Airalo Discover Global eSIM in Japan Review (+Speedtests)

The first time I visited Japan was in 2018 when I went together with a friend of mine – Ditmar.

It was a hectic summer, as I also visited China a few weeks before and the Netherlands three times (before, between & after those trips – I was living in Denmark back then).

What surprised me is that the Japanese government banned the sale of voice-enabled SIM cards to travelers in 2006 for some reason.

As a result, only data-only SIM cards are sold to visitors like you and me.

Because VoIP (Voice over IP) apps like WhatsApp were already popular back then, it did not bother us that we could not make phone calls.

Since then, a lot has changed – travel eSIMs exist, and they are incredibly popular.

And I love trying them out to see which performs the best in individual countries like Japan.

So I revisited in 2023 and stayed in the Kansai Region (mostly Osaka) and Tokyo (again).

This resulted in me spending more than 480 USD for my Japan SIM card and travel eSIM review series (50 030 JPY (≈ 360 USD) on Japanese SIM cards and 121.50 USD on travel eSIMs to be used in Japan) – yeah… I went all out for you 😎.

I am excluding the cost of Airalo's Asialink 100 GB eSIM (185 USD) and its Discover Global 20 GB eSIM (89 USD) because I use both in multiple countries, not just Japan.

In many countries, getting a local SIM card will be the most cost-effective way to stay connected.

But that is not the case in Japan – they are criminally expensive.

Worse, almost all the Japanese SIM cards I tested had speed caps of 2 Mbps, 10 Mbps, or “unrestricted” speed for the first few days (often up to three days) before speeds would drop.

And I am talking about SIM cards that supposedly have no Fair Use Policy (FUP), and promise speeds up to 788 Mbps, or whose FUP I had not hit.

As a result, there is only one Japanese SIM card I recommend – but that one is expensive too.

Travel eSIM providers like Airalo are way cheaper than Japanese SIM cards (although the Discover Global eSIM is not the cheapest Airalo option for Japan).

Surprisingly, they performed significantly better – even when roaming on the local networks.

This phenomenon is uncommon but happens in countries where mobile operators throttle (prepaid) speeds.

For now, let's see how the Airalo Discover Global eSIM performed in Japan – so let's start immediately!

Original publication: 30th of May 2023. Last updated: 17th of September 2023.

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Table of Contents

Which Phones are Compatible with Airalo eSIMs?

Before we talk about the Airalo Discover Global eSIM to be used in Japan specifically, you first need to know whether your phone can even support Airalo's eSIMs.

Sure, your phone may support eSIM, but the local mobile operator and travel eSIM provider, like Airalo, first needs to certify a phone before the users can use their products.

>>> Get your Airalo Discover Global eSIM now! <<<

With that out of the way, let's talk more about the Airalo Discover Global eSIM!

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How Much Does the Airalo Discover Global eSIM Cost?

You can get the Discover Global eSIM for as little as 9 USD for 1 GB of data (7 days) and up to 89 USD for 20 GB (180 days). The eSIM can be used in Japan and 83+ other nations with five options: 1 GB/7 days, 3 GB/15 days, 5 GB/30 days, 10 GB/60 days & 20 GB/180 days).

Regardless of the currency used in your country, Airalo will always charge you in USD (US Dollar).

Moreover, regardless of which Airalo Discover Global eSIM you choose, you can always top it up for the same amount of data and prices as listed above.

For example, suppose you buy the 5 GB Airalo Discover Global eSIM (30 days costing 35 USD) but realize you need more data.

You can top it up with the 3 GB top-up (15 days costing 24 USD) or the 10 GB top-up (30 days costing 59 USD).

Many eSIM providers out there do not allow you to top up or extend the validity of your eSIM, so it is cool that Airalo allows you to do so.

>>> Get your Airalo Discover Global eSIM now! <<<

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In Which Countries Can the Airalo Discover Global eSIM Be Used?

The Airalo Discover Global eSIM can be used in Japan and 84+ other countries in all continents (so Africa, all of the Americas, Asia, Europe & Oceania).

Below is a complete overview of countries the Airalo Discover Global eSIM works in:

In most cases, getting a regional eSIM (like the Airalo Asialink eSIM for Asia or the Airalo Eurolink eSIM for Europe) is more affordable than getting the Airalo Discover Global eSIM if you plan on visiting two or more countries in the same region.

>>> Get your Airalo Discover Global eSIM now! <<<

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My Airalo Discover Global eSIM in Japan Experience

I used my Airalo Discover Global eSIM in the Kansai region only (mostly Osaka, but also Kobe, Kyoto & Nara).

But… did you not visit Hiroshima and Tokyo Metropolis as well, based on your other Japanese SIM card/eSIMs reviews?

