Answering emails from a café in Kyoto, connecting the kids' tablet on the train, helping out someone whose plan has run dry… tethering — the famous hotspot — is often the feature that saves a trip. Good news: at PlanJapan there's nothing extra to pay and nothing to unlock. Here's what's included, what the competition does, and how to turn it on in 30 seconds.
Japan eSIM hotspot: included on every plan
Your eSIM provides data on the NTT docomo 4G/5G network; tethering turns your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot that shares that data with the devices around you. At PlanJapan, tethering is included on every plan, with nothing extra to buy. It is sized for normal use — up to 10 GB shared per day, enough for a full working day for two. The data on your plan itself stays unlimited: it is your browsing on the phone that has no cap at all.
- Unlimited eSIM (1 to 30 days): on your phone, data is genuinely unlimited — no daily limit, no throttling. Tethering stays within the 10 GB per day allowance.
- Data eSIM (10, 20 or 50 GB): sharing simply draws on your data allowance, like the rest of your usage.
- Subscription (50 GB/month): same principle, with data reset every month.
Nothing to switch on at PlanJapan's endThe hotspot is part of the plan, from €13.99. You turn it on or off freely in your phone settings. See the plans →
What about other Japan eSIMs? Not always a given
This is one of the classic traps of travel eSIMs: several competitors apply a fair use policy and limit tethering. Holafly, for example, sells unlimited data billed per day… with a limited hotspot — a drawback when travelling together. With generalists billed by volume, sharing depends on the plan you choose, and every shared GB is deducted from data that costs far more than ours (€0.70/GB at PlanJapan).
| eSIM | Tethering (hotspot) |
|---|---|
| PlanJapan | ✓ Included on all plans — up to 10 GB shared per day |
| Holafly | Limited hotspot — a drawback when travelling together |
| Airalo | Partially, depending on the plan chosen |
| Saily | Partially, depending on the plan chosen |
| Nomad | Partially, depending on the plan chosen |
| Ubigi | Partially, depending on the plan chosen |
Features recorded in September 2026 on each brand's official website — the line-by-line detail is in our Japan eSIM comparison →
Turning on tethering in Japan: iPhone and Android
Open Settings → Personal Hotspot — the screen with the green icon — then turn on “Allow Others to Join”. The network name and password appear just below.
Open Settings → Network & internet → Hotspot and tethering, then turn on the Wi-Fi hotspot. The exact wording may vary slightly by phone brand.
Select your phone's Wi-Fi network and enter the password shown. That's it: the laptop or tablet browses through your PlanJapan eSIM.
Three situations where the hotspot saves the trip
Morning video call at the hotel, files sent from a café in Kyoto: your laptop runs through your phone, with 99% data coverage on the NTT docomo network — even on the Shinkansen at 320 km/h.
Phone not eSIM compatible, Wi-Fi-only tablet? Connect them to your hotspot for as long as needed. To equip everyone for the whole trip, go for one eSIM per phone: −5% from 2 eSIMs and −10% from 3, applied automatically at the cart.
Accommodation with saturated Wi-Fi, a road trip between two cities: the hotspot replaces the router. With the unlimited eSIM you never count gigabytes — streaming and GPS included.
Now you know everything about tethering in Japan. All that's left is to choose your eSIM plan — unlimited 1 to 30 days from €14.99 or data 10/20/50 GB from €13.99 — with the QR code by email in 2 minutes. Unsure about your phone? Check its compatibility in 30 seconds.
