This page compares five travel eSIM providers for a family of four going to Japan: Sirocco, Airalo, Saily, Yesim and Holafly. We read every price and feature on the providers' official websites on 4 October 2026, using the same scenario for each, so you can see what each offer looks like for a whole family rather than for a single traveller.
Please note that this page is published by Sirocco, one of the providers compared. We have tried to keep it factual: prices are copied as displayed, other providers' strengths are stated plainly, and nothing has been tested on the ground. Sirocco's own plans are on the Japan eSIM page.
How we compared Japan eSIMs for families
Sources. Each provider's official website, consulted on 4 October 2026. Prices are those displayed when the sites were viewed from France, in euros. Prices can differ depending on the country you browse from and the currency shown, so check the provider's page before you buy. Sirocco charges in euros; its site may show an indicative amount in another currency.
Scenario. A family of four, a seven-day trip, about 5 GB per person. That matches everyday use (messages, maps, social media, photos), roughly 0.7 GB a day. For each provider we took the offer closest to that scenario and worked out the total as four times the unit price.
Criteria. Price for four people; whether each traveller can have a different plan in one order; hotspot (sharing data from one phone); how each traveller receives and installs their eSIM; a kids' mode or purchase control; support channels and hours; when the validity starts; which networks are named.
What we did not measure. Real download speeds, coverage in specific places and network quality. We ran no field test. Where a provider's site did not show a piece of information, we write "not found", which does not mean the feature does not exist.
Comparison table: 5 GB per person for a week in Japan
Checked on 4 October 2026, official websites, prices displayed from France in euros.
| Provider | Closest offer to the scenario | Unit price | Total for 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sirocco (Sirocco price of the day) | At least 5 GB, at least 7 days | €10.30 | €37.08 (group discount included) |
| Airalo | 5 GB, 7 days | 9.50 € | 4 x 9.50 € = 38.00 € |
| Saily | 5 GB, 30 days (no shorter 5 GB plan) | 9.99 € | 4 x 9.99 € = 39.96 € |
| Yesim | 5 GB, 30 days | 8.80 € | 4 x 8.80 € = 35.20 € (before the announced multi-eSIM discount) |
| Holafly | Unlimited, 7 days (no fixed-volume plans) | 25.50 € | 4 x 25.50 € = 102.00 € |
The offers are not identical. Saily and Yesim plans of this size last 30 days, Holafly sells only unlimited plans, and the Sirocco plan returned for this scenario may be valid for longer than seven days when that costs less. Yesim's page announces "10% off for 2 eSIMs or more"; we have not calculated a discounted total. At Sirocco, 10% comes off the total from three eSIMs in the same order, and the amount is shown before payment.
If you would rather have unlimited data for a week
| Provider | Unlimited, 7 days (unit price) | Fair use as stated |
|---|---|---|
| Sirocco | Unlimited option: see the Japan page | 2 GB a day at high speed, then reduced speed |
| Airalo | 24.00 € | Not found |
| Saily | 23.99 € | 5 GB a day, then 1 Mbit/s |
| Yesim | 24.50 € | Not found |
| Holafly | 25.50 € | Speed may be reduced for no more than one day, depending on the operator |
Features compared, criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Sirocco | Airalo | Saily | Yesim | Holafly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Different plan per traveller in one order | Yes, up to 10 travellers | Not found | Not found (traveller count selector; Family Plan shares one plan) | Not found (MultiSIM: 1 to 10 eSIMs of one plan) | Not found (one eSIM per device selector) |
| Hotspot | Depends on the plan, shown before payment | Allowed if device and network support it | Presented as unlimited | Listed as "Available" for Japan | 1 GB a day |
| Sending and installing per traveller | Personal install link by SMS for each traveller, QR code as backup | Not found | Family Plan: invitation by email | Each eSIM sent by link or QR code | Not found |
| Kids' mode | Yes (Child profile in the app) | Not found | Not found | Not found | Not found |
| Support | Form and email, Mon to Fri, 9 am to 6 pm Paris time, usually within 2 business hours | 24/7 chat | 24/7 chat in the app, and email | 24/7 chat, average response "just 5 minutes" | 24/7 chat, WhatsApp and email |
| Validity starts | First connection at destination | When the eSIM activates (usually at destination, sometimes at installation) | Automatically on arrival | On connection to a compatible network | On connecting to any supported network |
| Networks named | Not published | Softbank, KDDI | KDDI and SoftBank | KDDI | KDDI / Softbank |
Price for four. Read the table line by line rather than looking for a single number: the validity periods differ, and Holafly's unlimited-only offer is a different product, with no volume to watch.
