SIM cards · Updated October 2026Ad · Affiliate links
Sakura Mobile vs Mobal for living in Japan
Both sell a monthly SIM or eSIM with a Japanese number on docomo, in English, and both told a mystery shopper in writing that they run no credit check. They differ in how you collect the SIM, what you pay before the first month, and whether you can talk to someone in person.
Sakura Mobile or Mobal: which one fits you
From each provider's own pages and its written replies to a mystery shopper. Neither is ranked: which one fits depends on your ID, how you pay and how you want help.
Sakura Mobile fits you if
- You want to ask questions in person at its Shinjuku office, open every day
- You want to pay cash at a convenience store (it needs a ¥20,000 deposit)
- You want more than 50GB in your first month: Mobal's larger plans start from the second month, and Sakura Mobile's price page lists up to 100GB with no such condition
Mobal fits you if
- You want the SIM the same day with only a passport, from one of about 20 airport and station pickup points
- Your residence card was issued on or after 14 June 2026 and you want the SIM delivered
- You want to pay by PayPal
- You want a small plan: 1GB is ¥1,650 a month
What happens after you click: each button opens that provider's own sign-up page, in English. Sakura Mobile's opens its Voice+Data plans, where your ID decides whether the SIM is delivered or collected. Mobal's opens its Japan SIM card page, where you choose pickup or delivery.
See Sakura Mobile's plans and sign up in English
Order a Mobal SIM card for pickup or delivery
Sakura Mobile vs Mobal prices
Monthly prices for plans with a Japanese phone number, tax included, from Sakura Mobile's price page, read October 3, 2026, and Mobal's Japan SIM page, read September 17, 2026. Calls and SMS are billed on top at both.
| Data per month | Sakura Mobile | Mobal |
|---|---|---|
| 1GB | Not on its price page | ¥1,650 |
| 5GB | ¥3,278 | ¥3,190 |
| 10GB | Not on its price page | ¥3,630 |
| 15GB | ¥3,828 | ¥3,795 |
| 30GB | ¥4,378 | ¥4,378 |
| 40GB | ¥5,478 | Not on its price page |
| 50GB | Not on its price page | ¥5,280 |
| 60GB | ¥7,678 | Not on its price page |
| 80GB | ¥9,878 | Not on its price page |
| 100GB | ¥12,078 | ¥6,490After your first month |
| 200GB | Not on its price page | ¥9,900After your first month |
At the sizes both sell from the first month (5GB, 15GB, 30GB), the monthly prices are no more than ¥88 apart.
What you pay before the first month
Sakura Mobile charges a ¥5,500 activation fee when the application completes. Mobal charges ¥4,950 for the SIM or eSIM and no activation fee. Both prorate the first month.
First-month cost at 5GB, 15GB, 30GB
Each total adds the upfront fee to one full month on the plan. Both providers prorate the first month by the days left after you activate, so starting later in the month costs less than these figures.
| Data per month | Sakura Mobile | Mobal |
|---|---|---|
| 5GB | ¥8,778 ¥5,500 activation + ¥3,278 first month. Delivery fee: not stated | ¥8,140 ¥4,950 SIM + ¥3,190 first month. Delivery and pickup: ¥0 |
| 15GB | ¥9,328 ¥5,500 activation + ¥3,828 first month. Delivery fee: not stated | ¥8,745 ¥4,950 SIM + ¥3,795 first month. Delivery and pickup: ¥0 |
| 30GB | ¥9,878 ¥5,500 activation + ¥4,378 first month. Delivery fee: not stated | ¥9,328 ¥4,950 SIM + ¥4,378 first month. Delivery and pickup: ¥0 |
Mobal's product page offers free pickup or delivery and bills the first month by days (October 3, 2026). Sakura Mobile told a mystery shopper that its first month is prorated, and the Sakura Mobile pages we could read (October 3, 2026) do not state a delivery fee, so none is counted. Calls and SMS are extra at both.