Yes, you are right (and I see you are reading multiple reviews before buying an eSIM for your trip – good!).

But I wanted to try various Japanese SIM cards and travel eSIMs on my Japan trip, so I had to swap the selection in other cities.

However, the main reason why I stopped using the Airalo Discover Global eSIM is that it performed so poorly.

It was incredibly slow, resulting in me taking more time on this eSIM alone… and I was usually testing 11 SIM cards/eSIMs at a time.

So… I did not have time for that 🗿.

But I will talk about this later.

First I do want to let you know how travel eSIM providers like Airalo work.

It is impossible for Airalo, or any other mobile operator, to operate in every country (and do not trust any company saying otherwise), so they set up roaming agreements.

And do not get worried by the word roaming yet – roaming can be expensive, but roaming with Airalo or many other travel eSIM providers, will not result in a 5000 USD roaming bill.

What Airalo does, and basically all (actual) mobile operators do, is partner up with a local mobile operator so that their customers can still stay connected when abroad.

In the case of Japan, the Airalo Discover Global eSIM uses the SoftBank network with the help of FL1 from Liechtenstein (formerly Mobilkom Liechtenstein – so your phone, some apps, or sites you visit may claim you are using a FL1/Mobilkom Liech(ten)stein eSIM instead of an Airalo one – that is correct).

Note: in some countries, Airalo uses multiple local networks (which often applies to regional, like the Airalo Asialink eSIM).

The Japanese mobile operators are not in the prepaid business for whatever reason, so I mostly used Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) using the NTT Docomo network through another MVNO called IIJmio.

All Japanese SIM cards I used using IIJmio were mostly/always throttled @ 2 Mbps, 10 Mbps, or would start off normally for the first (few) day(s) before being slowed as well.

I go more in-depth about that in my individual Japanese SIM card reviews, but all the travel eSIMs I used, including Airalo's Discover Global eSIM, were not affected by this nonsense… so that was amazing 🤣.

Instead, the eSIM was just slow 🙄.

Anyway, while I usually compare my eSIM results with the local mobile operator, it is not something I can do in Japan consistently because all the SIM cards I tried were MVNOs 🥲.

But worry not – I will do my best, mostly because I tried nine travel eSIMs using the networks of the Big Three (NTT Docomo, Softbank & AU by KDDI) with varying results.

When looking at 4G/LTE availability in Japan, the three mobile operators cover practically all of the country, with an availability of at least 99.4%.

Rakuten Mobile exists in Japan too, but tourists cannot get its prepaid SIM cards. Moreover, none of the SIM cards or eSIMs I used were using its network, so I will ignore its results in this analysis.

Japan's 4G/LTE reception is so good that you will unlikely be stuck on 3G at any time.

Unless you did not turn off airplane mode while taking off to send a quick message… I know who you are 😏.

In terms of 5G NR, the Airalo Discover Global eSIM did not support it when I was in Japan, so I will not go over that for now (but I will go back when it does support 5G NR, like the Ubigi eSIM on the NTT Docomo).

In terms of speed, NTT Docomo has the fastest download speed, with a median download speed of 48.86 Mbps, ahead of SoftBank (44.77 Mbps) and AU by KDDI (41.60 Mbps).

But these results are somewhat similar, so you can say they have roughly the same speed.

The same can be said about upload speeds, where SoftBank is leading the pack (9.24 Mbps), followed by NTT Docomo (6.97 Mbps) and AU by KDDI (6.40 Mbps).

I did speed tests with the Speedtest app in three regions throughout Japan.

But as I mentioned earlier, I used the Airalo Dicover Global eSIM in the Kansai region only because it ws so slow.

For reference, I consider an average download speed of 25 Mbps and an average of 10 Mbps upload speed fast enough.

Preferably, download speeds should be 100 Mbps+ on 4G/LTE… but we are not there yet 🗿.

But why these averages?

A download speed of more than 25 Mbps is enough to video stream content @ 4k resolution.

Social media sites that allow for live streaming, like Facebook Live, recommend an upload speed of at least 10 Mbps.

So, that is why – but that does not mean that a download speed of less than 100 Mbps excited me 😏.

But Australia spoiled… everything slower than 300 Mbps is slow now 🤣.

Anyway, you will also see that some of the results are in two shades of red, green, underlined, or in italics.

Underlined results are on 5G NR, while results in italics are on 3G.

The green shows that the result was the fastest on the network at said location.

For example, the Airalo Moshi Moshi being the fastest travel eSIM on the SoftBank network in a mall.

While red shows that the result was the slowest on the network among its peers at the location.

