https://30kesim.com/guide/ Practical guides for your trip to Japan: food, getting around, staying connected. en https://30kesim.com/guide/akihabara-nakano/ https://30kesim.com/guide/akihabara-nakano/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT How to shop Akihabara's electric town and Nakano Broadway for anime goods, figures and retro games, where to look for used cameras in Nakano, Shinjuku and Ginza, how to check condition, the tax-free rules before and after 1 November 2026, and a half- or full-day plan linking both by train. https://30kesim.com/guide/apps-work-in-japan-esim/ https://30kesim.com/guide/apps-work-in-japan-esim/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Yes. Japan does not block mainstream apps or websites, so ChatGPT, Google Maps, LINE, Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp all work over a Japan travel eSIM like on any other mobile connection; the limits you may meet come from the apps themselves, such as SMS verification or country-based content, not from Japan. https://30kesim.com/guide/avoid-roaming-charges-japan/ https://30kesim.com/guide/avoid-roaming-charges-japan/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT You usually do not need to turn off your home SIM. Set the Japan eSIM as your mobile data line, turn off data roaming on your home line, and turn off automatic data switching. Your home number can stay on for texts, but calls and texts may still be charged by your home carrier. https://30kesim.com/guide/buy-sim-at-japan-airport/ https://30kesim.com/guide/buy-sim-at-japan-airport/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Yes. Narita, Haneda, Kansai and other big airports have SIM counters, vending machines and pocket Wi-Fi desks in the arrivals area, but they cost more, may be closed late at night and can mean a queue. Buying online before you fly is cheaper, and you can still install on arrival over the free airport Wi-Fi. https://30kesim.com/guide/data-only-esim-no-phone-number/ https://30kesim.com/guide/data-only-esim-no-phone-number/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT A data-only eSIM has no phone number, so use internet calling and messaging apps, book restaurants online or through your hotel, use a taxi app or a taxi rank, and keep your home SIM switched on alongside the eSIM so you still receive SMS verification codes. https://30kesim.com/guide/esim-coverage-rural-japan/ https://30kesim.com/guide/esim-coverage-rural-japan/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT In most places visitors go, yes. A Japan eSIM connects to local 4G/5G networks where available, which covers cities, towns, main roads, rail lines and popular sights in Hokkaido, Okinawa and onsen areas. Expect gaps in deep mountains, some tunnels, remote trails and small islands. https://30kesim.com/guide/esim-data-ran-out/ https://30kesim.com/guide/esim-data-ran-out/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Our Japan plans cannot be topped up; when the data or the days run out, the plan ends and you buy a new plan, which arrives by email right after payment as a separate eSIM to install, from ¥480 for 1GB. https://30kesim.com/guide/esim-hotspot-tethering/ https://30kesim.com/guide/esim-hotspot-tethering/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Yes. Our Japan eSIM allows hotspot (tethering), so you can share data with a laptop, tablet or a friend's phone. Everything the connected devices use comes out of your plan's data, and laptops can use a lot in the background, so choose a bigger plan if you will share. https://30kesim.com/guide/esim-vs-pocket-wifi-vs-sim/ https://30kesim.com/guide/esim-vs-pocket-wifi-vs-sim/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT For one or two travellers with eSIM-capable, unlocked phones, an eSIM is usually the cheapest and simplest option. Pocket Wi-Fi makes sense for groups sharing one connection or for phones that cannot use eSIM; a physical SIM is the fallback for older unlocked phones. https://30kesim.com/guide/family-group-esim/ https://30kesim.com/guide/family-group-esim/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT For most families and groups, one eSIM per phone is the better choice because everyone can split up, navigate and keep their battery; sharing one hotspot saves a few hundred to a few thousand yen but only works while you stay together. You can buy 1 to 5 eSIMs in one order. https://30kesim.com/guide/install-esim-android/ https://30kesim.com/guide/install-esim-android/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT First dial *#06#; if an EID number appears, your Android phone supports eSIM. Then, on Wi-Fi before you fly, add the eSIM by scanning the QR code (on a Pixel under Settings, Network & internet, SIMs; on a Galaxy under Settings, Connections, SIM manager), and after landing turn on roaming for it and make it your mobile data SIM. https://30kesim.com/guide/install-esim-iphone/ https://30kesim.com/guide/install-esim-iphone/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi a day or two before your flight, label it, and leave it switched off. After landing, turn the line on, turn on Data Roaming for it and set it as your Cellular Data line. Step-by-step paths and fixes for common errors below. https://30kesim.com/guide/japan-data-how-much/ https://30kesim.com/guide/japan-data-how-much/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Light users need about 0.5 GB for 3 days and 2.5 GB for 14 days; typical users about 1.7 GB for 3 days and 8 GB for 14 days; heavy users 5 GB to 24 GB. Here is the full breakdown and which plan fits. https://30kesim.com/guide/mount-fuji-kawaguchiko/ https://30kesim.com/guide/mount-fuji-kawaguchiko/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT How to get from Tokyo to Lake Kawaguchi by bus or train, which viewpoints are worth the time, how to read the weather for a clear view of Fuji, and a realistic one-day plan with the return leg worked out. https://30kesim.com/guide/phone-carrier-lock-check/ https://30kesim.com/guide/phone-carrier-lock-check/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT On iPhone, go to Settings, General, About and look at Carrier Lock; "No SIM restrictions" means it is unlocked. On Android there is no single setting, so the surest checks are trying another