Staying Connected – Wi-Fi and SIM

In this day and age – where needed, when needed and as needed access to familiar and on-hand communication is almost a necessity.  Whether navigating your way around a city or country, needing to know which tram to catch, where to catch it and when the next one goes, where the nearest laundromat is or the nearest place for a bowl of Ramen,  access to the internet is almost a necessity.

Fortunately, your mobile device at home instantaneously provides access to the information you need.

When travelling overseas however you need a fast and reliable connection without paying exhorbitant roaming charges. Here is where either a pocket Wi-Fi modem or SIM card will fill that need.

You won’t need to rely on free or publicly available Wi-Fi or landlines where you are staying. Make sure to check whether your mobile will work in Japan. It will of course need to be unlocked if you want to use a local pre-paid SIM.

Hiring a pocket Wi-Fi has the advantage in its capacity to connect numerous devices –  handy for a family or close friends travelling together.  You just sync your mobile phone, tablet etc. and you are “hot to surf”.  The downside is that you can’t get one with a telephone number, but more on this later.  The other aspect to consider is that you will need to keep BOTH the pocket Wi-Fi as well as your mobile device charged. 

As for a SIM card, you have a choice of one with or without voice i.e. without being able to make standard type phone calls to landline or mobile numbers.  This is the exactly the same situation if you get a pocket Wi-Fi modem. A SIM card with voice on the other hand, will get you a Japanese phone number.

The first step is to work out what you will need.  If its just data e.g. maps, email, surfing the net and social media then its a data only SIM.  Remember that a data only SIM will get you VoIP services for your calls anyway.

A telephone number my help when booking a restaurant or hotel. A Japanese phone number can often be more acceptable than a credit card.  As for hotel bookings, you can make them over the internet so that should not be that much of a consideration.

Be aware of data limits as well as, even though the service is advertised as unlimited, it may only be the first 5 or 7Gb on the 4G network and, where the data usage exceeds that limit, the speed may be throttled back to 128bps under each carrier’s Fair Use policy.

Now, where should you get either you pocket Wi-Fi or your SIM card?

There are many suppliers which you can search out on the net.  Some will even ship to you at home before you leave. The range of providers and their usage allowances and numbers of days that are included in your plan can get quite complex.

Additionally you need to consider where to “collect” your SIM card or Pocket Wi-Fi.  Depending on the provider, you may be able to have it sent to you directly in your country of origin (be aware of postal delays) or you can collect it on your arrival airport.  The mywaterworld.life preference is to collect at the airport on arrival.  That way, with freight logistics possibly still disrupted by the pandemic, you are guaranteed to collect on arrival. You will also need to check that the “shop” will be open when you get there.

Here are some specific providers.  There are many more so search yourself but always remember to know what you need and, where prices are listed in Yen, convert using an exchange rate calculator, to understand the cost in your own currency. 

Need more information and more options?  Here are some general guides to staying connected while in Japan.