Okay, that is enough background information – let's compare the Airalo Discover Global eSIM to other travel eSIMs primairly using the SoftBank network in the Kansai region.

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Airalo Discover GlobaleSIM Speed Test Results in the Kansai region (Kobe, Kyoto, Nara & Osaka)

While the term Kansai region may not ring a bell for some readers, it is the second-largest region in Japan (behind the Kanto region, which includes Tokyo Metropolis).

The Kansai region is home to the famous Osaka but also Japan's former capital Kyoto.

And a few others like Kobe (yes – the one from Kobe Beef) and Nara (with the large deer park).

Most tend to stay in Osaka when they are in the Kansai region.

But I would highly recommend visiting one of the cities I mentioned earlier because (1) you are nearby and (2) they are worth the visit!

Osaka and the Kansai region was my first destination during this Japan trip.

Here, I learned that most Japanese SIM cards are slow.

And I could not contribute that to me being in some remote town… because Osaka is Japan's third-largest municipality (behind Tokyo and Yokohama (south of Tokyo)) and it has 5G NR (which I used with COMST Japan and Ubigi Japan).

Although the Airalo Discover Global eSIM is not powered by a Japanese mobile operator, I still had a lackluste performance with it in the Kansai region.

So, let's see how bad the Airalo Discover Global eSIM was:

>>> Get your Airalo Discover Global eSIM now! <<<

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My Overall Experience with the Airalo Discover Global eSIM in Japan – Is It Any Good?

I would not recommend the Airalo Discover Global eSIM for Japan, but it would be one of my top recommendations for anyone wanting to buy a global travel eSIM.

>>> Get your Airalo Discover Global eSIM now! <<<

As analyzed in the Kansai region section, the eSIM underperformed massively among its peers.

For the premium prices you pay to use one eSIM in 84+ countries, you would want the eSIM to be at least decent.

Sadly, that was not the case in Japan.

And the only reason I can think of is that FL1 Liechtenstein, the mobile operator powering the Airalo Discover Global eSIM, has an unfavorable roaming agreement with SoftBank, resulting in poor speeds.

Or because the connection has to route back to Liechtenstein before going back to Japan could also be the reason.

Before going to Japan, I used the Airalo Discover Global eSIM in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore & Thailand in that order.

It was whack in Australia only (so far), while decent in Hong Kong, New Zealand & Thailand (+South Korea, which I visited immediately after Japan).

And in Singapore, where it outperformed my expectations.

So it simply depends on the country you visit because the Airalo Discover Global eSIM is alright in some Asian countries I have used it in.

And I cannot blame its lackluster performance on the network it uses, SoftBank, because various other travel eSIMs I tested (Airalo Moshi Moshi, Airalo Asialink, Nomad Japan (JoyTelecom) & Nomad APAC (JoyTelecom)) were on the same network and outdid the the eSIM.

So this is why I still recommend the Airalo Discover Global eSIM because it works alright/well in most countries, and is relatively affordable compared to competing global eSIMs.

But also why I would not recommend it in Japan because of its poor performance here.

The Airalo Moshi Moshi eSIM is a way cheaper alternative that works way better than the Airalo Discover Global eSIM and costs significantly less.

If you visit multiple East- and Southeast Asian countries besides Japan on your trip, the Airalo Asialink eSIM is for you (which worked well in Japan).

For even more generous data allowances, look at Nomad's Japan eSIMs (giving you up to 50 GB of data, which used to be 100 GB for a while).

And if you care about 5G NR access, have a look at the Ubigi Japan plan (although its 5G NR speeds are not as impressive as COMST Japan's – a Japanese Mobile Virtual Network Operator, but it has no eSIMs yet and is quite pricey).

While using a near-perfect 4G/LTE network, offering affordable data plans but depressingly slow download speeds, you will not have a smooth browsing experience with the Airalo Discover Global eSIM in Japan.

>>> Get your Airalo Discover Global eSIM now! <<<

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Other Japanese eSIM Reviews (Airalo, Holafly, Japan Wireless, Nomad, SimCorner & Ubigi)

As mentioned earlier, I also tried out (other) eSIMs from Airalo (Moshi Moshi and Asialink), Holafly, Japan Wireless, Nomad (Japan and APAC), SimCorner & Ubigi.

You should read those reviews too.

>>> Airalo Moshi Moshi eSIM in Japan Review | Airalo Asialink eSIM in Japan Review | Airalo Discover Global eSIM in Japan Review | Holafly eSIM in Japan eSIM Review | Japan Wireless eSIM Review | Nomad eSIM in Japan eSIM Review | Nomad APAC eSIM in Japan Review | SimCorner Japan eSIM Review | Ubigi eSIM in Japan <<<