Sakura Mobile (2026): Monthly SIM and eSIM Plans, Prices and How to Sign Up

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Sakura Mobile sells monthly SIM and eSIM plans to people living in Japan, with a real 070, 080 or 090 phone number. It says this is the kind of number you need to open a bank account and rent an apartment, and that you can sign up entirely in English without a Japanese bank account. This guide covers its monthly plans: what they cost, what happens in your first month, how you get the SIM or eSIM, and how cancelling works. We checked Sakura Mobile’s own website and help pages on October 17, 2026. Prices are in yen with tax included.

Sakura Mobile monthly prices

There are two kinds of monthly SIM and eSIM plan. Voice and data plans come with a phone number; data-only plans don’t. At every data size, the voice plan costs ¥550 more a month.

All of these plans run on Docomo 5G/4G and come as a physical SIM or an eSIM. Sakura Mobile suggests 5GB for messaging apps and light use, 15GB for watching videos, and 30GB for HD video, tethering or working remotely. It also has a monthly pocket WiFi (100GB for ¥5,478 or 200GB for ¥7,128, on SoftBank) and home internet from ¥7,678 a month, which this guide doesn’t cover.

See Sakura Mobile voice + data plans →

What you pay at the start, and your first month

Activation fee: ¥5,500, charged once when you complete your application. Students get ¥1,100 off: choose the student option in step 2 of the application, or enter the code “studentdiscount” on the final step if the option doesn’t appear. In October 2026, Sakura Mobile’s help page also listed a promo code, “SAKURA26”, that takes ¥1,000 off the fee; you enter it on the last page of the application, and the page doesn’t give an end date. If you already have a monthly contract with Sakura Mobile, the fee for a second one drops to ¥110 when you apply through its discount link.

The first month is prorated. You pay only for the days left in the month, and you get a matching share of your data. Sakura Mobile’s example: start a 30GB plan in the middle of the month and you get 15GB and pay half the fee. From the second month, you pay the full fee and get the full data.

Bills come a month later. Sakura Mobile sends each invoice one month after the usage it covers, and calls and texts are added on top of the plan fee. Its help page on higher-than-expected bills lists these two points, together with the prorated first month, as reasons a bill can be bigger than you expected.

Calls and texts

The monthly fee covers data only. On a voice plan:

• Calls you make within Japan cost ¥16.5 per 30 seconds (special numbers such as 0570 and 177 are excluded), so a 3-minute call is ¥99. Incoming calls are free, from Japan and from abroad.
• Texts (SMS) to Japanese numbers cost ¥5.5 each, up to 160 characters. Texts to numbers abroad cost ¥55 each.
• For international calls, dialling 0077-502-010 before the number gets a lower rate. To the USA, for example, that is ¥18.568 per 30 seconds instead of ¥37.4 in the daytime. Sakura Mobile’s app adds the prefix for you.

Calls and texts within Japan have no usage limit. Calls and texts from Japan to numbers abroad have a usage limit of about ¥20,000. Sakura Mobile says the limits are approximate and that service stops once you go over.

Data: running out, rollover and top-ups

• When your data runs out: your speed drops to about 200 kbps, at no extra charge. If you keep using the slow data, it gets slower still. Your full allowance comes back on the 1st of each month.
• Unused data rolls over to the next month.
• Top-ups: you can buy extra data in your online account (My Page). It’s added straight away, but you have to pay by credit card, even if you normally pay in cash, and it expires at the end of the month.
• Tethering works with the iPhone’s personal hotspot and Android tethering.
• Changing your plan: once a month, in My Page. Send the request by the 25th, and the new plan starts on the 1st of the next month.

ID: what you need and how you get your SIM

By law, a plan with a phone number needs an identity check. You don’t need to be a resident of Japan to apply, but your ID decides how you can receive the SIM or eSIM.

Your residence card or My Number Card has to be valid and show your current address. If you apply for a voice and data eSIM from outside Japan, you can only pay by card, and you pick up an envelope at a partner counter where staff check your ID in person.

How applying works: fill in the form on Sakura Mobile’s sign-up page, then open the verification email and upload clear photos of both sides of your ID. The name, address and date of birth must match your application. A physical SIM activates automatically when you insert it; you then set up the APN on your phone to get online.

Under 18? You can still sign up, but you need a parental consent form. Tick the “I am a minor” box on the application form, and the link to the consent form is sent to your parent’s or guardian’s email. The contract stays in your own name and email address.

