SIM and WiFi counters at Haneda Airport are open roughly from 06:00 to 23:00. According to the airport's own facility listing, the earliest desk opens at 06:00 and the latest one closes at 23:00, while the prepaid SIM vending machine in Terminal 1 runs until midnight. Haneda operates around the clock and handles international arrivals in the small hours, which means that if your flight lands between roughly midnight and 05:00, there is no practical way to buy a mobile line inside the airport. If that is your arrival window, installing a Japan eSIM before you fly is the only reliable option.
Haneda has seven SIM and WiFi points, and all of them close by 23:00
These are the locations listed on the airport's official site as of August 2026, with the hours exactly as published.
| Terminal | Location | Provider | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | B1F Marketplace North | AnyFone JAPAN vending machine (domestic prepaid SIM) | 05:00–24:00 |
| T1 | 2F Departure Lobby North | WiFiBOX | 05:00–24:00 |
| T2 | 2F International Arrival Lobby | J WiFi & Mobile / GLOBAL WiFi | 05:45–23:00 |
| T2 | 3F International Departure Lobby | Mobile Center | 07:00–22:00 |
| T3 | 2F Arrival Lobby | Mobile Center | 06:30–23:00 |
| T3 | 2F Arrival Lobby | AnyFone JAPAN counter | 06:00–23:00 |
| T3 | 3F Departure Lobby | Mobile Center / XCOM GLOBAL | 06:30–23:00 / 06:30–22:30 |
Most international passengers arrive at Terminal 3, where two desks sit side by side on the second-floor arrival lobby. AnyFone JAPAN opens earliest at 06:00; both desks close at 23:00. The Mobile Center in Terminal 3 does keep an unattended WiFi rental machine running 24 hours in front of the shop, but that dispenses pocket WiFi routers, not SIM cards.
The vending machine is not a night-time fallback
You will often read that the vending machine covers late arrivals. That is wrong on two counts. First, it operates from 05:00 to 24:00, so it is not running in the small hours either. Second, it sits on basement level 1 of Terminal 1. Reaching it from an international arrival at Terminal 3 requires an inter-terminal transfer, and the free shuttle bus, the Keikyu line and the monorail do not run through the night. If you land at Terminal 3 after midnight, plan on staying in that terminal until morning.
Install a Japan eSIM before departure if you land at night
The only way around the opening hours is a method that completes entirely outside the airport. An eSIM is bought and installed at home before you fly, and you simply switch the line on after landing. No queue, no closing time, no terminal transfer.
Three steps:
- A few days before departure, confirm your phone supports eSIM and is carrier-unlocked
- On a Wi-Fi connection, buy the eSIM and install the profile onto your device (no data is consumed yet)
- After landing at Haneda, turn off airplane mode, enable the eSIM line in your settings, and set data roaming as instructed
The point is finishing step two while you still have internet. Scanning the activation QR code requires a connection, so trying to install it in the arrival lobby means hunting for airport Wi-Fi first. Device requirements are covered in how to check eSIM compatibility, and if the line does not come up after you land, see what to do when an eSIM will not connect on arrival. Plans are on the Japan eSIM page.
Check Japan's radio law before putting a Japanese SIM in a foreign phone
If you are bringing a phone bought outside Japan, there are legal conditions on what wireless equipment may be used here. Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications states that radio equipment used in Japan must conform to the technical standards in Chapter 3 of the Radio Act, and conformity is shown by the Giteki mark. Exceptions exist for devices without that mark, but the wording matters.
For mobile phone terminals, a device without the Giteki mark may be used in two cases:
- When an internationally roaming-capable terminal is used via the international roaming service of a Japanese mobile or BWA operator
- When an internationally roaming-capable terminal, brought in from overseas by its user, is used with a SIM card from a Japanese mobile or BWA operator
The ministry defines an internationally roaming-capable terminal as a terminal contracted with an overseas carrier that has a roaming agreement with a Japanese carrier. So using a Japanese prepaid SIM or eSIM in your own phone is explicitly permitted, but on the assumption that the handset meets that condition. A phone bought online with no carrier contract behind it does not clearly fall within the wording. The ministry advises contacting a mobile operator if you are unsure.
A pocket WiFi router you bring with you is treated differently
This is where people get caught out. The ministry's published Q&A says that a wireless LAN router brought in from another country may be used only if the router itself carries the Giteki mark. The exception granted to mobile phone terminals does not extend to routers. If you were planning to bring the pocket WiFi you rent at home, check the device label first.
