For those living abroad, a smartphone line (SIM contract) when temporarily returning home is a vexing problem. Smartphones are now a necessity in daily life. Most people may have most of their personal information, including personal photos and travel memories, in the smartphone they own.
Below we will explain the ins and outs of the best smartphone lines for residents living abroad when temporarily returning home.
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Solving smartphone problems when temporarily returning to Japan】SIM card recommended for overseas residents when temporarily returning to Japan.
In conclusion, "All types of SIM cards ", so the best choice will depend on the length of your stay and the amount of communication capacity you want to use (how many GB you want to use in how many days).
A foreign friend once told me, "There's not much free Wi-Fi in Japan." I wonder if that's how it looks from the perspective of an overseas resident.
Yes, some Wi-Fi environments have restrictions such as "cannot be used with overseas cell phones.
We will explain in detail below.
Can I use my smartphone when I go back to Japan temporarily?
First of all, as a basic premise, it would be ideal for "people who usually live abroad" to be able to use their smartphones in Japan without modification when they temporarily return to Japan, right?
The easiest way is to use Wi-Fi only, which means that you do not have to sign up for an additional SIM card in the first place and can use free Wi-Fi at your accommodation. green-cyan-color">You can make use of the free Wi-Fi that is open to you at your lodging and other places you stay".
However, as mentioned earlier, "Wi-Fi access is limited," so this service is not suitable for users who want to be connected to the Internet 24 hours a day, even while traveling.
If you want to use Wi-Fi on the move, you can use "pocket Wi-Fi.
In addition, as a general rule, "SMS (short message) is not available for Wi-Fi communication. ", so you need to be careful about that. However, the actual rules may vary depending on the line you are subscribed to, so it is best to check with your current cell phone company for confirmation.
If "account authentication using the SMS message function is required in Japan," it may be difficult to get through the Internet environment using "Wi-Fi only.
The bottleneck in some situations is that "you have to receive messages by SMS for creating some kind of account...
Keep in mind that these days, when you try to create a new account on a social network, you may receive an authentication code by SMS.
The next section summarizes "SIM cards".
What SIM cards can be used when temporarily returning to Japan from overseas?
If you want to use a "SIM card" when you temporarily return to Japan, a contract is a must.
There are actually two main types of SIMs that can be plugged into a smartphone: the first is a SIM card, and the second is an eSIM. To put it simply, some smartphones support either a physical SIM card or an eSIM, which is a digital SIM without a card.
For example, all iPhone models from the XR/XS series onward are eSIM compatible. There are also an increasing number of dual-SIM compatible phones that allow the insertion of two physical SIM cards or that support the use of a SIM card and an eSIM for two lines.
In other words, "one phone number per SIM is available" in the smartphone mechanism. If it is dual-SIM compatible, it means that it is possible to have two phone numbers.
I would like to add a reminder.
SIM card
A phone line is available by inserting a physical SIM card into the smartphone itself.
eSIM
An eSIM built into a smartphone, allowing a phone line to be used without a physical SIM.
Since eSIM is a SIM integrated into the smartphone, there is no need to wait for the SIM card to arrive or worry about losing or damaging the SIM card, and you can complete the online activation procedure (no need to replace the SIM card).
A single word "SIM card" means a lot of different things...
Different phone devices "support different SIMs", so check it out!
In other words, to put it plainly, if you are using a dual-SIM compatible smartphone device, keep in mind that there are situations where the eSIM side is free, depending on the contract.
If the "eSIM side" is not used, the system allows a new additional phone line to be added without leaving the current SIM card by selecting eSIM when signing up for an additional phone line.
Is "Wi-Fi" or "SIM card" better for temporary return?
Personally, I recommend deciding on "Is a Japanese mobile number required" to decide.
The other important question is "how much communication capacity do you plan to use? If you want to use unlimited monthly communication capacity without worrying about the amount of capacity, your choices will change.
Who should choose Wi-Fi?
As mentioned earlier, there are two types of Wi-Fi: "free spots" and "pocket Wi-Fi," right?
The former does not cost money, but "using a Wi-Fi environment provided by a third party" means that Internet access is limited in terms of time and location.
If you were to sign up for the latter "pocket Wi-Fi," you would be able to secure a certain amount of communication capacity, but there is still the "possibility of not being able to use SMS message authentication.
Conversely, if you want a convenient communication environment, Wi-Fi is easy to use and recommended.
Who should choose a SIM card?
The "SIM" can be either a "SIM card," which is a physical card that is inserted and removed from the phone, or an "eSIM," which does not require a SIM card replacement.
If your current phone line is a SIM card and the phone you own is dual SIM compatible, you can utilize the unused (extra) one.
If one side of the dual SIM is an "eSIM" and you are not currently using it, you can sign up for a phone line with an "eSIM" and you do not have to wait for the SIM card to arrive to open the line.
Of course, there are single-SIM phones, so you must actually check the SIM compatibility of the smartphone device you have before considering this option.
Also, "smartphones that are not SIM unlocked" cannot connect to the networks of other carriers, so it is important to check "whether the smartphone device you currently own is SIM-free" first. In particular, you must keep in mind that although the number of SIM-free smartphones has been increasing recently, there are some smartphones that are SIM-locked.
By the way, can I use "eSIM" even if I don't have a SIM-free phone?
You can use a SIM unlocked smartphone device with no problem!
Prepaid SIMs that can be used when temporarily returning home
A prepaid SIM is a communication line (SIM card) that can be used by paying a fee in advance. Since the payment is "prepaid," unlike a regular SIM, you must recharge or re-purchase the SIM card when you run out of data capacity to use it.
The period of use varies depending on the service, but short-term plans that can be used for one week to 30 days and long-term plans that can be used for six months (180 days) are available.
If the place you are staying has free Wi-Fi, I would recommend buying a prepaid SIM for going out. However, free Wi-Fi spots are gradually increasing, so it may be possible to not sign up for anything. " may also be an option.
Naturally, there is also a "prepaid eSIM", so please choose according to your preference.
summary
Today, we have explained about SIM cards, which are useful when temporarily returning to Japan.
If your smartphone device is not "SIM-free", it will not recognize the network even if you plug in a SIM from another company, so just keep that in mind.
We hope this article will be of help to you.
