Home internet in Japan with English support: fiber and 5G routers compared

For home internet in Japan in English, Sakura Fiber and GTN are the two providers we found that handle sign-up and billing in English and don’t need a Japanese credit card. Sakura Fiber costs ¥7,678 a month with a one-month minimum; GTN fiber costs ¥4,180 a month for an apartment on a 2-year term. Fiber takes about 7 days to 3 months to install. A home 5G router (about ¥5,300 a month) needs no installation work. Figures are from provider pages, as of October 2026.

Fiber or a home 5G router: which should I get?

You have two choices for home internet (自宅のインターネット) in Japan:

• Fiber (光回線, hikari kaisen): a cable into your home, installed by NTT or another network. Often cheaper for an apartment, but you wait for installation and the building has to support it.
• Home 5G router (ホームルーター): a box you plug in that uses the mobile network. No installation work, but docomo’s home 5G works only at the address you register.

If you might move within a year, or your building can’t take fiber, a home router avoids the installation wait. If you stay longer, fiber’s lower apartment prices add up.

How much does home internet cost?

Our sample is an apartment (マンション, mansion) 1Gbps line, monthly price including tax, read on October 20, 2026. Where the provider gives several building types, we show the one stated.

Prices go up soon at some providers. SoftBank Hikari adds ¥330 a month from December 1, 2026, and SoftBank Air rises to ¥5,698 the same day. NURO raised its 2Gbps prices on September 1, 2026. Asahi Net’s provider fee rises to ¥990 from February 2027.

Asahi Net bills in two parts: its own provider fee (¥770 for apartments, free in months 2 to 13) plus NTT’s line fee. Its apartment price depends on the building’s plan (Mini, Plan 1 or Plan 2), from ¥4,125 to ¥5,225 on the Giga Line. auひかり also lists ¥5,500 for an apartment with a different discount set that includes its electricity plan. We found no apartment price in NURO’s documents, so the ¥5,720 is the detached-house figure.

The docomo home 5G router costs ¥73,260, but a monthly discount (月々サポート) of about ¥1,525 over 48 months can bring the net cost to ¥0 if you keep the plan. SoftBank Air’s ¥95,040 router works the same way with a ¥1,980 monthly discount. Leave early and you pay what’s left.

How we scored home internet

Same phone and internet method as for SIM cards: no Japanese credit card needed (30%), monthly cost for an apartment (25%), English support (25%), minimum term and cancellation fees (20%). Each criterion is scored 0 to 10:

• Credit card: 10 for foreign cards or cash, 8 for a Japanese bank transfer, 2 for credit card only.
• Cost: 10 at ¥4,500 or less, one point lower per ¥500 band, 3 above ¥7,500.
• English: 10 for English sign-up and support, 9 for English pages, FAQ and contact, 7 for a multilingual site with support languages not stated, 6 for an English phone line with Japanese sign-up, 2 for none found.
• Contract: 10 for no minimum and no fee, 7 for a small or no fee but an installation or router balance to pay, 4 for a 2-year term with a fee of about one month, 3 for a multi-year term plus removal fee.

n/a means no evidence; the overall is the weighted mean of the rest. Providers with evidence on fewer than three criteria are listed below the table but not scored.

• Asahi Net: English price pages, FAQ and contact, and a low apartment price; we couldn’t find its payment methods, so check that first.
• Sakura Fiber: the most foreigner-friendly terms (foreign cards, cash, English, one-month minimum, no early-termination fee), at the highest monthly price.
• GTN fiber: cheapest apartment price and convenience-store payment, but a 2-year term and the cancellation fee isn’t on its page.
• docomo home 5G: no installation, English phone line (0120-005-250, 9am to 8pm) and a ¥1,100 fee if you cancel within a year; router balance due if you leave early.
• NURO 光: fast 2Gbps and accepts bank transfer, but a 3-year term, an ¥11,000 line removal fee, and all NURO pages we read were in Japanese only.

Not scored (too little evidence): SoftBank Hikari (¥4,180 apartment, cancellation fee one month’s base fee), auひかり (cancellation fee ¥3,102), SoftBank Air (cancellation fee ¥5,368 or ¥4,615) and WiMAX (no contract period). We couldn’t confirm their payment methods or English support for internet customers.

Best home internet for each situation

• Best if you just arrived with no Japanese bank account or card: Sakura Fiber. Pay by foreign card or cash, and its English team also talks to your landlord.
• Best value with English help and cash payment: GTN fiber at ¥4,180, if you’ll stay 2 years.
• Best value if you read some Japanese: SoftBank Hikari or Asahi Net, from about ¥4,180 to ¥4,565 for an apartment.
• Best if you can’t wait or might move soon: a home 5G router. WiMAX has no contract period; docomo home 5G charges ¥1,100 if you leave within a year.

How long does fiber installation take?

Sakura Mobile says it contacts you within 1 to 2 business days and setup usually takes 7 days to 1 month, with March and April the busiest months. NURO says 1 to 2 months for a house and 1 to 3 months for an apartment, and sometimes several months more. NURO may need two visits, one inside and one outside.

Because installation can take a month or more, order as soon as you sign your lease. See our guide to renting an apartment as a foreigner. Until the line opens, a mobile SIM with plenty of data fills the gap: compare SIM cards for foreigners. auひかり offers its 5G service at ¥0 a month for up to 4 months before the fiber opens.

What are the cancellation fees?

SoftBank says an amended Telecommunications Business Act (電気通信事業法) changed cancellation fees from July 1, 2022, and its fee for covered contracts is now one month of the base fee: ¥4,180 for an apartment and ¥5,720 for a house on SoftBank Hikari. SoftBank contracts made on or before June 30, 2022 follow older, higher terms.

The bigger cost is often installation. If you leave before the installation fee is paid off, providers bill the rest. Asahi Net asks for the remaining balance in one sum, and NURO bills remaining installments at once plus ¥11,000 to remove the line on its 3-year plan. SoftBank caps what it charges using a formula set by law.

How do I pay without a credit card?

Sakura Fiber accepts international credit cards, debit cards and convenience-store cash (Smart Pit). GTN accepts convenience-store payment, automatic bank deduction, bank transfer and payment at its branches. NURO accepts a credit card, a bank account transfer or billing with your docomo, SoftBank or au phone. For the others, the pages we read didn’t list payment methods. If you have a Japanese bank account, ask for 口座振替 (bank account transfer) when you apply. See also what you need for a phone contract, since several providers give a discount for combining phone and internet.