How to get a Japanese Phone Number & SMS Verification Codes Abroad

If you’re trying to buy concert tickets in Japan, you’ve probably already hit a wall: Japanese ticketing platforms require a Japanese phone number for SMS or voice verification. Not a foreign number. A real Japanese mobile number, the kind that starts with 070, 080, or 090.

For years, this meant you had to be physically in Japan to get the SIM card, activate it, and only then start registering on these platforms. If a fan club lottery closed before your trip? Tough luck.

That’s no longer the case. Mobal offers an optional international roaming add-on. Enable it and you can receive Japanese SMS verification codes and voice verification calls from anywhere in the world, without ever setting foot in Japan. We’ve tested this ourselves, roaming from Taiwan, on Ticket Pia, e+, and Lawson, and it worked. You can register on Ticket Pia, e+, or your favorite artist’s fan club from your couch at home, and have everything set up before you land.

It’s a real game-changer for fans abroad!

This is, to our knowledge, the first time any provider has offered this to non-residents. It changes the game for anyone trying to buy Japanese concert tickets from abroad.

I’ll walk you through who actually needs this, who doesn’t, and how it all works.

Why You Might Need a Japanese Phone Number

Not everyone does. But if you’re trying to do any of the following, you almost certainly will:

1. Register on Japanese ticketing platforms

Many Japanese ticketing sites require you to link your account to a Japanese mobile number. During registration, you’ll receive an SMS code or an automated voice call with a verification number. No Japanese number = no account = no tickets.

2. Apply for ticket lotteries and fan club pre-sales

Artists in Japan often sell tickets through lottery systems (先行抽選, senkou chusen) or fan club ballots. These are usually managed through platforms that require, you guessed it, Japanese phone verification. If you want to apply for tickets to popular acts before they sell out on the general sale, a Japanese number is often the only way in.

3. Receive digital tickets on your phone

Some ticket delivery apps like MOALA Ticket and tixeebox are region-restricted. They may require a Japanese phone number to activate, or they may flat out refuse to install if your app store is set to a non-Japanese region. Keep in mind that app requirements change frequently: what worked last year might not work the same way today.

4. Maintain your accounts long-term

Password resets, app updates, and periodic re-verification can all trigger new SMS codes. If your Japanese number has expired by then, you may lose access to accounts you’ve already set up.

This is the case that recently got cheaper. With roaming enabled, you can keep a Japanese number alive between trips and still receive verification codes at home, on the cheaper Voice-Only plan rather than paying for a data plan you aren’t using. More on that below.

When You DON’T Need a Japanese Phone Number

If you’re buying tickets through English-language platforms, international pages of Ticket Pia, or resale sites like Viagogo or StubHub, you won’t need a Japanese number. These platforms accept international phone numbers and credit cards.

The catch: only a very small fraction of events are available through English-language ticket sales. For most Japanese concerts, especially fan club lotteries and popular acts, you’ll need to use the Japanese-language platforms. Having a Japanese phone number opens up a direct path to buying tickets, one that doesn’t rely on the secondary market.

Which eSIM / SIM Card to Get for Concert Ticket Purchases

To our best knowledge, Mobal is the only provider that offers a voice-and-SMS-enabled SIM/eSIM to non-residents of Japan, and the only one that offers international roaming for SMS verification. None of the alternative providers listed at the bottom of this page offer anything comparable.

Mobal offers two voice-enabled plans, available as an eSIM or as a physical SIM card. Both give you a real Japanese phone number (070/080/090) with voice calls and SMS, and both now support optional international roaming, so both can receive verification codes while you’re outside Japan. The remaining difference is simply mobile data.

• Travelling to Japan and want mobile data while you’re there? Voice+Data. It’s only ¥220/month more than Voice-Only and it comes with a real data allowance, so for an actual trip it’s usually the better buy.
• Only need the number, for verification codes and keeping accounts alive? Voice-Only, at ¥1,430/month. The saving over Voice+Data is modest month to month, but it adds up if you’re holding a Japanese number year-round between trips and never touching the data.
• Either way, roaming costs the same. The activation fee is ¥5,995 on both plans, so it isn’t a reason to pick one over the other.

Voice+Data eSIM: If You Also Want Mobile Data in Japan

This is the plan to pick if you want a Japanese number and data on your phone while you’re in Japan, without juggling a second travel eSIM.

