pocket wi-fi

Hi,
I am traveling to Japan next month ( Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Myiajima, Nara, Kyoto), and I am considering rentinga a pocket wi-fi for me and my wife.
I dont have any idea about where to start my search.
What would you recommend?
Thank you.

Complementing the question, searching on google, I have find this company:

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

Do you know them? Are they reliable?

I used ToCoo last year; they were the cheapest company I could find and I never had any issues with it. I rented it for 30 days (the maximum). They don't charge you any extra rent between 9 and 30 days (i.e., after day 9 it's "free").

I have used GAC for the last five visits to Japan and they are excellent!

I used Pupuru
http://www.pupuru.com/en/service/emobile/

Pretty good, pick up at airport and drop off at any post. Just make sure the Pocket Wifi is OFF when you drop off at any post or they might charge extra day.

Hope this helps!!
Have fun!!

@Koohii2wii

Stupid question but for the Japan post mailbox, which slot do you slip the package in to return the pocket wifi? I assume it's domestic, which is the left side?

Stupid question but for the Japan post mailbox, which slot do you slip the package in to return the pocket wifi? I assume it's domestic, which is the left side?

I only saw one box slot near a conbini store with the Japan Post Symbol. I assumed everything is sorted at the Post when it gets there? Lol I had no issues nor phone calls or emails about it so it should be fine.

Hope this helps!!
Have fun!!

Is it easy to pick up at airport?
Or better choosing to delivery to Hotel?

I have mentioned it before but there is another way to get internet connection.
All modern smartphones have a function to make the smartphone a pocket wifi. It goes by different names like tethering or data access.
To make this work you only need a SIM and of course a smartphone that works in Japan.
The two main advantages of this approach is that most of the time you do not need to return the pocket wifi at the end of the rental period (in most/all cases you do not need to return the SIM ).
The other advantage is that it is cheaper.
Last year i used a prepaid sim without problems from https://www.econnectjapan.com/products/sim/
On this site you can also find a list of phones that are compatible with this rental-SIM in Japan. I had 2 smartphones (one Android 2.3 and the other 3.x) that were not listed as being compatible but they both worked fine. There are also other sites on the internet were you can find whether your phone is compatible with the Japanese system.

Have a nice trip.

B. Slager

Picking up at the airport will only be an option if your flight arrives when the post office is open - check the times. I found it easier as I didn't have to notify my hotel that there would be a package arriving for me.

Hi,
The rental-SIM was sent by econnectjapan to the hotel and arrived one or two days before i arrived. I did not inform the hotel about the arrival of the SIM. As the hotel mixed up my last name and first name they did no find a reservation of me. They however did for example not return the envelop to the sender. When i arrived the hotel realized that a mistake was made and everything was OK.
In hindsight maybe it is better to inform the hotel.

But all together i prefer the system of just using a SIM than rather renting a box that you have to pick up and return at the airport.
B. Slager

Get the pocket Wi-Fi. You will NOT regret it.

I went to Japan in May 2016 for 2 weeks. It was $100, you keep it in your backpack, the battery lasts FOREVER, it's light, fast internet, and very convenient to give to the postal office at the end of your trip (they provide the parcel).

It will connect to ANY device, no switching SIM cards and messing around, also, you can share it with your friends if you go to an Izakaya, or on the train... It works great when traveling using the Shinkansen too.

Trust me. Worth the money!!!

If you are staying in an apartment, be aware that you may not have access to the letterbox (these are often locked boxes). Many apartments come with a free pocket WiFi - check for this when choosing where you want to stay. It is a real benefit, saving you money and hassle.

has anyone ordered a pocket wifi through rakuten? found this store called mobile gate which seems rather popular (it's the cheapest pocket wifi i have found so far)
http://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/mobile-gate/

unfortunately the site is all in japanese and i'm having trouble figuring it all out, even with google translate!