Making the brave decision to come to Japan on the JET programme is a huge life decision but it will also be one of the best experiences of your life, so congratulations! Your time in Japan will be extraordinary, crazy, exciting and at times you will feel like you’re in another world.

Excited…

When I first arrived I was excited yes, but also overcome with nerves and I felt pretty disorientated. Particularly because I didn’t help myself by learning any Japanese whatsoever beforehand…

Lucky….

Fortunately I was very lucky that my apartment came with high speed broadband, so I was connected at home straight away, free to Facetime, Skype, WhatsApp – basically gorge myself on contacting home any means possible to overcome the homesickness. Lucky me. And my relatives. (They didn’t agree…).

Not so lucky…

If you aren’t as lucky as me then chances are you’re going to need some connection to the outside world, or your first few weeks are going to feel pretty isolated and a little difficult. Some of my good friends here admitted to sitting outside the 7/11 conbini (Japan’s beloved convenience stores) for hours at a time just soaking up the free WiFi to contact loved ones – or even make plans here in Japan with other JETs. Not the most fun in Japan summertime. An easy contract with speedy mobile data seems like a pretty good way to start, right?

Lost…

Now, my Achilles heel, my Kryptonite as it were, is my sense of (or in this case LACK OF) directional skills. In orienteering I’m as pretty useless as they come. Armed with a car in a new country where English is not the native language and road signs are majority in Japanese, this is dangerous territory. I struggled to find my local supermarkets without getting lost. Train station direction? NO IDEA.

Found….

So, when my glorious SIM card arrived from Mobal I felt a sudden sense of relief. I could finally do the traveling I wanted to do. I could drive to the next city with ease because I knew Google Maps had my back.

Instagram your entire life in Kyoto? Easy.

Skype your gran at Dotonbori? Done.

FaceTime your besties on the beach? No sweat.

Sit in your PJs binge watching Netflix on your phone at 2am? No judgement.

Blare Disney bangers on Spotify on a 5 hour journey skiing up the mountains? I’M THERE.

It was a slightly disastrous turn of affairs that meant the JETs in my group coming over didn’t have residence cards for weeks after we arrived – meaning no phone contracts and no internet for many people. And then a bunch of us spent even more time faffing about which company to choose for phone reception.

So to counter that, here’s some free advice: Mobal is quick, easy and has English support! They even have a stand at the  hotel when you arrive in Tokyo orienteering (because obviously you’ll have your residence cards like what’s supposed to happen ! No bitterness…)

Oh, and if you prefer to collect your SIM in person in Japan on arrival there’s lots of options – simply click here for more info.

Honestly, get yourself connected straight away. It’ll beat those homesick blues and mean that you hit the ground running on your adventures here.

I wish I’d had the opportunity to connect up straight away, it is so worth it.

This blog post was written by Naomi Witt – JET Participant & Mobal user. Naomi currently resides in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Why Mobal? A Quick Reminder

• Special JET Offer
• Get Your SIM delivered overseas before you travel, collect in Japan, at JET orientation or get delivered in Japan
• Pick Your Perfect Data Plan – From 1GB to 30GB of fast data monthly at 4G/LTE speeds, after which it slows down but is never disconnected
• Real Japanese Phone Number with an 070, 080 or 090 prefix
• Free Calls– Incoming calls are FREE, Incoming texts are FREE too
• No Contract, No Activation Fees, No Termination Fees, No Taxes– No minimum contract – cancel anytime! We charge no taxes or universal fees – if tax is due on your bill, we’ll pay it for you. This saves you up to 8% on your monthly bill
• English Language Customer Support
• Secure Online Account with itemized statement, data top-up option
• The majority of our profits go to charity!
• For a complete summary of why you should choose Mobal click here!