Rakuten Mobile for Foreigners in Japan: What You Need, What It Costs, What's Included (2026)

Quick answer

Hi, I'm Miya — I help newcomers get connected in Japan, and mobile is where I always start, because a Japanese number unlocks almost everything else. Rakuten Mobile is the plan I walk people through: you verify yourself by photographing your residence card, you apply online without visiting a shop, and if your phone takes an eSIM you can be connected the same day.

Below is the detail I wish someone had given me in one place — the three price tiers, what the official page actually says about speed, what comes bundled, the age-based discounts, and the documents to have open in another tab before you start.

The plan and what you actually pay

There's one tiered plan, called the Rakuten SAIKYO Plan, and the tier you land on follows how much data you used that month rather than something you pick up front. It's ¥1,078/mo for 0–3GB, ¥2,178 for 3–20GB, and ¥3,278 for unlimited — all tax included.

A light month costs you a light month. That's the part I like for newcomers specifically, because your first weeks here are unpredictable: you might be on hotel wifi for two weeks and then suddenly navigating by map every day.

Those are the standard rates for ages 23 to 64. Younger and older users have their own programs, which I've put further down. There's also a variant called Rakuten SAIKYO U-NEXT if you want streaming bundled in.

What the official page says about speed

I want to be accurate here rather than enthusiastic, because this is the question people feel misled about later. The unlimited tier is unlimited in the sense that there's no data allowance you run out of and no charge beyond ¥3,278.

What the official page states alongside that is a fair-use condition: speed may be restricted for fair service provision during peak times and under other conditions. So it isn't a guarantee of a fixed speed at every hour of every day — it's an uncapped allowance with a fair-use clause, which is a different promise and a reasonable one.

Coverage is the other thing to check before you commit, and it's address-specific rather than general. Look up your actual building on the official area map — not your ward, your building.

Can foreigners sign up? Yes — here's the document list

Yes, and it's the question I get asked most often. Identity verification accepts a residence card (在留カード) or a special permanent resident certificate, photographed during the online application. No counter appointment, no interpreter.

Alongside the card you need a way to pay — a credit card or a bank account for monthly direct debit. There's one rule here worth reading twice, because it's the most common reason an application stalls: if the payment method isn't in your own name, the named account holder or cardholder has to be present with you. A partner's card won't quietly go through.

If you're under 18, you'll need written consent and a signature from a legal representative, such as a parent or guardian. Phone applications and product-only purchases can't be processed for under-18 applicants at all, so the online route with consent documents is the one to take.

Whether a Rakuten ID is required depends on how you're applying: it's required if you're bringing an existing Japanese number across with MNP, and optional but recommended if you're getting a new number. I have everyone make one first either way — it's free and it takes about two minutes.

The application, in the order it happens

The official guide breaks it into four stages, and knowing them in advance is what makes it a fifteen-minute job instead of an evening. First, gather your documents — residence card and payment details. Second, decide on your handset, or keep the one you have. Third, apply, which you can do online, by phone, or in a shop. Fourth, do the initial setup on the device.

If you're using an eSIM, stage four happens on the same day, usually within minutes of approval. A physical SIM arrives by post instead, so budget a couple of days for it.

One practical note on the name field: use your name exactly as it's printed on your residence card, in the same order. Mismatches between your card, your payment method and your Rakuten ID are what generate the follow-up phone call nobody wants to take in Japanese.

Free domestic calls with the Rakuten Link app

Rakuten Link is a free app that carries your domestic calls at no per-minute charge. Install it during setup rather than later — it's part of the plan rather than an add-on, and calls placed outside it are billed normally.

It also matters procedurally if you came through a referral: one ten-second call through Rakuten Link after activation is what completes the process. It's the step people skip because it feels optional, and it isn't.

What comes bundled beyond the data

This is where the plan stops being only a phone plan, and the items are more concrete than I expected when I first read them. Rakuten Drive gives you 50GB of cloud storage free. You get ten hours of music every thirty days, and three magazines a month.

Pacific League baseball is included at no extra fee, which is a genuinely nice surprise if you've just moved to a city with a team.

None of this changes your monthly bill. If you'd have paid for cloud storage anyway, it's worth pricing that in when you compare what you're spending now.

Taking your number abroad

Your plan includes free overseas data up to 2GB a month, in more than 100 countries and regions, with no separate travel SIM and no roaming application. In-flight roaming is available on some airlines too.

Past 2GB in a month, speed is capped at 128kbps rather than cut off — enough for messaging, not enough for maps or video. For a long trip I'd plan around that rather than discover it on day four.

For a first trip home after moving here, 2GB covers a lot: your number keeps receiving the verification codes that Japanese services send you, which is the part that actually strands people.

If there's a child, a student or a parent in the household

Three age-based programs sit on top of the plan, and all three need registering — they don't apply automatically, which is why people miss them. You register from the my Rakuten Mobile app inside Rakuten Link after your plan is live.

SAIKYO KIDS runs until the month before a child's 13th birthday and takes ¥440 a month off the service fee. SAIKYO YOUTH picks up from age 13 and runs until the month before the 23rd birthday, at ¥110 a month off. Both are worth setting up the same evening you activate the line.

SAIKYO SENIOR starts from the birth month you turn 65 and works as a monthly point return: 110 points a month at the basic level, or 880 points a month if you add three optional services, which also bring unlimited 15-minute calls and scam-call insurance covering up to ¥600,000 of fraud losses. Amounts and conditions change, so confirm the current terms on the official page before you count on a figure.

Leaving, if it turns out not to suit you

I always cover this before someone signs up, because knowing the exit makes the entry easier. The plan has no fixed-term lock-in and no early termination fee, and there are no contract admin fees — though processing fees can apply for some in-store transactions.

So the commitment you're making is one month at a time. If coverage at your address disappoints you, you haven't tied yourself to two years.

If you're applying through a referral

The sequence matters, because one step only counts when it comes first. You make a free Rakuten ID. You open the referral link and log in with that ID before you apply. You apply and verify with your residence card. You activate, and you place one ten-second call on Rakuten Link.

Applying first and logging in afterwards doesn't register anything — the login through the link is the part that does. The applicable services, deadlines and point amounts are all set out on the official campaign page, and they do change, so read the current terms there before you apply rather than trusting a figure you saw on a blog.

The offer summary and the required annotations are shown on this page as well. Between the two you should have everything you need to decide — and you can look through all of it after logging in, before you commit to anything.

Common questions

Do you need Japanese? Not for the core path. The application and the Rakuten Link app run in English, and the identity step is a photo. The parts that are Japanese-only tend to be peripheral, like the postal-code lookup.

Can you keep your current handset? Usually, if it's unlocked and supports the right bands — check compatibility before you apply rather than after.

Can you keep your existing Japanese number? Yes, through MNP, and that's the route where a Rakuten ID is required rather than optional.