Foreign visitors to Japan are often worried about committing travel sins in Japan. We usually tell our tour clients to relax and not overthink things. Being polite, courteous, and respectful will cover you in 99% of all situations.
The truth is, no one’s scrutinizing your actions to determine if you’re strictly obeying “the rules.” Heck, in some cases, even Japanese people don’t agree on the rules.
However, there’s one sin you absolutely want to avoid: Missing a dinner reservation. As I’ve written before, missed reservations are a pain point among Japanese restaurants, leading some restaurants to swear off accepting reservations from tourists altogether.
We’ve had a couple of our tour customers assume they could be “fashionably late” (say, an hour) for a dinner reservation in Japan. That’s also a huge no-no! Fortunately, in those cases, the restaurant was able to call us immediately, and we got our clients there in a reasonable time.
What if you book your reservation yourself, though? Unfortunately, if you’re not easily reachable via a Japanese phone number, it’s easy to miss a reminder that you have a booking.
There are numerous situations like this in which having an eSIM with a Japanese phone number can save your butt. Here are a few examples, along with guidance on how to purchase an eSIM today, so you’re all set the moment you land.
What is an eSIM?
First, let’s do a brief recap. What, exactly, is an eSIM?
Your SIM or Subscriber Identity Module card is what makes your smartphone “your phone.” It ties you to your mobile carrier and associates your phone with your mobile phone number.
Traditionally, SIMs are a physical card you insert into the side of your smartphone. By contrast, an eSIM is a bit of software that you download. It works just like a physical SIM without the need for the chip.
eSIMs are extremely convenient when you travel. Because you can simply download it to your phone, there’s no need to pick up a physical SIM when you arrive in the country. The eSIM works alongside your existing SIM card, giving you an additional data plan or phone number on top of your existing plan.
One word of caution: your phone must be unlocked to use an eSIM! Smartphones that are under payment plan contracts have “locked SIMs,” which prevent you from using another carrier’s SIMs – even an eSIM – until you pay it off. If you can’t pay off your phone, a pocket WiFi device or your carrier’s international data plans are likely a better choice for your travel data needs.
When having an eSIM with a Japanese phone number comes in handy
When people ask me for Japan travel tips, I say “buy an eSIM.” Even if you have roaming data, the 5G service you’ll get from a local provider is often faster and has better coverage.
Sadly, not all eSIMs are built equal. They break down into two categories:
Data only. This will give you only data access within the country.
Voice plus data. A voice and data eSIM will provide you with data along with a phone number in Japan.
Most Japan eSIM providers only provide you with a data eSIM. That gives you fast access to Internet data on a local network, which is often both faster and cheaper than the limited “international data” plans that your home provider probably offers.
However, that leaves you without a local Japanese phone number. Without a Japanese phone number, you’ll find yourself severely limited in the types of services you can use while in Japan.
Here are just a few examples where having a Japanese phone number comes in handy.
Booking restaurants and experiences
Many restaurants in Japan will still only take reservations by phone. Many of those will want a local number to call you back on. Even if you use a site like TableCheck, having a local phone number will reduce any hesitation the staff might have in reaching out to you.
This is also true for small, individualized experiences, such as tea ceremonies or sword lessons. Most people stay in touch with messaging apps these days. The most popular messaging app in Japan, however, is LINE – an app few English-speaking travelers have even downloaded, let alone use.
If you’re participating in experiences, events, or group tours, having a Japanese phone number is likely the most convenient way for people to contact you.
Delivery and online orders (e.g., tickets)
Apps like Uber Eats thankfully provide in-app communication. Not every app or service does, however. And a flustered driver may want to call you to talk if they can’t find your exact location. (This happens to me all the time – and I live here!)
Most will be hesitant to call – or unable to call – if you have an international phone number and dialing you would incur international charges. Having a local Japanese phone number in these cases reduces the barriers to contact.
The situation is even more dire when purchasing something like event tickets. Many event apps will demand that you have a local Japanese phone number in order to even register an account.
That’s good news for eventgoers, as it prevents overseas resellers from snapping them up and selling them for a profit on online auction and flea market sites. However, for travelers, it means that unless you know someone in Japan with a Japanese phone number, you’re SOL.
Taxi-hailing and chauffeur services
Many taxi-hailing apps still require a local phone number in order to register. Without local digits, you’ll be shut out of using these crucial services.
Note that this is changing somewhat. For example, GO Taxi now supports registering with a foreign phone number for a handful of countries. And your Uber account will work out of the box here. However, having a Japanese phone number can unlock other services (such as S.RIDE) that still require it.
Hotels and accommodation check-ins
Airbnb-style homestays have become more popular in Japan in recent years. Many of these renters will want some way to get in touch with you. Additionally, traditional ryokans will likely prefer to contact you the old-fashioned way. Having a Japanese phone number can prevent delays or missed check-ins.
The difficulty in getting an eSIM with a Japanese phone number
Given this, you’d think services would be falling over themselves to provide SIMs and eSIMs with real phone numbers attached. Sadly, you’d be wrong.
As I mentioned above, most eSIM providers online only offer mobile data plans as opposed to an eSIM with voice. It’s a gotcha that many of them don’t make apparent on their websites.
If you try to obtain an eSIM with a Japanese phone number through the major cellular providers in Japan (Docomo, etc.), you’ll be in for a nasty surprise. Most demand that you provide proof of residence (i.e., a Japan residence card).
How to get a Japanese phone number
Fortunately, there are a few services that provide an eSIM with both voice and data capabilities. Using these, you can easily obtain a phone number in Japan and unlock the full range of do-it-yourself travel experiences. Even better, you can purchase one right now, before you even land in the country.
A little searching around the Internet can help you quickly find the best eSIM for Japan. Simply search for “eSIM voice Japan” on Google to filter out providers that only offer data services.
Once you get your Japan eSIM, activating it once you arrive in the country is easy. Since it’s software, there’s nothing to pick up on arrival. You can bypass all the people waiting in line at physical SIM counters, go to the airport Starbucks (yes, we have Starbucks in Japan – plenty of them!), and activate your eSIM while sipping your latte.
Conclusion
Having a phone number in Japan is one of these little details that even repeat travelers might ignore. Many “Japan travel tips” pages don’t touch upon it.
Whether you’re a traveler passing through or a digital nomad hunkering down for several months, having an eSIM with a Japanese phone number can be a lifesaver. It’s one of those little details that can make a big difference on your trip.
Discover other unique parts of Japan
Japan is on everyone’s travel bucket list. Sadly, many end up going to the same places as everyone else. That can turn what could have been a fun, once-in-a-lifetime experience into an exhausting battle with crowds.
We started Unseen Japan Tours for the same reason we started Unseen Japan: To give people a unique glimpse into Japan they can’t get anywhere else. Let us create a custom itinerary of hard-to-find spots centered on your interests. We can also serve as your guides and interpreters, taking you to places that non-Japanese-speaking tourists usually can’t access.
Contact us below to get the ball rolling today!
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