Internet in Japan

Prepaid sim cards, pocket wifi and other paid services

Docomo Wi-Fi for visitor

Docomo has installed a network of 150 thousand hot-spots scattered around Japan to which it is possible to connect with any device. To use them you need to buy a subscription of 1 or 3 weeks, at the price of 972¥ and 1404¥ respectively.
Both purchase and payment can be done in a few seconds directly online, at this link.
Here you can find a complete map of all the hotspots in Japan, with a truly remarkable coverage, including many JR and Tokyo Metro stations, KFC and Lotteria (fast foods), 7/11, Lawson, Family Mart and Ito Yokado (convenience stores), Starbucks, Tully's and Doutor (cafes), and many other places.

Rent a portable hotspot (pocket wifi)

One of the best solutions to have a fast internet connection wherever you are in Japan, particularly convenient especially if you travel with some other person and you can share the cost.
A pocket wifi (MiFi) is nothing more than a pocket device that works as a wifi router, to which you can connect from any of your devices (PC or smartphone) with a wifi connection. The device receives the internet connection from the mobile network (as if it were a mobile phone) so it works wherever there is signal coverage, and of course you can connect multiple devices at the same time.
You can rent a pocket wifi directly at the airport on the day of your arrival (you'll see several dedicated counters immediately after leaving the baggage claim area). In the major international airports of Japan there are many offices of different companies that offer this type of service:

• Pocket wifi and cell phones rental in Tokyo Narita
• Pocket wifi and cell phones rental in Tokyo Haneda
• Pocket wifi and cell phones rental in Osaka Kansai

As an alternative, you can use one of the many websited providing this service, and they will send you the pocket wifi directly to your hotel in Japan or to a dedicated counter at the airport. Rent your pocket wifi online and pick it up at your hotel or airport

Buy a prepaid data sim card

This solution is increasingly preferred by tourists. The cost of a prepaid sim for tourists depends on several factors, namely the number of days during which you want to use the sim card, the amount of gigabytes that you are allowed to use, the possibility to make unlimited local calls or other additional services.
Once you get your sim, all you have to do is insert it into your smartphone. If desired, you can also share the connection with other devices via the tethering function.
You can buy your prepaid sim card in several ways:

• On the Internet at one of the many websites that offer this service, paying by credit card and collecting the sim directly at your hotel in Japan or at one of the dedicated counters at the airport (Click here for the most convenient online prepaid sim cards);
• In the arrivals area of the main international airports, both in dedicated desks and even through vending machines;
• In all the big electronics stores in any city (Bic Camera, Yodobashi Camera, Yamada Denki, etc.);

The best data sim cards for foreign tourists in Japan

Internet access via free wifi hotspots

At the hotel

Nowadays almost all the hotels in Japan, as well as in the rest of the world, offer a free wifi internet connection.
Many hotel rooms, especially in business hotels, are also equipped with a ethernet socket for wired connection of your laptop. If you can't find the Ethernet cable in your room, simply ask the reception.

Free wifi hot spots around

Public wifi hotspots in Japan have spread a lot in recent years, and, especially in big cities, they can be found easily. Among the places where you will almost certainly be able to find a network to connect to, there are in particular:

• Airports
• Railway stations
• Shopping centers and department stores
• Konbini (convenience store)
• Cafes, restaurants and fast foods
• Tourist information centers

Main free wifi hotspot networks

Free Wi-Fi Passport
A free service offered by telephony giant Softbank. In total, there are more than 400 thousand hotspots scattered around Japan and it's easy to find one.
Registration procedure: to be able to use the service it is necessary to register a first time, selecting the Softbank network as roaming operator of your phone, and calling the number *8180. A voice on the phone will give you a password. From that moment you can complete the registration and log in to all hotspots belonging to this network using the password received and your phone number as your ID.
More information;

JR East Free Wi-Fi
In many JR stations in the Tokyo area and other cities in eastern Japan.
More information;

JR West Free Wi-Fi
In many JR stations in Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and other cities in western Japan.
More information;

NTT East Free Wi-Fi
In Tokyo, Yokohama and many other cities in eastern Japan, hundreds of free hotspots for foreigners only.
More information;

Kyoto WiFi
In Kyoto, some hundreds of free hotspots made available by the city government.
More information;

Osaka WiFi
In Osaka, some hundreds of free hotspots made available by the city government.
More information;

Fukuoka City Wi-Fi
In Fukuoka, some hundreds of free hotspots made available by the city government.
More information;

Hiroshima Free Wi-Fi
In Hiroshima, some hundreds of free hotspots made available by the city government.
More information;

7 Spot
In thousands of konbini of the 7 Eleven chain, in all the cities of Japan.
More information;

Japan Connected-free Wi-Fi

In addition to the large networks of free hotspots like those listed above, there are so many thousands of smaller free hotspot networks scattered around Japan and it is impossible to list them all. Fortunately, we have Japan Connected-free Wi-Fi, a great service created to help tourists.
Installing the dedicated app, available for both android and iphone, you can make a single registration and use the credentials for all the affiliated wifi hotspots (about 170 thousand in all Japan). Moreover, both through the app and on the website, you can consult the maps of all the hotspots and also download them for offline consultation.

Internet access with your own SIM card

Using your own sim card to connect to the internet while roaming, used to be, until a few years ago, an economic suicide.
Today, on the contrary, tariffs have fallen a lot, and in some cases mobile phone carriers might offer convenient international plans including internet and calls from abroad.
Obviously it is impossible to give advice that is valid for all the countries of the world, you must check and evaluate well, it may or may not be convenient depending on your home country and your mobile phone operator.

Internet Cafes

If, while in Japan, you don't need just an internet connection but also a computer, you can go to one of the many internet cafes scattered around the main Japanese cities (especially around the main stations).
In a japanese internet cafe you can rent small cubicles equipped with a PC, where you can also take a rest or take a nap or stay overnight. Many internet cafes also offer complementary services such as free drinks and shower rooms. More information on internet cafes in Japan.

Guided tours, activities and other things to do

If you are planning a trip to Japan and you want to do something more than just visiting famous places and monuments, we suggest you to use Rakuten Travel Experiences.

How to use Rakuten Travel Experiences

Rakuten Travel is a very useful website to enrich your travel experience, especially if you are going solo or it's your first time in Japan.
Because of the language barrier (and more), in Japan it is very difficult to interact with the locals and to get off the tourist track.
Thanks to Rakuten Travel you can find a lot of interesting and sometimes unique guided tours and activities all over Japan (and not only in Japan), that you would otherwise never be able to enjoy.
But there's more: on Rakuten Travel you can also buy tickets for several famous attractions, events, transportation and other useful services for tourists. Last but not least, you can reserve a table in hundreds of restaurants.

Some examples

• You can buy tickets in advance to visit some very popular attractions and skip the queue at the ticket office, such as the Tokyo Tower, the Tokyo Sky Tree, Tokyo Disneyland or Universal Studios Osaka
• You can book unique and funny tours and activities, like driving around Tokyo or Osaka on a go-kart dressed as Super Mario, or dueling with real Sumo Wrestlers
• You can learn about traditional Japan, for example by joining a tea ceremony in Kyoto or by attending a crash course on Japanese Calligraphy
• You can reserve your table in a lot of cafes and restaurants, for example one of the legendary 3-star Michelin restaurants in Japan, or crazy cafes like a unique Owl Cafe in Tokyo or one of the many and nowadays worldwide famous maid cafes
• ...

Take a look at Rakuten Travel Experiences

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