SIM card rental in Japan with unlimited data

Hello, I'm planning on staying in Japan for two weeks. I want to rent a SIM card with unlimited data at a low price. Does anyone know where I can find this?

http://www.globaladvancedcomm.com/simrent.html

We recently rented a portable wifi from this company,and they were outstanding.

Good luck!

SIM cards with unlimited data are rather expensive. If you just need the internet you'll probably be better off renting a mobile hotspot which cost about 1000-1500 yen per day.

the mifi hotspot devices are probably the way to go, sim card rental for data use isn't a good option at the moment.

Softbank offer a sim capped at 1500yen a day, which sounds good until you read the t&c, and see that they take a 40,000yen!!! despoit first to be held till after it's return.

either way it will be expensive for something you probably won't use that much.

ahhh i see... thanks for all the input ^^

I had a Mifi from Pupuru (http://www.pupuru.com/en/service/emobile/) and was very happy with it. Was the ''EMOBILE GP02'' (with the new LTE, much faster as UMTS/3G). The Costs are also fair when I compare them with other Company's who rent to Traveller.

Just wondering
Hi whenever i see the cost of rental phones (call/data/prepaid etc) i have the idea that the cost are much higher than in other countries.
Are the cost for residents also that high for being connected either fixed or mobil?
As i daid: Just wondering.
B. Slager

There is a better and cheaper option than renting.

You can buy a B-Mobile data only SIM, which costs 3450yen for one month, although it's limited to 1G. Once the time or the 1G is used up, you can recharge for 3100 yen.

It's called the "B-mobile 1GB Flat Rate SIM".

Hi whenever i see the cost of rental phones (call/data/prepaid etc) i have the idea that the cost are much higher than in other countries.

I've rented cellphones in the US, Australia, and Japan. Overall I found the costs to be very comparable, with a slight edge to Japanese rentals as they had much cheaper emailing compared to the super expensive, archaic sms messaging available on the other phones. Not to mention the phones were about 10 years more advanced here.

Are the cost for residents also that high for being connected either fixed or mobil?

I'm not quite sure what you're asking, but if we are talking renting vs contract then renting is considerably more expensive than being on a contract (as it should be or else everyone would just rent).

If we are comparing contract phones between countries then it depends on who you compare to. I pay roughly the same for my iphone in Japan as my mother pays for her iphone in the US, although our usage differs greatly. She gets more free calling minutes (which she uses more than data) and I get more data (which I use more than minutes). We also have true unlimited data in Japan where as the US usually has capped plans.

There is a better and cheaper option than renting.
You can buy a B-Mobile data only SIM, which costs 3450yen for one month, although it's limited to 1G. Once the time or the 1G is used up, you can recharge for 3100 yen.

It's called the "B-mobile 1GB Flat Rate SIM".

They also have an unlimited data version for about 3000 yen. The difference is that it blocks/slows down streaming services such as youtube and skype so it may not fit everyone's need. The bigger problem is that they are only offered in Japanese.

http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/lineup.html

One major advantage of personal hotspots are that up to 5 users can be on at once, so it gets cheaper if you need more than one connection at a time.

Hi yllwsmrf

Quote I've rented cellphones in the US, Australia, and Japan. Overall I found the costs to be very comparable...unquote
In Europe i can buy a prepaid mobil phone (no data) for 3000Yen and often much less including 1000Yen balance and the cost per minute within the country is about 30Y/min.
The cheapest mobil i could find in Japan a couple of years ago (Softbank) was if i remember correct 6000Yen including 1000Y prepaid balance.
So i think there is quite a difference in cost. Also the buying process is much easier. You pay for the phone and walk out of the shop and you can make a call. In Japan you have to fill in a lot of paperwork and go through some connecting process.

The other question was what the Japanese have to pay at home for their internet connection at home? (For comparison: I pay 2500Y/month for a 10Mb/sec down connection and with one telephone line.

B. Slager

I've rented a SIM (micro for my iPad) and I thought it was very reasonably priced. It was Y7300 for 9days, so about 800yen a day, unlimited data. No having to 'top up' the card.

I got my SIM card from Global Advanced Comm (above link) in Dec last year.

In Europe i can buy a prepaid mobil phone (no data) for 3000Yen and often much less including 1000Yen balance and the cost per minute within the country is about 30Y/min.
The cheapest mobil i could find in Japan a couple of years ago (Softbank) was if i remember correct 6000Yen including 1000Y prepaid balance.

If we are talking prepaids rather than rental phones, then you really can't beat the system that is in place throughout a lot of Europe. Fyi, current softbank prepaids cost minimum 5000 yen for the handset and 3000 yen for the credit.

So i think there is quite a difference in cost.

Perhaps, but its an entirely different market and there's a lot of factors that affect the total cost. For example, how much do incoming calls/messaging cost? A thrifty person with a Japanese prepaid can make virtually unlimited calls and emails in a 2 month period on just 3000 yen of credit.

And don't forget about geographic coverage. Lets say you had the same system and rates in Japan as in Europe, but now imagine having to buy a new prepaid sim every time you visit a new region or prefecture of Japan. In other words, the more expensive costs can be made up for by a larger geographic network. A wider network means you lose less to wasted credit as you cross regions.

The other question was what the Japanese have to pay at home for their internet connection at home? (For comparison: I pay 2500Y/month for a 10Mb/sec down connection and with one telephone line.

I see now. There's a good website that lists the current costs of different services. Telephone and internet can be, but are not necessarily bundled. Plus there is a different system in place in Japan where you may need to purchase/rent the rights to the phone line. Then again, not everyone does this anymore these days due to the high cost and limited usefulness of a landline.

Overall the most similar regular package that I could find costs about 3400 yen per month, but the price can vary a lot depending on where you live, for example some apartment buildings and condos contract for much cheaper monthly rates (1000-2000 yen/mo).

http://bbapply.com/

I've rented a SIM (micro for my iPad) and I thought it was very reasonably priced. It was Y7300 for 9days, so about 800yen a day, unlimited data. No having to 'top up' the card.
I got my SIM card from Global Advanced Comm (above link) in Dec last year.

That's a good point. So far we have been comparing universal sim cards. Some companies offer ipad only cards at reduced rates.

You can try buying this

http://www.japanmobiletech.com/2012/05/b-mobile-visitor-sims.html

Hi. I was looking at e mobile tech link posted above.
It says that the iPhone must be unlocked?
What does it mean? A jail broken iPhone?

How does this sim work?
I use it instead of my normal phone sim,
Then I can use data.
What abt existing ppl who wish to call my existing mobile?