This was posted 6 years 1 month 9 days ago, and might be an out-dated deal.

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Free Japan SIM, 128kb/s, Unlimited Data Valid for 15 Days if You Watch Ads & Finish Survey, Pickup at Airport

1560
Free Japan SIM, 128kb/s, Unlimited Data Valid for 15 Days if You Watch Ads & Finish Survey, Pickup at Airport
Go to Deal
StrayfireX on 18/03/2018 - 19:41 docomo.prepaid-sim.jp (4099 clicks)
Last edited 20/03/2018 - 13:41 by 2 other users

Data only, no calls. You need to view ads and complete a survey to get this for free.

Good insurance policy as it gives access to Google Maps/WhatsApp in case a group member gets separated from the group.

Further details can be found on the Prepaid Data SIM Wikia: www.prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Japan#Japan_Welcome…

You can pick up these SIMs for free here at various airports, however you must register online in advance.

Data speeds limited to 128kb/s. SIM valid for 15 days.

Tell me how it goes :)

Travel Travel SIM Card

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closed Comments

  • MustResistPurchase on 18/03/2018 - 19:43
    +7

    When staying at most Airbnb, they have portable hotspots. They ended up being much faster than a 4G sim I bought specifically for use in Japan.

    • Daabido on 18/03/2018 - 20:58
      +7

      The portable hotspots at AirBnB places I have found to be variable. In Japan they are often linked to a set data limit per month and are next to useless when they get capped. So if you are the unlucky one to stay later in the cycle for the hotspot it can be torturously slow. Not always of course, but it has happened far too often.

    • hilman on 19/03/2018 - 01:43
      +1

      Our Airbnb gave us three pocket wifis and none of them worked. :/

  • 87percent on 18/03/2018 - 19:46
    +1

    'Data speeds limited to 128kb/s'… Damn, they use dial up?

    • pennypincher98 on 18/03/2018 - 19:49
      +1

      Comparative to Optus speeds in the CBD when everyone is data free streaming Netflix…
      Haha this is going to be borderline unusable.

      • StrayfireX on 18/03/2018 - 19:52
        +5

        I mean this SIM is going to be completely unusable for everything except Google Maps and WhatsApp, but I find both of them absolutely essential to have 24/7 in Japan.

        I'd mostly going to tell friends about this who aren't going to be using their phones much but need to be kept in contact.

    • DogGunn on 18/03/2018 - 19:50
      +7

      I would be very happy with 128Kb/s for free. Would work great for messaging.
      WiFi is aplenty for anything else.

      • KingThrifty on 19/03/2018 - 09:05
        -4

        There is practically no free wifi in Japan.

        • Slo20 on 19/03/2018 - 09:08

          That is a complete lie… I’m in japan now and guess what I’m using. FREE WIFI. it’s everywhere.

        • Kambo_Rambo on 19/03/2018 - 16:14

          when i was there 5 years ago this was true, but i went again last year and i found it everywhere - though usually incredibly slow

    • bchliu on 18/03/2018 - 21:00
      +1

      No. Dial up is @48kbps. This is more multilink dual channel ISDN (2x64kbps) LOL. Usable if you aren't doing hard core browsing. I'd recommend Opera Mini if only it's not turned into advertising spyware galore.

      • MrZ on 19/03/2018 - 05:50
        +1

        Wasn't dial up 56 kbps (7 KB/s) ? This is 18 times faster.

        • butter on 19/03/2018 - 07:42

          Dial up was anywhere between 300bps and 56000bps. Both theoretical maxing out at v92 if I'm not mistaken.

          Your parent post was correct. You're getting your B and b mixed up.

          This sim is cwpped at roughly twice as fast as 56k dialup.

        • bchliu on 19/03/2018 - 07:56

          48kbps was the "average" that anyone connected with a 56000 baud v92 modem to because of the "noise" of the analogue lines and overheads. I don't believe anyone actually connected at 56kbps that I've known of.
          Network Transmission has always been measured in "bits": that is why you go to Telstra/Optus/NBN and they will offer plans in Megabits of data and not Megabytes of data transmission. (eg. 100Mbit Broadband or 50Mbit 4G etc). So 128Kb/sec is a bit confusing - nominally as kilobits per sec. 128kbps as per this offer is roughly 3x Dial up Modem speeds with a data transfer of up to 15kilobytes per second.

    • Chroma on 18/03/2018 - 22:54
      +8

      Apparently Japan is getting the NBN too.

