Product info
Sapporo eSIM plans
| 3GB prepaid eSIM · 15 days | $7.49$2.50 / GB | Buy eSIM |
| Ohayu recommends5GB prepaid eSIM · 30 days | $10.49$2.10 / GB | Buy eSIM |
| 10GB prepaid eSIM · 30 days | $16.49$1.65 / GB | Buy eSIM |
| 20GB prepaid eSIM · 30 days | $22.99$1.15 / GB | Buy eSIM |
| 50GB prepaid eSIM · 30 days | $53.99$1.08 / GB | Buy eSIM |
You can install your eSIM before the trip and activate it when you arrive in Japan. Validity starts after eSIM activation.
Plan details
How much mobile data you need
What's the best eSIM for Sapporo?
A few days – 3 GB
Maps, ramen, the beer museum.
A ski week – 5 GB
Niseko or Furano, lift maps, photos.
Hokkaido touring – 20 GB
Driving the island in summer.
A longer stay – 50 GB
Tethering through a season.
Coverage and network
Coverage city, powder and the interior
Japan mobile networks
Sapporo is well covered, as is the corridor south to New Chitose airport. Hokkaido is the interesting part: it is the size of Austria with a fraction of the population, and the coverage outside the towns and ski resorts is correspondingly thin.
Speedtest Global Index · Mobile · Japan · June 2026
Download
67.85 Mbps
Upload
9.96 Mbps
Latency
34 ms
Global rank
#68 of 98
Sapporo and Hokkaido, specifically
- Susukino, Odori, Sapporo station: Consistent 5G. The underground shopping arcades - useful in February - are covered.
- The Snow Festival: Early February puts a couple of million visitors through Odori Park over a week. The network holds but slows at the busiest hours, and the practical issue is that the park is long and thin and finding people in it is hard.
- Cold and batteries: This matters more than coverage. Sapporo sits well below freezing through the winter and a phone left out in it drains fast - a full battery can empty in under an hour at -10C. Keep it inside a coat and carry a power bank.
- Niseko and the ski resorts: The villages and the lift bases are covered. Off the groomed runs and in the trees it thins, and Hokkaido's backcountry is genuinely remote - a real consideration if you are ducking ropes.
- Daisetsuzan and the interior: The national park has long stretches with nothing, and Hokkaido's minor roads close under snow for months. Download maps and check road status rather than assuming.
All of Japan
The plan covers the whole country, so Hokkaido, Honshu and the south all run on the same eSIM.
How to install eSIM
Connected in 3 steps
- 01
Buy before you fly
Choose your data plan before your trip.
- 02
Download & install
Log in to your account, tap your eSIM, and follow the on-screen instructions.
- 03
Land & activate
Activate when you arrive in Japan. Turn on roaming for the eSIM and it connects to a local network.
Before you buy, make sure your phone supports eSIM — see Ohayu compatible devices list or dial *#06#. It's a free request to your phone's settings. If you see the EID number — your phone is eSIM-compatible.
Arriving in Sapporo
New Chitose airport
New Chitose has free terminal Wi-Fi and sits about 40 minutes from the city by rapid train. In winter, flights and trains here are disrupted by snow often enough that being able to check live status on the way is worth having.
Side by side
Sapporo eSIM Comparison
Indicative comparison based on publicly listed Japan plans as of August 2026. Competitor pricing and policies change - check their sites for current terms.
Frequently asked questions
Where to buy a SIM card in Sapporo?
Counters at New Chitose and electronics retailers in the city. Japan requires identification for a local line and tourist products are fixed-term. In February, queueing at the airport with ski gear is the sort of thing worth avoiding.
Will my phone work in the cold?
The network will. The battery is the problem - below about -10C a phone can go from full to dead within the hour if you carry it in an outside pocket, and Sapporo spends a lot of winter well under that. Keep it against your body and take a power bank, especially at the Snow Festival where you are outdoors for hours.
Is there coverage at Niseko and in the backcountry?
In the resort villages and at the lift bases, yes. In the trees and beyond the ropes it drops away, and Hokkaido's backcountry is remote enough that this is a safety matter rather than an inconvenience. If you are touring, carry the appropriate gear and do not treat a phone as your plan.
eSIM not working in Sapporo?
In deep winter check the phone has not simply died from the cold - that is the usual cause up here. In Daisetsuzan or the backcountry, gaps are genuine. Otherwise make Ohayu the data line, allow roaming, and cycle Airplane mode. Chat and support@ohayu.com are open 24/7.
