Osaka eSIM
In Osaka you connect to KDDI or SoftBank, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The median across the country is 74 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- KDDI and SoftBank
- Real speed in Japan
- 74 Mbps median, 21 Mbps for the slowest tenth1,284 travellers across Japan, rolling 90 days
- 5G
- yes, standalone and non standalone
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Osaka
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $5.89 | $5.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $2.96 | $8.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $2.18 | $10.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $1.59 | $15.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $1.19 | $23.89 | |
| 50 GB | Never expires | $0.94 | $46.89 |
How Japan compares across Asia
- Speed rank
- 6 of 28 destinations we have measured in Asia
- Regional median
- 42.95 Mbps
- Consistency
- The slowest tenth still reaches 28 percent of the median
- Upstream networks
- 2, KDDI, SoftBank
- 5G
- Yes, standalone and non standalone
- Next fastest nearby
- Macau, 84 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Malaysia, 61 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 5: Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Sapporo, Fukuoka
- tenth percentile
- 21 Mbps
- Behind these figures
- 1284 travellers, rolling 90 days
Landing at Kansai International Airport (KIX)
- Airport
- KIX / RJBB
- Distance
- 38 km from the centre of Osaka
- Also serves
- Osaka Itami Airport (Osaka International Airport) (ITM)
Getting into Osaka
- Nankai Airport Line (including the Rapi:t limited express) to Namba (KIX)
- JR Kansai Airport Line and Haruka limited express to Tennoji and Shin-Osaka (KIX)
- Osaka Monorail from Osaka Airport station (ITM)
Underground and on the metro
Osaka Metro runs 9 lines. It opened in 1933. The operator does not publish whether the tunnels carry a mobile signal, so we do not claim either way.
Worth knowing about Osaka
- Despite its Japanese name, Osaka International Airport (Itami) handles only domestic flights; all international service moved to Kansai when it opened in 1994, and the English name changed to Osaka Itami Airport in January 2025.
- Kansai International is built on two artificial islands in Osaka Bay, about 38 km southwest of Osaka Station.
- The Osaka Monorail is the only rail link to Itami Airport, and runs on an elevated straddle-beam guideway.
- Kansai Airport Station is shared by two operators on separate platforms Nankai on platforms 1-2, JR West on platforms 3-4 so the ticket you hold determines which side you board from.
- Osaka Metro has mobile antennas in every station, and its own guidance says phones can also browse and send email in the tunnels between stations, so a signal holds for the whole underground ride.
- NTT Docomo's 5G station list for Osaka, dated 30 June 2026, covers seven Osaka Metro lines: Midosuji, Tanimachi, Yotsubashi, Chuo, Sennichimae, Sakaisuji and Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi. The Imazatosuji Line is missing from it.
- The Osaka Free Wi-Fi network was switched off inside Osaka Metro, Kintetsu, Keihan and Nankai stations on 31 March 2023, after NTT Docomo withdrew the station equipment behind it. The service carries on at facilities outside stations.
- Nankai's limited expresses, the Rapi:t from Kansai Airport included, carry the Osaka_Free_Wi-Fi(OWF) network. Open a browser, register with an email address and accept the terms. On the Southern, Wi-Fi reaches reserved seats only.
- Nankai's Rapi:t links Kansai Airport and Namba in 34 minutes at its fastest, with every seat reserved and luggage space by each door. The Airport Express on the same line takes about 45 minutes.
- Osaka Metro subway and New Tram gates take a contactless Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover or UnionPay card, or a phone or watch holding one, with no registration. The adult fare is charged even when a child taps.
- Osaka City Bus and the Imazato Liner BRT have taken the same contactless cards since 1 November 2025, apart from some listed routes. Your trip history appears on the Q-move website after a free registration.
- Since 1 September 2025 Osaka Prefecture's accommodation tax is 200 yen per person per night from 5,000 to under 15,000 yen, 400 yen up to 20,000 yen and 500 yen above. Rooms under 5,000 yen are exempt, and meals do not count toward the rate.
- The Enjoy Eco Card one-day pass covers unlimited rides on Osaka Metro and Osaka City Bus, except Yumeshima Station and a few bus routes such as those to IKEA Tsuruhama, and brings discounts at sightseeing spots that day. Once used it cannot be shared.
- Adult ICOCA cards are sold from the pink ticket machines at every Osaka Metro station, while child cards come only from commuter pass counters. Mobile ICOCA and Apple Pay ICOCA also work on the subway and Osaka City Bus.