J:COM Internet Plans | Reviews, Prices, and How to Apply

Have you just moved into a new apartment? And has your landlord just recommended internet services by J:COM (J:COM NET) to you?

If the apartment that you will move into or just moved into already has J:COM NET, you may be able to use the internet within a week of moving in, which is pretty fast compared to the average wait times from the big carriers.

On the other hand, there are some bad reviews about J:COM NET online. This article will provide an overview of J:COM’s internet service, its advantages and disadvantages, real reviews from Japanese people, and a comparison with other providers.

If you’re interested in making a contract with J:COM NET, keep reading to learn more.

Related Article

For those who want to read about the best internet services, check out the following article. We compared a variety of the best internet services in Japan here:

Compare the Top 7 Internet Providers in Japan | Best Plans With English Support

What’s J:COM’s internet service (J:COM NET)?

J:COM NET is an internet service provided by J:COM, featuring a variety of plans with different internet speeds. J:COM is one of the largest cable television companies in Japan, and they offer a variety of other services, including what we will be focusing on in this article, J:COM NET.

They only provide service to a few select areas in Japan, so check below if you're in the service area.

J:COM service area

J:COM NET has a set that combines internet and cable TV into one package. If you are in the market for a new internet service provider and are also interested in cable TV, then consider making a contract with J:COM NET.

They have plenty of different contracts at different price points. For example, when making a long contract (1 year for apartments, 2 years for houses), if you live in an apartment building you can get a maximum of 320Mbps download and 10Mbps upload for 4,708 JPY per month, and if you live in a detached house you can get maximum of 320Mbps download and 10Mbps upload for 4,928 JPY per month.

Note that with their long contract, you can only cancel your service within a certain time period to avoid penalty fees.

Below is a table that shows the various price points for their regular contract period (6 months).

*Tax inc.

Pros of J:COM NET

For various reasons, you might be interested in J:COM NET. Below are a few of the pros that come along with making a contract with J:COM for internet services.

An Inexpensive Cable TV and Internet Set

If you’re looking for cable TV and home internet at the same time, J:COM might be the right choice for you. It is fairly inexpensive, and you can watch various important cultural events on Japanese TV.

For example, there is Kohaku, the annual New Year’s Eve singing battle. There is also the Hakone Ekiden, an annual foot race from Tokyo to Hakone and back over the course of two days. Many Japanese people travel home for the holidays and watch these events with their family on TV, and you can watch and be a part of the experience too if you sign up for a cable TV and internet set.

Translation: Then it's no problem at all 🎵 J:COM is a little cheaper for wowow (channel) than SKY PerfecTV! (competing TV service) 👍I joined for wowow and to watch UFC 📺Holloway fun!!!

Use the internet within a week of applying

If you are worried about being able to use the internet after moving in, going with J:COM could put your worries at peace. After signing a contract, they make it a point to install your internet fast.

They say that the fastest installations take place just 4 days after a contract has been signed!

Note that if you live in an apartment or house that does not have J:COM installed, the installation process may take as long as a typical FIBER INTERNET.

Translation: I had tried to make a contract with NURO Hikari but ended up going with J:COM.

The landlord's OK for the installation was given, and the preliminary inspection of the installation was completed, but it turned out that something was missing and the installation could not be done. It took a little over a month from the time of application to find out.

I contacted J:COM and the installation was completed in less than a week. That was fast.

Just to let you know..

Free router rental

J:COM NET offers a free Wi-Fi router rental when you sign up for their “Net + TV” plan. If you only sign up for internet, renting a router costs an extra 550 JPY per month.

I am very comfortable since I had my J:COM router replaced.

Internet speed: 73Mbps. What is your internet speed?

Cons of J:COM NET

If you were thinking about making a contract with J:COM NET, wait to read some of the cons before going ahead with a contract!

Slow speed

We have found a few reviews online of some users complaining about the slow speeds that they get from J:COM NET. Below is a table of J:COM NET plans and the maximum download and upload speeds that are supported.