  • yoshiyoshi on 18/03/2018 - 20:40
    +1

    So you pick plan 0? It doesn't have a option for Tokyo

    • Chimpus on 18/03/2018 - 20:57
      +3

      Looks like its only available to collect at designated places and there appears to be a quota for how many are available? (Need further clarification)

      Hokkaido

      • First 4000 people
      • The application period - 2017/12/26 - 2018/03/31
      • Period when you can do the SIM exchange - 2017/12/26 - 2018/03/31

      Niigata

      • First 650 people
      • The application period 2017/12/26 - Until they've all gone
      • Period when you can do the SIM exchange 2017/12/26 - Until they've all gone

      Saga

      • First 500 people
      • The application period - 2018/2/1 - 2018/03/25
      • Period when you can do the SIM exchange - 2018/2/1 - 2018/03/25
      • POSITIVEVIBESONLY on 18/03/2018 - 23:57
        +2

        Seems like pretty uncommon spots to start your holiday in Japan, usually flights land in Tokyo or Osaka. Niigata and Saga are almost a write off, never really heard of anyone going to those locations. Hokkaido is alright I guess, but even though I'm going in a few weeks still pointless. Should put locations in post.

        • lainey13 on 21/03/2018 - 21:31

          Haha I've been Niigata before! Fuji Rock Festival :)

  • daoople on 18/03/2018 - 20:54

    Only available for pickup in Niigata, Hokkaido and Saga. Of which Niigata and Saga have something like 650 or 400 sims available for collection for the duration of the promotion that started last Nov and ends 31 March.

    Hokkaido have 4000 sims available for collection at a specific place in New Chitose (can't remember as I've closed the browser). There is no indication whether there are any sims are currently available for collection at any of the above locations.

    Agree the sim would be great - if you could get it.

    • Chimpus on 18/03/2018 - 21:01
      +1

      Yeh, the likelihood getting one is probably quite low by now as we're hitting the tail end of the promotion dates.

  • Mitchell on 18/03/2018 - 21:11
    +2

    I tried this at Tokyo Narita last year. Guy at pickup counter didn't know about it initially, took 20 minutes or so for him to ask around for it.

    Don't know why, but couldn't get the SIM itself to work and gave up on it.

    Wouldn't waste my time again with this, 7/11 free wifi is more reliable backup plan if you can't get pocket wifi.

  • Marty131 on 18/03/2018 - 21:25

    Has anyone actually used a 128kbit/s connection recently (honestly), and can comment on the usefullness of this SIM? I honestly think (can't say for sure) that Google Maps would be next to useless, unless you pre-cache the maps?

    • spaceflight on 18/03/2018 - 21:34

      I have spent time in remote areas with very weak signal and things work ok. It is just slower than you are used to.
      I don't know what the actual speed I was getting was.

      As for Google maps, on android it automatically caches your home area by default as it is better for your battery life and doesn't need mobile data. If you start navigating and you are doing through an area that isn't cached Google will cache the route so if you lose internet it keeps working.

      If you are going overseas it makes sense to download offline maps so you don't need the internet

      • Marty131 on 18/03/2018 - 21:54
        +15

        Just ran a simulation in Chrome developer, device set to iPhone X, network set to 128kb/s with 100ms latency. Admittedly this is running the web version rather than the native app. Anyway:

        • Fresh load was 1.3MB and took 1.5 minutes.
        • Zooming in / out or changing location - tiles take 18+ seconds to load.
        • Searching for "Pizza Hut" took 26 seconds to show results on map.
        • Clicking on a result and hitting directions took 22 seconds.

        So in summary, it might work.

        If I were spending thousands of dollars on an overseas trip, I'd probably fork out for a half decent international SIM card.

        • spaceflight on 18/03/2018 - 23:05

          That's interesting.
          I wonder how much difference the app would make.

          For maps though offline download works really well :)

        • butter on 19/03/2018 - 07:46

          I see this as a "keep me online" last resort type thing. Your email and WhatsApp will just trickle through and you'd be none the wiser.

      • NobalaKoba on 19/03/2018 - 01:38
        +1

        Last time I went to Japan I tried to download the maps in advance, but it said it couldn't be done for that location.

  • asa79 on 18/03/2018 - 21:49
    +1

    128kb? thats so slow

  • BargainKen on 18/03/2018 - 21:54
    +2

    At 128kbit most of the bandwidth would be consumed by the ads

    • marquise on 18/03/2018 - 21:55
      +6

      Ads get streamed at 10 GBit/sec

      • BargainKen on 18/03/2018 - 22:04

        Ah so barely usable then, it'll have that nostalgic feeling of the NBN, incase you're feeling homesick

  • customundo on 18/03/2018 - 22:31

    Japan?

    Ads are getting smarter

  • jelko on 18/03/2018 - 22:31
    +6

    Is it 128 kilobits per second or 128 kilobytes per second. I find it hard to believe that a country as advanced as Japan would subject anybody to 128 kilobits per second. It would be torture.

    • mister_snrub on 20/03/2018 - 11:39

      Yes, it is 128 kilobits per second. That is the default 'slow' speed for MVNOs using the Docomo network. If a plan has shaping when the data allowance is exceeded, it will often be this speed. Similarly, there are some cheap 'unlimited' plan SIMs that are just this speed all the time. Effectively it is a SIM with zero data allowance which is constantly shaped.

      'Normal' speeds can vary significantly between MVNOs. But on the whole the three LTE networks (Docomo, au, Softbank) all provide similar speeds to Australian LTE networks.

