Tokyo · Japan

Staying online in Tokyo

Tokyo is easy to navigate and hard to do offline. Station exits are numbered, restaurant queues are in an app, and the Suica in your phone still leaves you needing a map the moment you leave the gate.

Before you land

Install the eSIM on wifi before you fly. Haneda and Narita both have patchy free wifi and long walks; you do not want the QR code stuck in an inbox you cannot open. Immigration and the train signs are in English. The Keikyu or monorail into the city is the part where a live map earns its keep.

Getting around

Google Maps transit is reliable for JR, Tokyo Metro, and Toei. Save the station exit number the hotel sent you — Shinjuku and Shibuya have dozens. IC cards live in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet now, so the data plan is for maps, translation, and the reservation you forgot to screenshot.

Where the data actually goes

Shibuya and Shinjuku burn data on maps and restaurant queues. Asakusa is walkable once you are there. A day in Kamakura or Nikko is a long train ride with tunnels; download the return train, but keep the plan for delays.

Which plan to buy

For a week, a 10GB plan covers maps, Suica top-ups, translation, and photos that upload when you hit the hotel. A 1GB plan dies in Shibuya on day two, so pack a size you can actually use.

Practical notes

Plugs are type A, the same as the US, at 100V. Convenience stores (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart) are the reliable wifi-and-ATM stop, not a substitute for a plan. Pocket wifi from the airport is what hotels still push; an eSIM is one less brick to charge and return.