Checked 29 Aug 2026. I earn a commission if you buy Airalo through the Travelpayouts link. Airport yen prices are not on this page because they change and I will not invent a booth number.
Buy and install at home. Activate data after you land.
The airport is for people whose phone refused the eSIM, or whose Android cannot hold one.
Holafly’s Japan page: install before or during the trip; the plan starts when you connect in Japan. You still need internet to add the plan. Home Wi-Fi is that internet. A QR code on a phone with no data, in a corridor with bad Wi-Fi, is the failure mode.
Keep the home SIM for boarding. Turn data roaming on for the Japan plan after you land.
What the airport is for
Pocket Wi-Fi counters and physical tourist SIMs exist at NRT and HND. Names, queues, and yen prices change. If your phone is not eSIM-capable, that counter is the product, not a blog’s “best eSIM” table.
Buy Airalo (tracked)
Install notes: https://before-you-land.surge.sh/en/japan/narita/
