ESIM, pocket or bolt ons?

Hey, so I’m going to Japan 6weeks for 10 days with my step dad. I have been trying to work how is best to use internet etc wether to get an ESIM, buy pocket WIFI or if I can just continue to use my phone without these things. I’m from the UK and my phone is on o2. On my account in o2 travel I have ‘stay connected bolt on’ which includes using my data out of Europe and will cost me £6 a day to use. Is this the best plan do we think?

Thanks for any help!
Nicole x

For data-only plans, there was a post about eSims, which would be much cheaper than £6/day: https://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+179843

Since then, I got an eSim from "Saily" on my last trip, and do not recommend it. Very slow.

Make sure your phone is not sim locked before purchasing a sim/esim! If it is, look for a pocket-wifi device instead.

Benefit of pocket wifi vs eSIM : you can connect several devices to it.
Disadvantage: you need to pick it up and return it, you need to keep it charged and bring it with you.

Costs: I don’t know

Sorry to bump this without any significant extra information, but if any other UK visitors see this, it could be a massive improvement to roaming in Japan. I didn't believe it at first, but looking on the O2 site it really does look like you can pay just £6 per day to roam in Japan. While that might not be the absolute best price for data in the country, consider that for all the time I've been visiting over the past 10 years, the roaming fees for even a single day could lead to financial disaster - £2 per minute to either receive or make calls, and streaming an hour-length video might cost more than your flight.

For me, I'm not on O2, and like to have the option to connect my laptop so will stick to getting a pocket Wi-fi for now but if you do opt for it, please let us know how it goes as it would be a real incentive to switch carrier.

No problem, will do!

Google maps is guna be my main usage of the data as when we’re in the hotels I’m assuming free WiFi is going to be the go to.

I’ll post how I get on after my travels!

£6 per day is a lot, over 1,000 yen per day. Mobile hotspot/pocket wifi is half that for unlimited plans (last I checked). Collection - get it sent to your 1st hotel. Return - just drop into a post box at the airport before leaving.

It all comes down to whether you want the convenance vs the cost of international roaming. eSIM would be cheaper and give you freedom to travel alone temporary and still connected to the internet. Here's a comparison table of the good eSIM providers.
https://visitjapan-vegetarian.com/should-i-get-a-japan-esim-card-and-w...

You can also rent a pocket wifi if you don't mind sticking around all the time.
https://visitjapan-vegetarian.com/is-pocket-wifi-worth-it-in-japan-wha...

I am also with o2 in the UK and will be visiting Japan in the next few week. Keen to know if anybody with o2 in the UK has used the roaming and it indeed was £6 per day? As for sake of convenience this looks like a half decent option.

Think it's a decision between the cost and convenience. Also, some people experience slowness when their phone is on international roaming. If cost isn't an issue, you can see how it goes after you land. If it doesn't work, get an eSIM on the spot. You can refer to this eSIM comparison table.
https://visitjapan-vegetarian.com/should-i-get-a-japan-esim-card-and-w...

Highly recommend the eSIM option. Saw a lot of suggestions online for Ubigi so I used it last year and it worked perfectly. 5G speed and coverage was great (went to Tokyo/Osaka). Planning to use it again when I go back next month, you can get a plan that costs <10 dollars/pounds that could cover you up to a month, depending on your needs:

https://cellulardata.ubigi.com/data-plans-and-coverage/ubigi-esim-data...