Where to pick up

Sakura Mobile has pickup counters at four international airports. These are the ones that hand out voice and data orders:

There is no counter at Narita Terminal 3 (pick up at Terminal 2) or Kansai Terminal 2, and voice and data orders can’t be collected at Chubu Centrair. Some counters are for pickup only, so for setup help you contact Sakura Mobile directly. In Tokyo, you can also collect at the Shinjuku office (6th floor, Zenken Plaza II, a 5-minute walk from the west exit of JR Shinjuku Station, open every day 10 AM to 5 PM). Sakura Mobile also has partner counters in Fussa (Yokota), Iwakuni and Sasebo.

Will your phone work?

Your phone must be unlocked, work with the SIM type you choose (a phone that takes a physical SIM has a SIM tray; an eSIM phone lists an EID), and receive Docomo’s network. Sakura Mobile names Band 1, used in most cities, and Band 19, used mainly in rural areas, and says your phone must support Band 1 for consistent coverage. On an iPhone, go to Settings > General > About and look at “Carrier Lock”: “No SIM restrictions” means it is unlocked. On Android, Sakura Mobile says to ask your carrier, because you can’t check on the phone itself. If the SIM or eSIM doesn’t work with your phone, Sakura Mobile offers to switch you to a pocket WiFi.

Paying

• Credit or debit card: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, Discover and Diners, including cards issued outside Japan. Prepaid cards, bank transfers and cash cards aren’t accepted.
• Cash at a convenience store (Smart Pit): possible, but you pay a deposit of two months’ fees (an estimate of ¥20,000) when you receive your order, airport pickup isn’t available, and you pay in person at a store each month. The deposit covers your last two bills.

Cancelling

• No minimum contract, but plans renew every month until you send the termination form in My Page.
• Contracts end only at the end of a month. Send the form by the 25th and it ends that month; on the 26th or later, it ends the following month. A form sent on March 15 ends the contract on March 31; one sent on March 27 ends it on April 30.
• The last month isn’t prorated, and the last bill arrives one month after the contract ends. Sakura Mobile suggests that, if you are leaving partway through a month, it may cost less to end the contract earlier and use a data-only travel product for your last days.
• No cancellation fee if you follow the standard termination procedure. Sakura Mobile says a fee may apply for irregular or early termination.
• Return a physical SIM (you pay the postage; there is no deadline or late fee). An eSIM has nothing to return.

Changed your mind right after starting? Under Japan’s initial contract cancellation rule, you can cancel within 8 days (the start date counts as day 1) by emailing contact@sakuramobile.jp. You still pay a ¥3,300 handling fee, the prorated monthly fee for the days you had the plan, any calls and texts, and ¥1,100 if you asked for a number-porting (MNP) code.

Check Sakura Mobile monthly plans →

Is Sakura Mobile a good fit?

• Good fit: you are moving to Japan to study or work, want a Japanese number and English support, and use 5GB or more a month.
• Good fit: you already have a residence card with your current address and want the eSIM by email, without collecting anything.
• Also possible: you are under 18 (with a parental consent form), or you want to pay in cash at a convenience store (with a deposit, and no airport pickup).
• Look elsewhere: you need very little data. Sakura Mobile’s smallest plan is 5GB. Our Mobal vs Sakura Mobile comparison covers Mobal’s 1GB plan.
• Look elsewhere: you are only visiting for a few weeks. Sakura Mobile’s own help page asks people on a temporary visitor status to also look at its travel plans.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sign up for Sakura Mobile before I arrive in Japan?

Yes. You can apply online before you arrive and pick up at the Narita, Haneda, Kansai or Fukuoka airport counter. With a passport, you show it there in person.

Which network does Sakura Mobile use?

Docomo 5G/4G for its monthly SIM and eSIM plans. Its monthly pocket WiFi uses SoftBank.

Do I need a Japanese bank account?

No. Sakura Mobile says you can sign up without one, and it accepts credit and debit cards issued outside Japan.

Can I keep my current Japanese phone number?

Yes, through number porting (MNP) for a physical SIM. Ask your current provider for an MNP number; it is valid for 14 days, and Sakura Mobile needs it to have more than 8 days left when you sign up. For an eSIM, Sakura Mobile has a separate help page.

Is there a minimum contract?

No formal minimum. The plan renews each month until you send the termination form, and it ends at the end of a month if you send the form by the 25th.

Final thoughts

Sakura Mobile’s monthly plans give you a Japanese number on Docomo from ¥3,278 a month, with a ¥5,500 activation fee. Before you apply, check two things: whether you have a residence card or My Number Card showing your current address (which decides whether you can do everything online), and the 25th-of-the-month deadline for cancelling or changing your plan.

Only visiting for a few weeks? Our comparison of travel eSIMs for Japan covers short-stay options.