Short answer: get ANZROAM’s Japan eSIM for the Japan leg of your trip. It installs before you leave home and switches on when you land. From there, how much data to buy and what to do if your trip goes beyond Japan are the two things worth planning ahead.

Just Japan, or other countries too?

ANZROAM sells eSIMs per country rather than one profile covering several destinations. The Japan eSIM covers Japan; if your trip also takes in South Korea or another East Asia stop, you’d install a separate eSIM for that country, browsable from the East Asia eSIM hub. Two eSIMs on one phone isn’t unusual: phones that support eSIM can typically hold several profiles and switch between them, though it’s worth checking yours does before you rely on it. Either way, plan on installing each eSIM before you fly rather than expecting a single purchase to cover the whole itinerary.

ANZROAM’s Japan eSIM runs across Japan’s major carriers (NTT docomo, Rakuten Mobile, KDDI/au, and SoftBank). The product page doesn’t detail how the eSIM selects between them or say anything about coverage in specific areas, so treat the four-carrier list as which networks it can use, not a claim about coverage everywhere in the country.

How much data for your trip

Trip type	What drives data use
Short city trip (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, under a week)	Maps, messaging, some photo and social media uploads
One to two week trip with day trips or train travel between cities	More continuous navigation during transfers, plus more photo and video uploads
Trips with remote work, video calls, or heavy streaming	Video calls and cloud backups add up fast compared to browsing and messaging

Rather than pick a number here, check the current Japan eSIM plans for the data tiers on offer and match one to how you actually use your phone, not just how many days you’re travelling.

Does it include calls and texts?

No. ANZROAM’s Japan eSIM is data-only: it doesn’t include SMS or traditional phone calls, only internet calling through apps like WhatsApp, LINE, or FaceTime. If you need to send or receive a regular text message (a bank verification code, for instance), that has to go through your home number, not the Japan eSIM. Check the product page’s specs before you buy if this matters for how you plan to use your phone.

Check your phone before you buy

Your phone needs to support eSIM and be carrier-unlocked. Support varies by model and age rather than following a simple rule, so search “[your phone model] eSIM compatible” to check yours specifically, and sort it out before departure rather than after you’ve landed.

Install before you fly, activate when you land

Installing the profile itself needs a network connection, so do it over a reliable Wi-Fi connection before you fly rather than waiting for mobile data. You can install it any time before you leave; it won’t draw on your data allowance until you activate it. ANZROAM recommends activating only after you’ve landed in Japan, since that’s what starts the countdown on your plan’s validity, and you skip the SIM counter at Narita or Haneda entirely by having it ready to switch on. Check the current product page for the current pre-activation window: this is how long you have after purchase to activate before the eSIM expires unused, not a window for when you’re allowed to install it, so don’t read it as a deadline for installing.

Keep your home number active for texts and calls

Many compatible phones can run two SIM profiles at once, one for data and one for your home number, though whether yours does and how it behaves by default depends on the model, so check before you rely on it. Since your Japan eSIM doesn’t carry SMS or calls anyway, leaving your AU/NZ number active on the other profile for texts, calls, and two-factor authentication codes from your bank is worth setting up if your phone supports it. Check your phone’s dual-SIM settings before you leave so you’re not troubleshooting it after you’ve landed, and confirm with your home carrier that leaving that SIM active while roaming won’t trigger charges you didn’t expect.

City trip vs multi-region itinerary

A Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto loop is the simplest case for planning: mostly navigation and messaging data, and you only need the Japan country product for that itinerary. Add more destinations, more video calls, or heavier hotspot use and you’re using more data regardless of how the trip is laid out, so size your data tier to those habits rather than to the shape of the itinerary itself. If Japan is one leg of a wider trip, decide before you fly which other countries need their own eSIM and install all of them ahead of time, since sorting that out mid-trip is more hassle than deciding up front.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a different eSIM if I’m visiting South Korea or another country too?
Yes. ANZROAM sells a separate eSIM per country rather than one profile covering multiple destinations. Browse the East Asia eSIM hub for the other countries on offer and install each one you need before you fly.

Can I make phone calls or send texts with this eSIM?
No. It’s data-only. Use an internet calling app for calls, and keep your home SIM active on the other profile for regular texts and calls if your phone supports running both at once.

When should I install the eSIM?
Any time before you fly, over a reliable Wi-Fi connection. It won’t use any data until you activate it. Activate after you land in Japan rather than before, since activation is what starts your plan’s validity countdown, and you have up to the current pre-activation window (listed on the product page) to activate after purchase before it expires unused.

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Get connected for Japan

Check the current Japan eSIM plans and pick a data tier that matches your trip. Adding other East Asia destinations? The East Asia eSIM hub lists the separate eSIMs available for each of those countries.