Just 5 years ago it was almost impossible to find a free sim phone and a mobile internet plan that wouldn’t cost at least ¥10,000 per month. Today the situation is completely different. Many phone users do not know, but now there is plenty of providers that offer cheap (some of them are literally free of charge) internet plans. Below you will find some of the companies with the best mobile plans and how to join them.

IIJMIO

IIJMIO is a low-cost mobile provider. Its internet works on a DOCOMO base, which means that it covers the whole country and that the connection is good. There are several plans. Starting from less than ¥1,000 per month. Another good thing is that if you do not use all of your data in one month, it will be transferred to the next month. 

Rakuten Mobile

Rakuten is a popular online retailing company. About a year ago they also started to provide mobile internet. The plans are very cheap. Some are even offered for free (for time being). But be noted that the coverage of Rakuten is weaker than DOCOMO, so you might have some difficulties staying connected outside of Tokyo. 

OCN mobile

It is another player in the market of cheap mobile providers. For example, one of the current plans offers 10 GB for just ¥1,760. 

UQ mobile

UQ provides mobile planes for a good value. They even have special plans for people who do not only use data but also need to make many phone calls. So if you call a lot, definitely check them out.

Aeon mobile

Many might know Aeon as a chain of malls across Japan, but they also have a mobile service. You can choose between buying a phone and a sim or just getting a sim card. The variety of plans is pretty impressive, so you can choose the one that meets your needs exactly. Starting from 500M all the way to 50GB in data plans.

Great deals, aren’t they? And you don’t need to commit to the big companies for years with monthly bills that easily go over ¥10,000 per month. So how do you join these programs? It is very easy. All of them usually have small shops inside Bic Camera or along the shopping streets, or even online.