministry's own words: data-only SIM and eSIM contracts become subject to identity verification, which until now they were not. In-person checks will in principle have to read the IC chip in the ID document rather than eyeball it. Existing data-only lines that were never verified will get a notice from their carrier, and a carrier may suspend a line that is not verified. MIC also notes that short-stay foreign visitors may be covered, naming data SIMs used for tourism or business trips as an example. For online contracts, IC-chip reading has already been the rule in principle since 1 April 2026, which is likely where the "April 2026" date in many guides comes from.
Foreign roaming travel eSIMs are outside the law. In parliament on 12 May 2026 the government said that visitors whose contract is with a foreign carrier, using Japanese networks through an international roaming agreement, normally have no direct contract with a Japanese operator and so are not regulated by the bill; the ministry will watch for misuse and act if needed (House of Representatives Internal Affairs Committee, 12 May 2026, minutes in Japanese). The Act places its duties on carriers registered in Japan, and the ordinances set the final list of covered SIMs. Today, Yesim's Japan page states "ID verification: Not required", and none of the other travel eSIM brands on this site lists an ID step for Japan.
Voice SIMs are a separate, older story. A Japanese line with a phone number has long required identity verification and an address, which is why visitors use a small number of sellers who serve tourists. The phone number page covers those.
Where you can actually buy a Japanese SIM as a visitor
three routes
| Route | Where | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Airport counter | Narita, Haneda, Kansai arrivals halls | SoftBank operates tourist SIM desks. Quick, staffed in English, and the most expensive way to buy data in Japan. Bring your passport: sellers can ask for it, and from April 2027 the law will. |
| Ordered in advance | Delivered to your hotel or home | Mobal and similar visitor-focused sellers post a SIM to your accommodation or to you before you travel. Removes the queue. Mobal asks for your order email and passport at its airport pickup points. |
| Electronics shops | Bic Camera, Yodobashi, Don Quijote | Prepaid data SIMs on the shelf in the big city stores. Cheaper than the airport, Not every branch stocks them. |
| Carrier shops | Docomo, au, SoftBank branches | Not really a tourist route. They sell contracts, want residence documentation for voice lines, and the process is in Japanese. |
Convenience stores do not sell tourist SIMs in Japan, unlike much of Southeast Asia. Do not plan on a konbini as your fallback.
What a Japanese tourist SIM costs
against the alternatives
| Option | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Airport tourist data SIM | ¥3,000–5,000 ($20–34) | 8 to 30 days depending on the pack. Data-only SIMs join the legal ID check from April 2027. |
| City electronics shop SIM | from ≈¥2,000 ($13) | Cheaper, but you have to be in a city with a Bic Camera before you need data. |
| GigSky eSIM 10GB / 30 days | $16.79 | On NTT Docomo. Installed at home, working when you land. |
| Airalo eSIM 5GB / 15 days | $10.50 | On KDDI. Enough for a ten-day city trip. |
| Pocket wifi, 7 days | ≈¥6,300 (≈$42) | Shared across five devices. Genuinely the right answer for a group. |
Yen converted at roughly ¥150 to the dollar. Airport SIM prices from 2026 counter listings at Narita and Kansai. eSIM prices checked 2026.
The counter is not a rip-off, it is a convenience product priced like one. What it costs you beyond the money is the twenty minutes at the end of a long flight, and from April 2027 an ID check on top.
Physical SIM against travel eSIM
the honest comparison
| Japanese SIM | Travel eSIM | |
|---|---|---|
| ID required by law | Voice SIM yes; data-only SIM from April 2027 | No ID step listed today |
| Working when you land | No, buy on arrival | Yes, installed at home |
| Typical price, 10 days | $20–34 | $16.79 |
| Works on an old phone | Yes | Only with an EID |
| Keeps your home number active | No, it takes the slot | Yes, both lines run |
| Japanese phone number | Only on a voice SIM | No, data only |
| Network choice | Whatever the seller uses | Published by most brands |
| Small piece of plastic to lose | Yes, and your home SIM too | No |
The row that decides it for most people is the fifth one. A physical SIM takes the tray, so your home number goes in a pocket for two weeks and stops receiving the bank verification code you needed. An eSIM runs alongside the home line: data on the Japanese profile, calls and texts on your own number, roaming off.
When a physical SIM is still the right answer
two cases
Dial *#06#. No EID means no eSIM, and no amount of reading changes that. Older handsets, most Japanese-market phones and some managed work devices are in this group. A physical SIM or a rented router are your two options.
Restaurant reservation systems, rental car desks, delivery lockers and some hotel check-ins want a domestic number and will not take a foreign one. No travel eSIM gives you one. That means a voice-capable line from a visitor-focused seller. The three routes are here.
If your phone takes an eSIM and you only need data, the eSIM is cheaper, arrives working, keeps your home number live and has no counter queue. That is most visitors, most of the time. The comparison is here.
If your phone shows an EID when you dial *#06#, there is very little reason to plan an airport queue. GigSky is $16.79 for 10GB on Docomo and gives away 100MB first.
See GigSky Japan plans Compare every eSIMJapan SIM card questions
short answers
Do I need a passport to buy a SIM card in Japan?
For a voice SIM, yes. For a data-only SIM, not by law yet: Act No. 25 of 2026, promulgated 29 May 2026, adds data-only SIMs to the ID check, and MIC says the new rules apply from April 2027. Sellers can still ask for a passport, so carry it. MIC's ID-check page.
Can foreigners buy a SIM card in Japan?
Yes. Data SIMs are sold to tourists at airport counters and city electronics stores; from April 2027 they come with a legal ID check, and MIC says short-stay visitors may be covered. Voice SIMs with a Japanese phone number are harder, so the practical route is a visitor-focused seller like Mobal rather than a carrier shop.
Which SIM card is best in Japan for tourists?
For most visitors the honest answer is not a SIM card at all: a travel eSIM is cheaper, works the moment you land and keeps your home number active. If you need a physical SIM, the airport counters at Narita, Haneda and Kansai are the fastest route and the most expensive, and a Bic Camera or Yodobashi in the city is cheaper.
How much is a SIM card in Japan?
Roughly ¥3,000 to ¥5,000, about $20 to $34, for a tourist data pack of 8 to 30 days at an airport counter, and from about ¥2,000 in a city electronics store. A 10GB travel eSIM is $16.79 and does not involve a queue. Checked 2026.
Can I buy a SIM card at the airport in Japan?
Yes. SoftBank runs tourist SIM counters in the arrivals halls at Narita, Haneda and Kansai. Bring your passport. Data-only SIMs join the legal ID check from April 2027, per MIC, and sellers can ask for it before then. Convenience stores do not sell them, so the counter or a city electronics shop are the two options.
No queue, no counter, $16.79
Ten gigabytes over thirty days on NTT Docomo, installed on your phone at home and working the moment the plane doors open. Your home number stays live alongside it. If your phone cannot take an eSIM, the counter routes above are the ones to use.
See GigSky Japan plansSources & freshness: Law: Act No. 25 of 2026, enacted 22 May 2026 and promulgated 29 May 2026, per the MIC press release of 3 August 2026; effective-date clause from the law text on e-Gov; 1 April 2027 from MIC Ordinance No. 94 of 2026, on e-Gov; roaming eSIMs out of scope per the House of Representatives Internal Affairs Committee, 12 May 2026, minutes in Japanese; "from April 2027", data-only SIM coverage and the note on short-stay visitors from MIC's ID-check page, all read 2026. Airport counter prices from 2026 listings at Narita and Kansai, converted at roughly ¥150 to the dollar. eSIM prices from each brand's Japan page, checked 2026. How we test.