One plan per person. Families rarely use data evenly. At Sirocco you choose each traveller's plan in the same order, for example two parents at €10.30 each, a teenager on 10 GB at €16.00 and a younger child on 3 GB at €5.80. From three eSIMs, 10% is taken off the total, and the exact amount appears in the configurator before you pay. Saily's Family Plan works the other way round: one plan shared with up to four other people (five in total), set up in the app by email invitation before activation; its unlimited plans cannot be shared. Yesim's MultiSIM lets you order 1 to 10 eSIMs and manage them in one account.
Hotspot. If a younger child has a tablet rather than a phone, hotspot matters. Saily presents hotspot as unlimited, which is a real strength for this use. Holafly limits sharing to 1 GB a day on these plans. At Sirocco, hotspot depends on the plan and is stated on the plan page before payment; when it is available, shared data comes out of the plan of the person sharing. Keep in mind that hotspot drains the parent's battery quickly.
Installation. At Sirocco, the person organising the trip enters each traveller's number and everyone receives a personal installation link by SMS, with a step-by-step guide and a QR code as a fallback. The SMS goes out only when the organiser asks for it. Yesim sends each eSIM by link or QR code. See how to install an eSIM.
Kids' mode. Sirocco offers a Child profile: in the free app the child sees remaining data and the end date, and can tap "Request data" without seeing any price. A parent accepts, picks another amount or declines; with no answer, the request expires after 24 hours and nothing is charged. It is not parental control: it does not filter sites, show browsing or locate the child. More on the kids eSIM page. We found no equivalent on the other four sites.
Support. Here the other providers have a clear advantage: Airalo, Saily, Yesim and Holafly all advertise 24/7 chat, and Holafly adds WhatsApp. Sirocco answers by form and email on weekdays, 9 am to 6 pm Paris time, usually within two business hours, so a problem on a Japanese evening or weekend will wait for European office hours.
Which eSIM suits your family?
Young children without a phone. You may only need eSIMs for the adults. If a child's tablet will rely on a parent's connection, check the hotspot rules before buying: Saily presents hotspot as unlimited, Holafly allows 1 GB a day, and Sirocco shows it plan by plan.
Teenagers with their own phone. Teenagers can use much more data than their parents. A service that gives each traveller their own plan, or a generous unlimited plan, stops one person using up everyone's allowance. At Sirocco, data is never shared between travellers: when a teenager runs out, only their connection stops, nothing extra is charged, and the organiser can top up just that eSIM from the trip space, without reinstalling anything (top up a traveller).
Longer stays. Saily and Yesim 5 GB plans last 30 days, which helps if you are staying longer than a week. Sirocco also has 15-day and 30-day plans, for example 10 GB for 15 days at €17.40.
Several countries. This comparison covers Japan only. If Japan is one stop among several, check each provider's regional offers separately.
Not sure how much data you need? The data calculator gives an estimate by use, and the family eSIM page explains group orders.
Practical points for Japan
Networks. Japan has four mobile network operators: NTT docomo, KDDI (au), SoftBank and Rakuten Mobile, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The providers above name KDDI and/or SoftBank; Sirocco does not publish its network.
Is your phone ready? Dial *#06#. If an EID number appears, the phone accepts eSIMs. A phone bought on a contract may be locked to its carrier, so have it unlocked before you travel. Check compatibility for each family member's phone.
Install before you leave. Install the eSIMs at home on Wi-Fi a few days before departure and keep the travel line switched off. On arrival, turn it on, select it for mobile data and enable data roaming on that line only. Do not delete the eSIM after installing it, as it cannot always be reinstalled. See when your plan starts.
Wi-Fi. The major international airports offer free Wi-Fi in their terminals, and the official "Japan Wi-Fi auto-connect" app connects automatically to free hotspots in airports, stations, convenience stores, shopping centres and cafés, in 16 languages. Hotel Wi-Fi is handy for downloading offline maps and films for the children before a day out.
Emergencies. Police 110, ambulance and fire 119. The JNTO Japan Visitor Hotline (050-3816-2787) runs 24 hours a day. The Sirocco eSIM is data only, as are the plans compared here, so call emergency numbers from your usual line.