Zen SIM for Japan | High Speed, Flexible Data from 500MB to 5GB (Sold Separately)

I ordered two of these, one for my brother and I, for when we want to Japan during January. Both of our phones are unlocked (we own them flat out. This must be the case for the SIM to work). Zen SIM worked just fine with my phone, a Oneplus 6, but did not work with his iPhone 6S.I knew at the time of purchase that every phone is built to communicate in certain frequencies. If your phone cannot pick up the frequency that the carrier uses, there will be no way for it to access information transmitted by the service provider. I did not even look into this for his phone, as I made the assumption it would work with an iPhone. However, it turns out that out iPhones are constructed with the frequency each carrier who originally sells it requires, so they do not communicate on every frequency universally like I assumed. Whoops! So, it did not work with his phone at all. I did check with mine, and it worked fine.Be very careful and confirm these will work before you purchase (call your service provider if you need). Thankfully Zen SIM does not allow you to purchase data unless your phone is already communicating with the SIM.Once you're sure the SIM is compatible, the last thing to do is configure the APN (Access Point Name). If you don't know how to configure an APN, it may take you around 20 or so minutes to figure out on the first try (even though it's usually a 3 step process!) Remain patient, and call ZenSIM if you must. I recommend configuring the SIM before you land in Japan.I purchased 1 GB of data at 1500 yen for a two week trip. Just using Google Maps, this almost did not last. My recommendation is to completely turn off data when you do not need (and just purchase more data if you must).Overall, the data coverage was very good. It worked far north in Akita, far south in Nagasaki, and I never had zero bars. So no need to worry about patchy coverage.Probably a good note to add; this SIM is not reusable. A certain amount of time after use, the Zen SIM card permanently shuts down and cannot be reused. For your next trip, you must purchase another SIM card. This very common with Japanese companies, and happened to me with my Mobal SIM card last time I went. Many Japanese companies request the return of their SIM cards (like Sakura Mobile). This is a pain that Zen SIM doesn't make you experience.Overall, I think this is an extremely good option for short trips to Japan. It is cheap, and easy to set up (compared to other popular Japanese SIMs that I have used like Mobal/SoftBank and SakuraMobal). It is not cheaper per GB of data you get but you do not need that much data while only traveling, and it saves quite the headache.

Zen Sim, eConnect is a MVNO (Mobile virtual network operator) that uses NTT DoCoMo which is like the "Verizon of Japan" I had no problems and the 4G connection was great, even in Northern countryside of Japan.I have to say I'm very impressed with how clean the packaging/presentation and how the app/ease of tracking your data usage and reloading more data/subscription all through the app.I love that you can also manage multiple sim cards with one phone; I bought several of these and I gave one to my mother, where I could easily renew her subscription right from my phone without having to grab her phone.Price is not bad. This is just for the sim card. You have to select/purchase a data plan after.For 7 Days with 500 MB, it's about 900 Yen or $8For 15 Days with 1 GB, it's about 1500 Yen or $13For 30 Days with 2 GB, it's about 2500 Yen or $22For 30 Days with 3 GB, it's about 3500 Yen or $30For 30 Days with 5 GB, it's about 5500 Yen or $48Personally, unless you're video calling or streaming videos all the time, 5 GB is pretty overkill for a month.It's a lot better than wasting time buying it at the airport.I like that you can queue plan/data for the next plan, so I was able to keep using this continuously for several months. I've purchased these multiple times and I never had issues every time I visit Japan.Make sure you set it up before flying to Japan, so you can just load up the sim and start using it right away when you get there.Customer service replies pretty promptly and it seems it's always the same guy responding named Shuhei Koyama.Pros:- Uses NTT DoCoMo (which is like the Verizon of Japan/largest network- Nice packaging/presentation/app- Easy to renew/add/check data usage- Can manage multiple sim card accounts/plans with one phone.- Reasonable data plan prices- Love 1 month planCons:- Once sim plan expires completely, you can't/they won't reactivate it anymore (It stinks having to purchase the sim card over and over again, but I guess that's how they make their money)

Used it on a family trip to Japan and used it all over Tokyo and Mt. Fuji area. For the most part, it worked pretty well. The only quirk I found was sometimes Google Maps would take a while to detect the internet connection, which tells me it was probably too slow, but after a few attempts it would work. The main reason I needed this was for communication, so for that reason it worked great. My family installed the LINE app on our phones, and used that to call each other whenever we needed to.The best part, I was able to activate it ahead of time. So I was able to use it as soon as we landed in Japan and got off the plan. It did not work for us while we were in the air over Japan, or while still on the plane, so don't freak out if this happens to you. If you did everything correctly, then it will work as soon as you step off the flight. (May require a reboot of your phone).So all in all, for the price, length of time it lasted, and Data allotment, this was the best SIM card available in Japan that will work. (Of course your phone has to be unlocked and able to use this type of Data network). This saved a huge load off our worries.Tips: If you don't want to buy a SIM ahead of time, the airport will have prepaid SIM cards available at their stores and some Kiosks. It will be a bit pricier though for a lot less time and Data.There are also some phone carriers at the airport, which sell them at a better rate, though I didn't really look into it since I was already good with this one.Lastly, for securities sake, remember to install and use a VPN software on your phone whenever you use Wifi.That's all I have.Best of luck on your trip.