No signal in Japan? Take a breath — it's almost always a setting
You've just landed at Narita or Haneda, you turn off airplane mode… and nothing. Don't panic: an eSIM that isn't working in Japan is very rarely faulty. In the vast majority of cases it's a simple phone setting — and above all data roaming, which many travellers leave switched off out of habit.
The hesitation is understandable: back home, roaming is expensive. Here it's the opposite — your PlanJapan eSIM needs roaming switched on to connect to the NTT docomo network, and it costs you nothing extra: everything is already included in your plan. Follow the checklist below in order; an eSIM problem in Japan is almost always solved before step 3.
The 5-step troubleshooting checklist
On iPhone: Settings → Mobile Data, tap your eSIM, then turn on “Data Roaming”. On Android: in your SIM settings, select your PlanJapan eSIM and turn on “Mobile data” and “Data roaming”. The connection arrives within seconds.
Your PlanJapan eSIM (labelled “Japan” during installation) must be the one selected for mobile data — not your usual SIM, which keeps calls and texts. Pick the wrong line here and your phone will look for internet on your home plan.
Turn on airplane mode, wait 10 seconds, then turn it off. This small gesture forces your phone to reconnect to the NTT docomo network — it fixes a large share of arrival-day problems.
If airplane mode wasn't enough, switch your device fully off and on again. On restart it reloads all its network settings and starts fresh.
In your eSIM settings, open “Network Selection” and check that Automatic is switched on. Your phone then picks the right network by itself, with nothing for you to do.
How do I know it's fixed?
Not left yet? Get a head startInstall your eSIM before departure, on Wi-Fi, following the step-by-step installation guide — and keep a copy of the QR code, printed or on another device.
Still nothing? Two last checks
If the checklist changed nothing, first check that your phone is eSIM compatible and unlocked: see the list of compatible devices (a database of 650+ devices, updated every week). A phone bought with a subsidised contract may be carrier-locked — we explain it all in our article on locked phones. And remember: if your phone isn't compatible after your purchase, we refund you in full — that's our compatibility guarantee.
Then check that the installation completed: your eSIM should appear in the list of your mobile plans. If it doesn't, go back through the installation guide from the start, at your leisure on Wi-Fi. More quick answers are waiting in our FAQ.
Still stuck: contact us, we reply 7 days a week
No solution in sight? Don't stay stuck: our support replies within minutes on WhatsApp and by email, 7 days a week — even on Sunday at 6am Tokyo time. To speed things up, tell us via the contact page your phone model and what you've already tried: we pick up the troubleshooting with you, step by step, until it works.