What you get:

• Japanese phone number with voice calls, SMS, and data (1GB to 200GB plans, 5G, on the Docomo network)
• Optional international roaming add-on, so you can receive SMS verification codes and calls from anywhere, without being in Japan
• Data rollover, unused data from the previous month carries over (previous month only, it doesn’t accumulate further)
• Suspension option, you can pause the plan when you’re not using it and reactivate later, keeping the same number. Useful between trips if your ticketing accounts might ask you to re-verify.

How roaming works: Roaming is not on by default. It’s an optional add-on you activate in your Mobal MyAccount portal, and it costs ¥5,995, charged once per SIM. Once enabled, you can receive the SMS verification codes that Japanese ticketing platforms send during registration. Roaming covers voice and SMS only, data roaming is not supported, so you’ll still use your regular phone data or WiFi for internet.

Where roaming works: Mobal told us to assume the service works anywhere Docomo has a roaming agreement, which covers most of the world. They were candid that there will be exceptions they don’t have a full list of. The bigger obstacle is usually your handset, not the country: the phone has to be VoLTE enabled, and Mobal has had reports of some Samsung handsets giving trouble on roaming. If you’re on a Samsung, it’s worth asking them before you buy.

Is the roaming add-on worth it? At ¥5,995 it costs more than the SIM itself, and that’s worth knowing before you start. The case for paying it is narrow but real: if a fan club lottery or pre-sale closes before you land in Japan, roaming is the only way to register in time, and that’s often the difference between a face-value ticket and a resale price. Set against a resale markup or a show you miss entirely, it pays for itself the first time it works. The only time to skip it: if you’re already in Japan, or you’re happy to set up your accounts after you arrive. Note that the fee is charged per activation, so if you cancel roaming and later re-enable it, you pay again.

Who this is for: Anyone who wants a Japanese number and mobile data on one plan, or who is staying in Japan long enough that a data plan makes sense. If you only need the number for verification, look at the Voice-Only plan below first.

Note: We’ve tested the roaming feature ourselves from Taiwan on Ticket Pia, e+, and Lawson, and it worked for verification. We also bought and activated the eSIM from outside Japan, so you don’t need to have been to Japan first. A few other platforms are still on our list to confirm. If you’ve tried it, let us know how it went!

You can buy the Voice+Data eSIM here.

Voice-Only eSIM: The Cheaper Route to Verification Codes

This plan used to be called Voice Lite, and it used to work inside Japan only. That has now changed: it’s the Voice-Only Plan, and it supports international roaming like the Voice+Data plan does. For most ticket buyers, that makes it the plan that matters.

What you get:

• Japanese phone number with voice calls and SMS
• Optional international roaming, with free incoming SMS while you’re outside Japan. This is the new part, and it’s the whole reason this plan is now worth considering for pre-trip registration.
• 500MB data included (this is a voice and SMS product, not a data plan. Mobal recommends keeping mobile data turned off on this eSIM to avoid overage charges)

Who this is for: Anyone who needs a Japanese number purely to register on ticketing platforms, apply for fan club lotteries, and receive verification codes. It’s also the cheapest way to keep a Japanese number alive between trips, which matters if your ticketing accounts ever ask you to re-verify.

Yes, you can set this up before your first trip. We asked Mobal directly, and they confirmed in September 2026 that a brand new customer can buy the Voice-Only Plan, activate roaming from overseas, and receive verification codes on their Japanese number without ever having been to Japan. The one condition is that your handset supports VoLTE and the roaming functions, which is covered in the requirements below. Our own hands-on testing was on the Voice+Data eSIM, bought and activated from Taiwan, and it worked on Ticket Pia, e+ and Lawson.

Find out more about the Voice-Only eSIM.

Physical SIM Cards

If your phone doesn’t support eSIM, you’re not locked out. Both plans are also available as physical SIM cards, with the same phone numbers and features as the eSIM versions.

• Voice+Data SIM card, the same 5G Voice+Data plan on the Docomo network, with optional international roaming and free incoming SMS while roaming. ¥4,950 one-off (tax included), then from ¥1,650/month. Roaming activation is the same ¥5,995 as the eSIM, so you can register from abroad even without an eSIM-capable phone.
• Voice-Only SIM card, the cheaper voice and SMS option, now with optional roaming too. ¥4,950 one-off (tax included), then ¥1,430/month.
• Delivery, free international shipping (order before your trip; 8 to 30 business days depending on region), or same-day pickup in Japan across 13 areas including Haneda Airport, Narita Terminal 1 & 2, and pickup points in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Sapporo, and more. Bring your passport and order confirmation.