On this page
Fees, ID, payment and support compared
Each cell cites its source, a linked provider page or a dated written reply, and the date we read it.
| Fact | Sakura Mobile | Mobal |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront costs | ¥5,500 activation fee, charged when the application completes Students get ¥1,100 off with the code studentdiscount. Provider page, read October 3, 2026 | ¥4,950 for the SIM or eSIM. No activation fee The SIM Card page and the eSIM page each show ¥4,950, paid today. Provider page, read October 13, 2026 |
| Phone number and SMS | Calls ¥16.5 per 30 seconds, SMS ¥5.5. Incoming calls and SMS free SMS rate from the help center: "Outgoing SMS: 5.5 JPY per 160 characters". Provider page, read October 3, 2026 | A 070, 080 or 090 number. Calls ¥44 a minute, SMS ¥33. Incoming free No Wi-Fi calling or MMS. Provider page, read September 17, 2026 |
| Accepted ID | Credit screening: noneJune 2026 residence card: not accepted online Residence card, My Number card or Japanese driver's license online. Passport with in-person pickup Provider page, read October 3, 2026 | Credit screening: noneJune 2026 residence card: accepted online Passport at a pickup point. For delivery in Japan: residence card, My Number card or Japanese driver's license, including cards issued from 14 June 2026 Mobal's written replies of 21 and 22 September 2026. The ID must show your name and the delivery address, matching the order. Pickup needs only the passport. Provider's reply to a mystery shopper, September 23, 2026 |
| Payment | Credit or debit card, including foreign cards. No bank transfer or prepaid cards Cash at convenience stores is possible with a ¥20,000 deposit for Voice+Data. Provider page, read October 3, 2026 | Credit or debit card, or PayPal. No cash Provider page, read September 17, 2026 |
| Language | English for applications, support and account management Provider page, read September 17, 2026 | English No phone or chat support is offered on the product pages. Provider page, read September 17, 2026 |
| Delivery | Home delivery in 1 to 3 days, or pickup at an airport counter or the Shinjuku office Provider page, read September 17, 2026 | Same-day pickup at airports and stations, or shipped abroad before you travel. In Japan it goes to your local post office, and the delivery notice usually arrives within 1 to 3 days; you collect it there or book home delivery Mobal's page: voice SIMs and eSIMs with a Japanese number cannot be delivered directly to your address in Japan. The post office holds the order for about 10 days, and you show your ID to receive it. Provider page, read September 30, 2026 |
| eSIM | Voice eSIM. Received by email or at pickup, depending on your ID. Passport only: airport or office pickup Provider page, read October 3, 2026 | Voice eSIM. Not emailed: the access code is posted to the address on your ID, abroad too, or collected at a pickup point in Japan with your passport Provider page, read September 19, 2026 |
| Leaving early | Cancel by the 25th to end the contract that month. The last month is billed in full Provider page, read September 17, 2026 | No minimum term or termination fee. The last month is charged in full Provider page, read September 17, 2026 |
Ready to sign up? Verify online or pick up in person
Ready to order? Pick up with a passport or have it delivered
Which one can I get with only a passport?
Both, if you collect the SIM in person. Mobal hands it over the same day at about 20 airport counters and station pickup points, including Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Fukuoka, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo Station, Osaka and Kyoto. You show a physical, unexpired passport; a scan or photocopy is refused. Mobal can also post the SIM abroad before you travel, which takes from 2 business days to 30.
Sakura Mobile hands it over at its Shinjuku office (open 10:00 to 17:00 every day, no booking) or at airport counters at Narita, Haneda and Fukuoka, which need your order at least 3 days ahead. Its Voice+Data FAQ lists Kansai, but its pickup page says Voice+Data orders cannot be picked up there.
Which one takes a residence card issued from 14 June 2026?
Mobal. It told a mystery shopper in writing on 22 September 2026 that the new-format residence card is accepted for identity verification, so you can order delivery with it. The card must show your name and the delivery address. The SIM goes to your local post office first, and you collect it there or book home delivery. Sakura Mobile told a mystery shopper on 17 September 2026 that the new card cannot yet be used for online verification, so you collect the SIM in person instead. Neither says this on its own pages. See which other carriers accept the new card on the residence card verification tracker.
Support in English: an office or email
Sakura Mobile handles applications, support and account management in English, and you can walk into its Shinjuku office. Mobal's support is in English, and its product pages offer no phone or chat. Several Mobal reviewers on Trustpilot say replies are slow.