Separately, a 90-day limit is often described as if it applied to phones. It does not. The 90-day cap from the date of entry applies to the use of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices: the Wi-Fi function of smartphones, tablets and game consoles connecting to public hotspots or tethering, and Bluetooth accessories such as wireless earphones. Beyond 90 days, the guidance is to use equipment that carries the Giteki mark. There is also a location rule worth knowing: 2.4GHz, 5.6GHz and 6GHz VLP may be used indoors and outdoors, while 5.2GHz, 5.3GHz and 6GHz LPI are limited to indoor use.
For choosing between a rental router and an eSIM, see eSIM versus pocket WiFi.
ID checks on data-only SIMs are coming to Japan
The lines sold at Haneda's vending machine and counters for short-term visitors are mostly data-only prepaid SIMs. Unlike contracts that include voice service, data-only SIMs have so far fallen outside the identity verification duty of Japan's Mobile Phone Improper Use Prevention Act. That is why selling them from a machine works at all.
That is changing. According to the ministry, the act amending the Mobile Phone Improper Use Prevention Act (Act No. 25 of 2026) passed on 22 May 2026 and was promulgated on 29 May 2026, adding data communication to the scope of the measures in response to increasingly sophisticated misuse of telecommunications services.
As of the end of August 2026 the amendment is not yet in force. The detailed rules are delegated to ministerial ordinance, and on 3 August 2026 the ministry published its direction for that ordinance-level work. Once the commencement date arrives, buying a line at the airport may require showing identification. Practically: carry your passport, or choose an eSIM arranged in advance so the question does not arise at the counter.
What to choose at Haneda depends on your arrival time
- eSIM — arranged entirely before departure, unaffected by arrival time. Requires an eSIM-capable, unlocked phone. Nothing to collect and nothing to return
- Physical SIM card — bought at a counter or the vending machine, so you must land within opening hours. You open the SIM tray, swap cards, and keep your original SIM safe
- Pocket WiFi rental — shareable across people and devices. Requires pickup within opening hours and return before you fly home, plus carrying the router and its battery
If you land between 06:00 and 23:00, do not mind queuing, and are travelling as a group, a rental is reasonable. If any one of the following applies — a late-night or early-morning arrival, a short connection, or needing a ride-hailing app the moment you clear customs — an eSIM arranged in advance is the straightforward answer. The trade-offs are also covered in airport SIM cards versus a pre-arranged eSIM.
Haneda SIM and eSIM FAQ
What time can I buy a SIM card at Haneda Airport?
Per the airport's official listing, the AnyFone JAPAN counter on the Terminal 3 second-floor arrival lobby runs 06:00 to 23:00, and the Mobile Center on the same floor runs 06:30 to 23:00. The prepaid SIM vending machine on basement level 1 of Terminal 1 runs 05:00 to 24:00. Outside those hours you cannot buy one inside the airport.
What should I do if I arrive at Haneda in the middle of the night?
Buy and install an eSIM before you fly. Between roughly midnight and 05:00 neither the counters nor the vending machine is operating, and inter-terminal transport stops, so an arrival at Terminal 3 has no purchase option until morning. Free airport Wi-Fi covers you inside the terminal but not once you leave it.
Can I use a Japanese SIM in a phone I bought overseas?
Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications states that an internationally roaming-capable terminal may be used with a SIM card from a Japanese mobile or BWA operator even without the Giteki mark. It defines such a terminal as one contracted with an overseas carrier holding a roaming agreement with a Japanese carrier. If you cannot tell whether your device qualifies, the ministry advises asking a mobile operator.
Can I bring my own pocket WiFi router to Japan?
The ministry's Q&A states that a wireless LAN router brought in from another country may be used only if it carries the Giteki mark. The exception that applies to mobile phone terminals does not cover routers. Check the label on the device, and if there is no Giteki mark, use a line obtained in Japan instead.
Do I need ID to buy a prepaid SIM at Haneda?
Data-only prepaid SIMs have been outside the identity verification duty of the Mobile Phone Improper Use Prevention Act. However, the amending act (Act No. 25 of 2026) was promulgated on 29 May 2026 and brings data communication into scope. As of late August 2026 it is not yet in force and the ministerial ordinances are still being prepared, so carry your passport and check the provider's current guidance.
Ten minutes before departure removes the whole problem
Every SIM and WiFi point Haneda publishes runs from around 06:00 to around 23:00. Land inside that window and you have three options; land outside it and you have none. Your arrival time is not something you control. Whether you sort out connectivity before you leave is.
On top of that, travellers bringing foreign handsets face conditions under the Radio Act, and an identity verification requirement for data SIMs is on the way. An eSIM installed before departure sidesteps all three uncertainties at once. Trade the search for a counter in the arrival lobby for ten minutes at home, and pick a plan from the Japan eSIM plans that matches your stay.