Home internet for foreign residents

Home internet in Japan, explained for people who do not read Japanese

Most guides to Japanese internet providers compare speed and price. Those are the easy parts. The parts that actually stop people are the residence card, the phone call in Japanese, the building permission, and the cancellation fee you find out about when you are already leaving the country.

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If you speak little or no Japanese and want the whole process handled in your language, GTN Hikari supports seven languages including Vietnamese, and Sakura Fiber supports English. Neither pays us anything. They are listed first because for that situation they are the right answer.

If you have someone who can make one phone call in Japanese, the mainstream providers are noticeably cheaper — often by ¥1,000–2,000 a month — and the cashback campaigns are larger.

The comparison table below shows both groups side by side, with the language column first instead of last.

Comparison	Language support	Apartment / month	Contract	Time to connection
GTN Hikari	Full ja · en · zh · ko · vi · ne · id	¥4,180	2-year	2–8 weeks
Sakura Fiber Internet	Full ja · en	¥4,980	No lock-in	2–6 weeks
GMO Tokutoku BB Hikari	Japanese only	¥3,773	No lock-in	2–6 weeks
au Hikari	Japanese only	¥4,180	2-year	3–8 weeks
SoftBank Hikari	Japanese only	¥4,180	2-year	2–8 weeks
docomo Hikari	Japanese only	¥4,400	2-year	2–8 weeks

This page contains affiliate links. If you sign up through one of them, we may receive a commission from the provider. It does not change what you pay, and it does not change the order things are listed in.

Guides

What you need to apply for home internet in Japan
The documents, payment methods and information Japanese internet providers ask for, and which of them commonly cause problems for foreign residents.
Which internet providers in Japan support English and other languages
Language support at Japanese internet providers, compared honestly: which handle the whole process in your language, which offer partial help, and what to do if you choose a Japanese-only provider anyway.
The installation visit: what actually happens
What the fibre installation visit in Japan involves, how long it takes, who needs to be home, and the permission you may need from your building before it can go ahead.
Cancelling your internet when you leave Japan
How to cancel a Japanese home internet contract when you leave the country: notice periods, early termination fees, returning the equipment, and the final bill after your bank account closes.