Who do I use for phone service in Japan?! Military PCS? Moving here?
When we first arrived on Okinawa almost four year ago, one of the first things that we wanted to get sorted was our phone service. Back in the US, we had moved over to T-Mobile from AT&T and loved the pricing and coverage. While it was an option to keep our T-Mobile service and pay a bit extra to have international functionality, we opted to not go this route due to coverage and data throttling (...and, well, the additional cost).
In the exchanges (PX, BX...) on base, Softbank and AU are the big go-to companies that cater to Americans. They both get good reviews from what I can gather, and each of them also have their own Mobile Virtual Network Operators, or MVNOs (like Boost Mobile, Mint, Fi, etc.), that offer basically the same service as the root company...but may lack options like international coverage or faster data speeds. The other main provider, NTT Docomo, is similar in this manner, providing cheaper coverage through several MVNOs...you won't find NTT Docomo on base, though. At least, not yet.
We decided that since our sponsors had Softbank and liked their service, that we'd just go with them. We had excellent service throughout all of Japan (both on mainland in places like Tokyo and Fukuoka, and all over Okinawa). After about a year or so with Softbank, we got curious about the Y! Mobile advertisements that we kept seeing around their shops, and decided to investigate. As it turned out, we weren't "locked in" to any Softbank contract, and they offered to allow us to swap over to Y! Mobile instead. The price for all of our family lines on Y! Mobile was much, much cheaper than it was for using Softbank itself...and I think our bill went from around $150/month to around $90/month. That's roughly $30 for each line...so we took them up on this and made the jump.
What did we lose by converting to Y! Mobile?
- The ability to tap into Sprint's network while stateside (but we don't go that often, so...)
- The ability to use Softbank/parter networks while visiting Thailand
This wasn't a huge concern, though...since cheap, temporary SIM cards are plentiful in Thailand.
We still use Y! Mobile for the majority of the family...but one day I got curious and wanted to order a SIM card from Google Fi and give it a shot here on Okinawa. I kept my Y! Mobile active while sampling Fi's service just in case I didn't want to jump ship...
At this point, if you're curious about using/activating Google Fi while abroad, good news - it can be done! While waiting on my physical SIM card to arrive from the US (I had to ship to a relative, then have them ship to our FPO box), I was able to download an eSIM and activate by uploading my orders to a site Google uses to verify service members and folks stationed abroad. I was activated in a matter of minutes and from what I gather, you just need to visit the states once a year (but this may not even be necessary).
So, Fi on Okinawa has been good...there are even spots where I get a 5G connection. I stream music and things while en route to work most mornings, and it's been solid. It even worked on travel to Thailand...although certain rural areas may be pretty slow, like out at our farm. The two drawbacks to using Fi abroad are 1) Local calls get weird and become international calls, and 2) Folks at work might have a hard time reaching you unless you utilize a common application like LINE, Signal, WhatsApp, FB Messenger, or something similar.
This bit of weirdness, coupled with the roughly $70 monthly price tag made me want to, again, investigate a cheaper option (yes, yes, I knew it'd be a bit pricier going in...).
Rather than reactivating a line with Y! Mobile, I wanted to order a SIM from Sakura Mobile, a MVNO that uses NTT Docomo's network, and give it a whirl. I was able to order online after uploading my passport photo page along with a utility bill (if you live on base this may be trickier).
The SIM came in after a few days and I plugged it in, alongside my Fi SIM to get a feel for the service. I'm paying $29/month on Sakura and have 25 GB of data with it. After a few days of traveling around Okinawa and having a reliable 4G connection, I decided to pause the Fi service and only turn it on if we visit the states or absolutely need it while elsewhere (although that comes with a full month's charge).
All this to say that cheaper options are available if coming out to Japan...AU has UQ Mobile, Softbank has Y! Mobile, and several MVNOs reside under Docomo's network umbrella. Do some research prior to arrival and see which option is best for you and your gang. For now, I'm the family outlier using Sakura Mobile and if it gets weird, I can always go and grab another Y! Mobile line.
*Update - 14 September. I've been using Sakura Mobile exclusively now for almost a week. I have 4G+ in most areas that I've been to. I was worried that Camp Courtney might be a dead spot...but it isn't at all. I'm enjoying Sakura and will likely just keep it until we leave Okinawa. And at $29 per month for 25GBs of data, I think that's a good deal. Y! Mobile's "L" plan is pretty close to the same price and data cap.
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