Heading to Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka) and wondering if you bought the pocket wifi or if free wifi was enough.
Thanks!

Pocket wifi unless u wanna hang out at McDonald’s or Starbucks all day long

Free wifi is not enough around the city. We actually just bought a sim at the airport because with the pocket wifi, it ended up being a hassle because some of them needs to be charged constantly. Don’t know if you are travelling with buddies but you’ll have to constantly stick together too to be in the same hotspot range.
Although, it might be slightly more costly to buy two separate sims, the convenience was well worth it.
Also, if you are staying at an airbnb for example, a lot of them provide a free hotspot egg as a part of their amenities so just check before in the listing.

Emily I agree. Do not rely on the free WiFi. Emily is right, if you are staying at an airbnb you often get a pocket WiFi, but if there are several of you going, you’ll have to stick together to use the WiFi which is inconvenient. There were 4 of us, and we all got SIM cards, I think it was $75, a bit expensive, but we were there for 3 weeks, we split up sometimes, personally, it was well worth it. Good luck.

Ditto. Buy a SIM. All new phones are always unlocked and work fine over there. Plus data is helpful when you are trying to use public transit. In Tokyo, you will get the price of each trip as well so you can make the best decisions.

Emily Derek Sandy to those of you who bought the sim which company did you go with? What was the average cost and what did it include? Did you buy in advance, airport or other? Thanks so much in advance! Were also soon planning our trip and wondering about this!

Stand outside a 7/11 or Family Mart - which you’ll find like every 5 steps - free wifi!

I use the pocket wifi, free wifi is rare, you get with most hotels but if you want GPS and you will, need a pocket WiFi.

Pocket Wifi - it was great. we had it mailed to the post-office in the airport in Toyko, and dropped it back off in the post-office at the airport. so much easier to navigate the maps and narrow streets.

Elynn Their SIM cards worked pretty well also, as a potential alternative. Google Maps was really helpful over there.

When in doubt I always bring my Hotspot with me, which is called skyroam, but there's many different types. You can use. I don't know if that helps but I thought I'd mention it anyway.

Definitely get pocket wifi. It isn't that expensive but definitely bring a power bank to keep it charged! Really handy for navigating and getting around

buy a 2000-3000¥ sim card it is cheaper than the pocket wifi

Pocket wifi for sure. Get the plan with unlimited data and bring a power bank

Definitely get pocket wifi and bring a portable charger.

Pocket wifi is worth it - we never had a drop in service, a sim card is also an option.
Check to see if your airbnb/hotel offers it already, some places will provide you with sim/pocket wifi!

I rented a pocket wifi

Free is sufficient bc it’s offered it many places and in your place of stay

Download Klook app and look for a sim pick up option in Japan. Usually, the prices are half to what you pay at 7/11 or elsewhere. The app is a must if you are travelling in Asia.

Alex this is app I used for Taiwan and Korea. Just ordered a wifi on my phone and picked and dropped off at the airport. It was cheaper then the airport.

I used pocket wifi for the three times I've been to Japan. Highly recommend it

Pocket wifi 100%!! It makes subway travel a thousand times easier with access to Google Maps. Also easier to communicate with friends and family, look up quick translations, search for addresses, etc.

Pocket wifi which comes with 10G data

We bought a data only sim card online. It worked great just make sure your phone is compatible. We ordered on Amazon and i think the price was around 30 bucks for 15 days. Pocket wifi is great for a big group or connecting a bunch of devices but it's not really necessary and it's another thing to charge and carry around

Used pocket WiFi while I was there last month. Used japanwireless.com with no issues in service

That being said make sure you get one or the other. The subway stations are big and confusing and youll want to be able to connect when/where you want

I got pocket wifi and it was totally worth it. You can usually find a pretty good deal online, we barely made a dent in the amount we had to use over 15 days and there were sometimes 3-4 of us connected.

I used econnect japan. They mail it where you are staying, and then you drop it in the mailbox before you leave the country. The include postage etc.

Pocket Wifi is good but they're not all amazing. The one I had in Tokyo was great. The one I had in Osaka was barely functional. They both came with my airbnb though so I didn't have much choice. In the end it was okay because I also got a sim card from Narita airport (they have a vending machine for everything!) and just used that whenever my pocket wifi wasn't working or covered.

This sim is really cheap and works really really well. It was definitely the best deal. My airbnb came with a free pocket wifi and I still bought this. It's that good

I traveled throughout Japan a year ago, and found free wifi most places. Any of the corner stores (7eleven,Lawsons, or Family Mart) have free wifi as do most city centres

I rented a pocket wifi and translator device from the airport, and used both in my 4 days in Tokyo. Very useful as our hotel wifi was very weak.