  • noriaquach on 19/03/2018 - 01:19

    That burning desire to go back to Tokyo…

  • hilman on 19/03/2018 - 01:43

    Used the 1000 yen plan in January and was very helpful in getting around. Much cheaper than a pocket wifi. Used the 100mb I got from doing surveys and videos in Australia in like two days but the 128kb/s was good enough for any Google Maps and translating. There is a lot of free wi-fi in Tokyo but was useful when out and about walking around. I would recommend this, definitely would've got lost without it.

  • Nalar on 19/03/2018 - 07:15

    Spend the $40/$50 for a SIM…

    But not the B mobile one, it's too slow in too many places in Tokyo. It was actually faster in more rural/small areas such as Yamagta and Aomori, but frustrating using maps in middle of Tokyo.

    Free slow internet is horrible, you'll be frustrated the first time you need to reference a map and it takes 2 mins to load, something Sh!t for free is false economy. I've used the AirBNB capped (at 256k) wifi hotspots and I wanted to throw the thing in the bin.

    • MustResistPurchase on 19/03/2018 - 08:20

      Which SIM would you recommend?

    • 4tran on 19/03/2018 - 08:25

      The B Mobile is ~$45 atm and it's the recommended japan sim in the ozb poll. Which other sim would you recommend that would give you the 5gb for 21 days for similar price?

      • Nalar on 19/03/2018 - 08:54
        +1

        sadly nothing comes close to their cheap price, but you def get slowed down when network is loaded, especially in Shinjuku, Shubuya, Harajuku, and particularly in Ameya-Yokocho when I was searching for a specific shop and it was slow as balls :(

        • 4tran on 19/03/2018 - 09:59

          Hmm that's a shame, I've been looking for a sim for my upcoming trip and I will spend a big chunk of my time in those areas.

        • StrayfireX on 19/03/2018 - 10:41

          Last Japan trip I was using Yokoso (Docomo) and I barely got 1Mbps in Speedtest.

          Next trip I'll see if the SoftBank Tourist SIM is any better (different network). https://www.softbank.jp/en/mobile/special/prepaid-sim-for-tr…

        • Nalar on 19/03/2018 - 10:50

          @StrayfireX: When's next trip? I'm going July so I need someone to test the local ones.

        • StrayfireX on 19/03/2018 - 13:34

          @Nalar:

          Possibly 2020.

          Could you pretty please try the SoftBank SIM and tell me how it goes? I haven't seen anyone try it yet.

          3GB/ 31days/ ¥1680-4500 (price set by retailer)

  • asa79 on 19/03/2018 - 08:37

    How much are normal plans compared?

  • nadan on 19/03/2018 - 10:35

    Mobile data is expensive in Japan, I paid $50 for 3GB and $20/GB after that. The ubiquitous free WIFI however is near useless in reality, you can hardly load a page.

  • sauce2k on 19/03/2018 - 12:03
    +1

    This might not be a very useful comment but if you have any mates travelling to HongKong, get them to grab you a few Japanese sim cards!

    I got two 3GBs/7days sim cards which means 6 GB over 14 days for like 30 bucks.

    It's with DoCoMo network.

    • seug123 on 19/03/2018 - 14:26

      Sham Shui Po's Ap Liu/ Fuk Wa Street markets

    • StrayfireX on 19/03/2018 - 20:37

      I only know of the China Unicom ones but they roam to SoftBank.

  • flying18 on 20/03/2018 - 12:53

    Think this but expired. Don't see 0 plan left.

    • nismo on 06/04/2018 - 20:11

      I can see the 0 plan there today but the only pick up location is Niigata

  • Edeena on 20/03/2018 - 17:23
    +2

    I have some coupon codes to get extra data

    MNC43K2J —-> Get extra 100 mb (this is my referral code)
    KNGMPMWW —> Get extra 300 mb
    BKGC3LFD —> Get extra 300 mb

    You can get around 330 mb from watching ads/doing survey/install app. Note that when you register, when they ask what languages you speak, just tick all the boxes. You may be able to see more ads this way. I was stupid and only ticked 2 boxes, still got extra 330 mb reward though. The ads and survey are very short, not too time consuming.

    • justaddwater on 21/03/2018 - 12:01

      where did you pick the SIM card up? Hokkaido?

      • Edeena on 21/03/2018 - 15:12

        Hokkaido

        This sim as back up sim is not too bad for just google maps and some light browsing.

  • jordsta on 20/03/2018 - 21:47

    I used this last time I was in Japan and I don't think it's worth it. Only a few ads/quizzes you can do to gain extra data, and once you run out of the high-speed data you get, you're stuck on speeds slower than 3G.

    I agonizingly tried purchasing more data on the go with my credit card, and it was a 45 minute process which ended in failure: they use Visa Checkout and it won't let you buy things when your IP address doesn't match the country your card was issued in. I only got it working by going to my hotel at the end of the day and using a VPN to make the purchase.

  • deego on 30/06/2019 - 21:58

    Now expired - not talking new bookings since June 13 2019

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