A mystery shopper sent both providers questions on 17 September 2026. Sakura Mobile replied in English in 1 hour 45 minutes. Mobal replied about 4 days later, on 21 September, and answered a follow-up on the day it was sent.
Paying: foreign cards, PayPal and cash
Sakura Mobile accepts most credit and debit cards, including ones issued abroad. It takes no bank transfers or prepaid cards, and paying cash at a convenience store needs a ¥20,000 deposit for Voice+Data and rules out airport pickup. Mobal takes a credit or debit card, or PayPal, and takes no cash from new customers.
Sakura Mobile bills after the month: September is billed at the end of October. Mobal invoices on the 1st of each month and charges your card on the 8th, and call and SMS charges can arrive 1 to 2 months after you use them.
Leaving and keeping your number
Both charge the last month in full. At Sakura Mobile, send the cancellation form on My Page by the 25th and the contract ends that month; moving your number to another carrier costs ¥1,100. At Mobal, you cancel in MyAccount and pick your last day. To keep the number, request the transfer first; Mobal told a mystery shopper it charges no fee for it.
Bringing a number you already have works on Mobal's 5G eSIM, not on its 5G SIM card. The fees and steps for each are in our Sakura Mobile review and Mobal review.
Sakura Mobile vs Mobal on Reddit and Trustpilot
On Trustpilot, Sakura Mobile scored 4.8 from 1,523 reviews on 30 September 2026, many of them from travel customers, and Mobal scored 3.9 from 953 on October 3, 2026. In the Sakura Mobile reviews we read, price is the usual complaint, even from people who recommend it. In Mobal's, the complaints that repeat are email-only support, setup trouble and paying for a full last month. Our count of Mobal's recent complaint themes is on its review page.
On Reddit, residents describe Sakura Mobile as a way to have a number from the day they arrive, paid with a card from home, at a higher price. They describe Mobal as a first number to open a bank account with, before moving the number to another carrier.
Sakura Mobile on Reddit
“That's what I did and had a phone number from day 1 of arriving in Japan. They take payment with foreign cards…”
“Yes, they're a little pricey, but you won't have to deal with the cyclical nightmare of needing a local address…”
“They're a bit pricier but the service is great (I'm still with them 2.5 years in).”
“I wouldn't recommend Sakura Mobile simply because it gets expensive, though having English service can come in clutch sometimes.”
Mobal on Reddit
“I just made an account at shinsei bank with a mobal number! They didn't call it or anything.”
“fwiw, with the long term mobal sims these days, you can port the number now. I ported my mobal number to linemo last year.”
“I had Mobal when I first moved and it took awhile to figure out that part.”
How we compared
Every fact comes from Sakura Mobile's and Mobal's own pages and help centers and from their written replies to a mystery shopper; the table above gives the date each one was read. Customer quotes were read on their original pages. We have not used either SIM ourselves, and neither provider is ranked above the other. Prices are compared only at the plan sizes both sell from the first month.
Both sign-up buttons are affiliate links: if you sign up through one, Sakura Mobile or Mobal pays us a commission and your price stays the same. Neither saw this page before it went up. Read our editorial policy, or see all our picks on the SIM card comparison.
Sakura Mobile vs Mobal FAQ
Should I get Sakura Mobile or Mobal?
Mobal fits if you land without a residence card and want a number the same day, or your residence card was issued from 14 June 2026 and you want delivery. Sakura Mobile fits if you want help in person at its Shinjuku office or need to pay cash. Both work in English on docomo.
Which costs less, Sakura Mobile or Mobal?
It depends on the plan size. At 5GB, 15GB, 30GB the monthly prices are no more than ¥88 apart. Before the first month, Sakura Mobile charges a ¥5,500 activation fee and Mobal charges ¥4,950 for the SIM.
Do Sakura Mobile and Mobal use the same network?
Yes. Sakura Mobile's monthly SIMs and eSIMs and Mobal's 5G SIM card and eSIM all run on docomo.
Do Sakura Mobile or Mobal run a credit check?
No. Sakura Mobile told a mystery shopper in writing on 17 September 2026, and Mobal on 21 September 2026, that there is no credit check. You still pay by credit or debit card, or PayPal at Mobal.
See Sakura Mobile's plans and sign up in English
Order a Mobal SIM card for pickup or delivery