Are you serious??? Going to that part of the world at this time???

Get the pocket WiFi. We used maps constantly.

Ava -where do you get this pocket wifi and how much does it cost?

if you get the maps.me app you can download maps when you're around wifi for pretty much anywhere that you can use offline. it's a great app, I've used it all over many countries.

Ninja pocket wifi is what we used. Go for it all the way. Used google maps all the time.

Pocket wifi all the way!! Some airbnb’s offered it with their stay. But if you aren’t staying with airbnb’s, then it’s def a must! We got ours at the airport when we landed. Was very easy and we have more than enough data for 10 days. Actually we did data SIM card, but your phone has be unlocked.

Sim card if you are really the only one using it but if there is a group of you then pocket wifi is the best option since it can connect up to 10 people, keep in mind that you gotta make sure that pocket wifi remains charged so invest in a pocket charger if need be.

Sam Roter

downloaded all of my pins from google maps onto maps.me, which you can use offline; used free wifi in stores/restaurants/airbnb for the rest. didn't have any problems navigating at all.

Agree

I didnt really need it.. all stations and even bus stops in certain areas have wifi.. a lot of touristic areas have wifi as well covering the whole zone..

To those of you who bought the sim which company did you go with? What was the average cost and what did it include? Did you buy in advance, airport or other? Thanks so much in advance! Were also soon planning our trip and wondering about this! If you opted to use the pocket wifi instead can you please let me know why you chose this option and similar details! Thanks all in advance

Sonia thanks! I would love these details too. I’m finding some cards just as expensive as the pocket thing

i bought a sim off klook.com, picked it up at the airport (i think Kyoto, but all three airports have options). was very easy, and gave me peace of mind cause i did not want to be stuck looking for wifi every time i needed to look up something

I bought a SIM card. No need to return it. It was cheap and worked great. I bought the cheapest one at the airport. I think it was about $40 for 8 fb.

Bought a digital sim card my last trip to Japan and picked it up at the airport. Going back again and will do the same.

I’m from Japan.
You need pocket wifi. If you go to cafe/stay at the hotel most of the time, you don’t need.
Public wifi is sometimes hard to connect.
I usually order online and pick up at the airport.

I went with Ninja WiFi and it worked great. It is necessary to have internet in Tokyo outside of free wifi in restaurants, etc.

Sim card on an unlocked phone.

Either pocket wifi or SIM card

Pocket wifi for 2 people or more, sim card for 1.
In either case, make sure you order in advance. Much cheaper options available before you touch down

Just used the roam like home. Depends how long your stay is.

Ninja wifi, tokyokcheapo is a great resource

Depends on how long you will be there but i got the visitor sim card from BIC and it was perfect. Just remember to bring a battery pack to recharge your phone. I did find that sometimes when google maps wasnt working, if you go onto your internet browser and work your maps that way then it also works if the normal way doesnt work. Check out my blog and the itinerary for more helpful tips! http://boketto.rosannau.com/

https://www.sakuramobile.jp/...

Pocket wifi for sure

We booked pocket wifi with global advanced communications a couple years back. Bring a portable charger as pocket wifi sometimes didn't last the whole day if we were out from morning to night.

https://tokyocheapo.com/.../prepaid-cheap-japan-sim-card.../
fully operational sim!

I always rented a pocket wifi.

Pocket wifi for sure!

The Egg WiFi

Buy a SIM card off Amazon - more convenient than pocket wifi and cheaper than buying when you arrive. China Unicom 4G Japan 8 Days Voice/Data SIM Prepaid Card 4GB FUP https://www.amazon.ca/.../ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Qr.rEbSMQQ601

Vanessa thank you!!!

I think it is nice to have. We used the trains a lot around Tokyo and to other cities. It is great to have for those 20+ mins trips

Pocket wifi!!!! It makes things less stressful for sure. And it's pretty cheap considering peace of mind, saved time without having to look for Hotspot etc. I paid about $100 for 2 weeks for unlimited data

There is a vending machine in Narita airport where you can buy a SIM card for cheap (i think it was around $20) that will have tons of data for 2 weeks

I've been to Japan twice and never needed. Literally every 7-11 and Family Mart has free wifi.

Pocket wifi!! Super convenient

It’s great to have

my fam and i bought sim cards at the airport convenience store;
make sure your phone is unlocked and is capable of using international sim cards;
they come with a paper clip to open your sim card slot

I rented a pocket wifi, it was perfect to connect my phone and use Google maps and Translate

Pocket wifi for sure. Affordable and reliable. Wifi isn't available everywhere.

Definitely hire one. Order online to be picked up at the airport on arrival and it can be mailed at any mailbox when you leave.