You can buy the Voice+Data physical SIM here. Find out more about the Voice-Only physical SIM.

Important requirements (all options)

• Your phone must be SIM-unlocked
• For eSIMs, do this check before you pay. Dial *#06# and look for the 32-digit EID number. If nothing appears, your phone has no eSIM and you need a physical SIM instead. If an EID does appear, check its first eight digits. Both of Mobal’s eSIM plans, Voice+Data and Voice-Only, only work on devices whose EID begins with one of these:
  
  89033023
89033024
89043051
89049052
89049032
  
  Any other prefix will not work. We confirmed the Voice-Only side of this with Mobal directly in September 2026, because their public compatibility page only spells it out for Voice+Data. This catches otherwise perfectly good eSIM phones, so it is worth ten seconds before you spend ¥4,950. Mobal’s page: compatibility checks. If your phone fails this test, the physical SIM cards have no such restriction.
• Your phone must support Band 1 (2100MHz) for the 4G plan, and the relevant 4G/5G bands for the 5G plan. Most modern phones do.
• eSIM adapters don’t work. Mobal’s eSIMs are not compatible with adapter products such as esim.me that add eSIM support to phones that never had it. The phone needs genuine built-in eSIM support.
• Your phone must be VoLTE enabled. This is a requirement for voice service in Japan generally, and Mobal confirmed to us in September 2026 that it remains the main thing that determines whether roaming works. There is a known issue with some Samsung handsets on roaming. Mobal is still investigating it and told us plainly that they do not yet have a confirmed list of which Samsung models are affected. If you’re on a Samsung and you’re buying specifically for roaming, contact them first rather than assuming. We’ll publish the list here once they have one.
• ID verification is required (Japanese regulations for voice-enabled SIMs). Accepted: passport, driver’s license, or national ID card.
• eSIM delivery requires a physical access code sent by mail (not email), so plan ahead for shipping time, or pick up in Japan.
• Keep the number active at least until you have your tickets in hand.

What about other SIM card providers?

We get asked about alternatives a lot. Here’s the honest picture, and notably, none of these offer international roaming for SMS verification:

Sakura Mobile offers data SIMs with SMS, but no voice calls. Some ticketing platforms (notably e+ and Ticket Pia) use automated voice calls for verification, not SMS. If the platform calls you and your SIM can’t receive calls, you’re stuck. No roaming option.

Hanacell is said to offer voice+data SIMs, and they are actually part of the same company as Mobal. It’s another brand of theirs, which offers SIM cards to Japanese nationals who live abroad rather than foreign tourists and short-time visitors.

IIJmio, b-mobile require Japanese residency (residence card) to sign up. Not available to tourists.

Major carriers (Softbank, NTT DoCoMo, au) offer tourist/visitor SIMs that are data-only. No voice, no SMS, no Japanese phone number.

Cheap travel eSIMs (Airalo, Ubigi, etc.) are data-only. Great for Google Maps and Instagram, useless for ticket verification.

This is why we keep coming back to Mobal, not because we’re trying to push one product, but because the alternatives genuinely don’t solve the problem. If you find another provider that offers voice + SMS to non-residents with international roaming, let us know and we’ll update this page.

How It Connects to Buying Tickets

If you’re new to the Japanese ticketing system, here’s the short version: getting a Japanese phone number is usually step one. After that, you’ll need to navigate platform-specific registration processes, lottery systems, and payment methods.

We’ve covered all of this in detail:

• The 5 Basics of the Japanese Ticketing System, start here if you’re new
• How to Buy Concert Tickets in Japan, the full guide
• How to Buy Japanese Tickets from Abroad, if you’re not in Japan yet
• Upcoming Events in Japan, browse the calendar

By the way, if you need data without a SIM, see our post on pocket WiFi options.

The information on this page is accurate to our best knowledge at the time of writing (updated September 2026). Mobal’s products and pricing may change. If you notice anything outdated, please let us know!

Image credit: MIKI Yoshihito, under CC license