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By
Clay Thomas
Saily and Ubigi are popular travel eSIM providers with plans for many destinations, including Japan. They can work well for travelers who want a familiar app, a simple setup, and international coverage beyond a single country.
Saily offers Japan eSIM plans from 1GB to unlimited data, with app-based setup and coverage in 200+ destinations. Ubigi also sells data-only eSIM plans for 200+ destinations, with QR code installation, app-based top-ups, and usage tracking.
But Japan is not the kind of trip where the cheapest plan always wins, because not all eSIMs that work in Japan are designed for train routes, regular map use, translation apps, hotel messages, restaurant searches, ride apps, and hotspot sharing. A plan that looks cheap before your trip can feel limiting if it slows down, runs out too quickly, has weak rural coverage, or does not support how you actually use data.
In this guide, we’ll compare Saily, Ubigi, and Journey Japan eSIM (our own eSIM) across coverage, speed, pricing, data limits, hotspot use, setup, and value, so you can choose the eSIM that fits your Japan itinerary.
Journey Japan eSIM
Japan is easy to underestimate as a data destination because the major cities have strong mobile coverage and public Wi-Fi in many places. The real test comes when you use your phone all day between stations, hotels, restaurants, day trips, and regional routes.
Saily and Ubigi are built for travelers moving between many countries, which can be useful for international trips, but the Journey Japan eSIM is made for Japan-only trips.
Journey Japan eSIM was started by Chris Broad, the British YouTuber behind Abroad in Japan, who has lived in Japan for over a decade. The plans, network setup, and support are all built around one country because the team behind it actually lives and travels there.
Local coverage and network
Saily and Ubigi both work in Japan, but their network access varies and is shared across their global plans. Journey Japan eSIM uses dedicated local network partners, which is why coverage holds up on regional train routes, in smaller towns, and in destinations like rural Kyushu or Okinawa, where global eSIMs tend to struggle.
Journey Japan eSIM runs on NTT Docomo and KDDI, two of Japan's strongest local networks, and provides 99% nationwide data coverage, including rural areas. That gives it a clear advantage for travelers who plan to go beyond central Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. The plans support 5G, 4G, and LTE data in supported areas.
Faster speeds and better data limits
Many providers sell "unlimited" plans that quietly slow down to 200 kbps or lower after you reach a daily threshold, which is enough for messaging but not for maps, translation, or route searches.
Journey Japan eSIM does not throttle data speeds. There are no daily high-speed caps, and our fair usage policy states that there are no data limits for unrestricted high-speed use.
With Journey Japan eSIM, the speed you get on day one is the speed you get for the whole trip.
Pricing
We have three fixed-data plans and two unlimited plans, and each fixed-data plan has a 30-day validity period.
Plan | Data | Validity | Price |
10GB Japan eSIM | 10GB | 30 days | $21 |
20GB Japan eSIM | 20GB | 30 days | $29 |
50GB Japan eSIM | 50GB | 30 days | $49 |
Unlimited Pro 5G (15 days) | Unlimited | 15 days | $59 |
Unlimited Pro 5G (30 days) | Unlimited | 30 days | $84 |
The 30-day validity on fixed-data plans works well for most trips to Japan because you do not have to match your plan to an exact number of travel days. A 10-day traveler and a 3-week traveler can buy the same plan without wasting money on unused validity. If you are not sure which size to pick, here is how much data you need for a trip to Japan.
Hotspot and tethering
Hotspot support is another reason the Journey Japan eSIM works well for travel in Japan. Tethering is fully supported across multiple devices on all plans, including unlimited plans that matches your plan duration, so a 30-day unlimited plan includes 30GB of total hotspot data. No daily limits.
That is useful if you need to connect a laptop, share data with a travel partner, or keep a tablet online during a long train ride.
Quick setup and activation
Journey Japan eSIM delivers the QR code and installation instructions by email immediately after purchase, and activation happens automatically when you arrive in Japan. That lets you install the eSIM before your flight and use data as soon as you land, without going to an airport counter or swapping a physical SIM card.
Ubigi
Ubigi is the consumer eSIM brand of Transatel, a French telecom company.
Ubigi sells one-off fixed-data plans and one-off “unlimited plans” for Japan.
The 10GB plan costs $16.50 for 30 days, and the 25GB plan costs $32 for 30 days. Unlimited plans cost $25 for 7 days, $39 for 15 days, and $65 for 30 days.
Ubigi also sells monthly recurring subscriptions starting at $8 for 5GB per month, but these can only be purchased in the Ubigi app, renew automatically by default, and cannot be canceled until after 3 months.