carrier's SIM or asking your carrier. Phones bought on instalments or prepaid deals from a carrier are the ones most often locked. https://30kesim.com/guide/suica-pasmo-phone-data/ https://30kesim.com/guide/suica-pasmo-phone-data/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Tapping a Suica or PASMO on your phone at the gate works without mobile data or Wi-Fi; you need a connection only to set it up and top it up. Route planning is what uses your eSIM data, and it is light: about 100 MB or less on a full day of getting around. https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-night-views/ https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-night-views/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Which Tokyo observation decks are free, which are worth paying for, how to time a booking for sunset, and how to pair each view with dinner or a walk nearby. https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-rainy-day/ https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-rainy-day/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Underground routes around Tokyo Station and Shinjuku, museums and teamLab, department store food halls, arcades, aquariums and covered shopping streets, with rainy-day plans by area and practical notes on umbrellas, typhoons and rain radar. https://30kesim.com/guide/when-esim-plan-starts/ https://30kesim.com/guide/when-esim-plan-starts/ Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Our Japan eSIM plans start counting days when the eSIM first connects to a network in Japan, not when you buy or install it, so installing at home before you fly does not use up any days. https://30kesim.com/guide/how-our-ai-picks/ https://30kesim.com/guide/how-our-ai-picks/ Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT The rules behind every ranked list in our Tokyo guides. Where the data comes from, how the AI scores each place, what we throw out, and why no shop can pay to be here. https://30kesim.com/guide/izakaya-yokocho/ https://30kesim.com/guide/izakaya-yokocho/ Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Our AI read 14 traveller posts (saved 8,516 times), scored 27 yakitori bars and izakaya, confirmed 17 and kept 8: from a cheap skewer chain to counters you book weeks ahead, with what to order, prices, booking and how to avoid tourist traps in Tokyo's yokocho alleys. https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-autumn-leaves/ https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-autumn-leaves/ Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Our AI read 37 traveller posts about autumn in Tokyo, scored 55 places and kept the 12 that held up. Ginkgo avenues, maple gardens, evening light-ups, the Christmas lights of Roppongi and two day trips, with when they usually peak, what they cost, how to get there and how to beat the crowds. https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-bars/ https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-bars/ Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Our AI read 14 traveller posts about drinking in Tokyo, scored 23 bars and kept the 10 that held up. Cocktail counters, a hotel bar on the 39th floor, a vinyl listening room and a cheap movie-themed basement, with what to order, what it costs and how to get in. https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-cafes/ https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-cafes/ Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Our AI read 22 traveller posts saved 37,631 times, scored 64 Tokyo cafes and dessert shops, and kept 13. Here is which ones, what to order, what it costs, how long the queue is and how to get there. https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-food/ https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-food/ Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Ramen, sushi, yakiniku, yakitori, cafes, bars and the odd things in between. Our AI read 116 traveller posts saved 215,025 times and kept only the places it could confirm are open. No shop paid to be here. https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-hidden-spots/ https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-hidden-spots/ Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Our AI read 9 traveller posts saved 18,530 times, scored 39 places and kept the walkable neighbourhoods that came out on top: Sangenjaya to Shimokitazawa and the cat temple, the Kuramae and Asakusa back streets, and Daikanyama down to Nakameguro, with the exact cafés, shops and snacks inside each. https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-ramen-guide/ https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-ramen-guide/ Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Our AI read real traveller posts and public ratings, scored 32 Tokyo ramen shops and kept the 10 it could verify. Which shop, what to order, what it costs, how bad the queue is and how to get there. No shop paid to be listed. https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-shopping/ https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-shopping/ Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Four Tokyo shopping routes, from Omotesando to Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ginza and Ebisu to Nakameguro, with the specific stores our AI ranked from real traveller posts, what to buy in each, rough prices, floor tips and the tax-free rules before and after 1 November 2026. https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-sushi/ https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-sushi/ Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Our AI read 12 traveller posts about sushi in Tokyo, scored 41 places and kept the 10 that held up, from an ¥80-a-piece standing bar to a ¥30,000 Roppongi counter. What to order, what it costs, and how to get a seat at each one. https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-yakiniku/ https://30kesim.com/guide/tokyo-yakiniku/ Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Our AI read 16 traveller posts about yakiniku in Tokyo, scored 42 places and kept the 10 that held up. Premium wagyu counters, mid-price grills, a late-night spot that works for one, and two offal specialists, with what to order, what it costs and how to get a table.