Each unlimited Ubigi plan is not a truly unlimited plan. These plans include a fixed amount of full-speed data, then slows to 2 Mbps for the rest of the plan. The 7-day unlimited includes a total 25GB at full speed, and the 30-day unlimited includes a total of 60GB.
After that, 2 Mbps is barely enough for messaging, email, and light browsing, but it makes video calls, uploads, and streaming frustrating. If you buy an unlimited plan expecting full speed for the whole trip, you can hit the cap in the mid to final stretch of a longer trip when you need to rely on your phone the most.
Ubigi delivers a QR code via email, and its Smartstart feature activates the plan automatically when you arrive in Japan, so the plan does not start until you land. The eSIM profile is reusable across 200+ destinations, which means you can install it once and buy new plans in the app for future trips.
Ubigi's customer support has a reputation for slow responses, which matters when you are troubleshooting a connection problem mid-trip. Some travelers report a weaker signal in rural areas like Akita, and the app itself has gone down for maintenance at inconvenient times.
Pros:
Connects to NTT Docomo with 5G access.
Competitive fixed-data pricing, with 10GB for $16.50
Smartstart activation means validity starts when you land, not when you buy
One reusable eSIM profile works across 200+ destinations for future trips
App top-ups work without a data connection
Cons:
Unlimited plans throttle to 2 Mbps after 25GB to 60GB of full-speed use
Customer support is slow to respond when problems come up
Monthly subscriptions are app-only, auto-renew by default, and lock you in for 3 months
Signal can weaken in rural areas outside major cities and train corridors
No unlimited plan without a speed cap
Saily
Saily is the travel eSIM brand from Nord Security, the company behind NordVPN. The app is polished, setup is beginner-friendly, and every plan includes built-in security features like an ad blocker and web protection.
Saily covers 200+ destinations with a single reusable eSIM profile, so travelers who cross borders can install it once and keep buying plans for new trips.
In Japan, Saily sells fixed-data plans from 1GB to 20GB, plus unlimited plans with durations of 5 to 30 days. The 20GB plan costs $24.99 for 30 days, and unlimited pricing runs from $18.99 for 5 days to $71.99 for 30 days.
In Japan, Saily connects to the KDDI (au) network. It offers hotspot sharing, and the app notifies you when you have used 80% of your data, so you can top up before running out.
Saily's Japan unlimited plans include a daily high-speed allowance of around 5GB; once you reach it, your connection slows sharply until the next day. For most travelers, 5GB a day is plenty, but if you share a hotspot with a travel partner, back up videos, or work remotely, you can hit the cap in an afternoon and spend the rest of the day with speeds too slow for maps or uploads.
Saily's Japan traffic routes through a Hong Kong IP address rather than a Japanese one. Some travelers report that certain apps and websites refuse to work as a result, and location-based services may treat you as if you are outside Japan.
Saily's Japan plans have a 30-day activation window. If you buy a plan more than 30 days before your trip, it activates automatically and starts counting down before you ever land, so time your purchase as close to your departure as possible.
Pros:
Polished, beginner-friendly app from the team behind NordVPN
Built-in security features, including an ad blocker and web protection
Strong 5G speeds on the KDDI network in cities
Hotspot sharing included
One reusable eSIM profile across 200+ destinations
Usage alerts at 80%, so you can top up before running out
Cons:
Unlimited plans throttle sharply after roughly 5GB of high-speed data per day
Japan traffic routes through a Hong Kong IP, which can break some apps and location-based services
Plans auto-activate 30 days after purchase, even if your trip has not started
Single-network access through KDDI, without Docomo as a fallback in rural areas
No unlimited plan without a daily speed cap
Choose Journey Japan eSIM for Your Japan Trip
Global eSIM providers treat Japan as one destination among hundreds. Journey Japan eSIM treats it as the only one, and the plans, network partnerships, and support reflect that.
Journey Japan eSIM runs on NTT Docomo and KDDI with 99% nationwide coverage, so your connection holds up on regional trains, in small towns, and on day trips outside the major cities.
The unlimited plans have no daily caps and no speed throttling, which neither Saily nor Ubigi can claim. Every fixed-data plan comes with 30-day validity, so you do need to worry about matching your plan to an exact trip length.
We also provide hotspot support that works across all plans. Activation happens automatically when you land, and support is available in English around the clock.
That single-country focus is what makes it the best eSIM for Japan for most travelers. Pick the plan that fits your data needs, install it before your flight, and your data will be working by the time you clear arrivals.
Last, if you are still weighing the option with bigger global names, see our Airalo vs Holafly vs Journey Japan eSIM comparison.
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