Note that J:COM NET uses cable TV lines, which is why it is slower. Most modern internet service providers use the standard fiber optic lines, which allow download/upload speeds of up to 1Gbps.

J:COM NET's 1G course uses au HIKARI's fiber-optic line, so it has fast speeds. However, if you're interested in fiber-optic internet, it would be cheaper to contract directly with au HIKARI, so there is no need to sign up with J:COM.

Translation: When I was at home, I couldn't even watch movies on J:COM, which drove me crazy.

Now I am at peace with au HIKARI.

Persistent salespeople

There were reviews from some customers who have had bad experiences with J:COM and their staff. People have said that the J:COM salespeople are not very polite.

It seems that there are J:COM employees who go to various J:COM serviced houses to "check the TV reception" and do other sales activities during their regular inspections. For those who only plan to receive inspections, this may seem rude.

Translation: The J:COM guy who came to do maintenance on the TV signal was a long talker.

After making a lot of small talk, he started to sell his services, which was really crappy.

Expensive if you don't want cable TV

If you are just looking for internet services, there might be better options. The J:COM NET internet service is expensive by itself when compared to other faster fiber optic services.

*Tax inc.

Translation: I'm not using J:COM’s TV and phone services, and it even looks like I can watch TV without a contract, so I thought I'd just use the internet, and I did some research...

but it turns out that the price of a regular internet single unit is terribly expensive...

High cancellation fee

If you ever decide that you don’t want to use J:COM anymore, and want to cancel your contract within a two year period, they have a high cancellation fee. When combined with their removal fee of 4,800 to 9,800 yen, the total cost can go higher than 30,000 JPY.

Translation: My J:COM cancellation fee is 26,000 JPY.

That's so expensive! (ʘ言ʘ╬)

Who We Recommend J:COM NET To

So far, we've explained the basics of J:COM, the pros, and the cons.

To summarize, we recommend J:COM NET to people who..

• Want to make a contract for cable TV and internet services as a set.
• Want to use home internet as soon as possible.

However, we cannot recommend J:COM NET to people who...

• Want to play games or join Zoom meetings without stressing about connectivity.
• Just want internet services and don't need cable TV
• Need English support

In the following section, we'll compare five internet service providers, including J:COM NET.

Comparison with Other Internet Providers

Below is a comparison of J:COM NET and other internet service options in Japan. The normal is fiber optic, as it's faster and cheaper than other types of internet. We compared J:COM's most popular 320M course.

If you were planning on getting one of the faster J:COM NET courses, we recommend making a contract with another company as they will charge you extra for using au HIKARI.

*Tax inc.

J:COM NET has a maximum transmission speed of 320 Mbps, less than half the speed of other companies, but one of the highest monthly costs.

If you only want to sign up for internet, we recommend looking for service from another company.

If you're looking for English support, Sakura Fiber Internet is one of the most popular internet services in Japan that provides full English application process and customer support. The minimum contract period is only 3 months, so if you are only living in Japan for a short period of time, you won't be hit with confusing and expensive cancellation fees when canceling your contract.

Although it takes time from when you fill out an application to when internet is installed, Pocket WiFi device can be rented at no extra charge until your internet is activated, so it can even be recommended to those who want to use the internet immediately.

If you are interested, check the link below!

Sakura Fiber Internet

How to apply

Next up is a simple explanation for the J:COM NET application process. Click the link below to get started.

J:COM NET application

Start by putting in your zip code in Japan. You'll have to say whether or not you live in an apartment or house. Note that J:COM may not provide service to your area.

Then, you'll have to select your address.

After that, select the services that you are interested in.

Next, put in all of your personal information. They’ll need things like your name, address, if you’re living in a house or apartment, if you own or are renting, your phone number, what services you’re signing up for, and what days and times you want to be contacted at, and email address.

After, you’ll want to confirm all of the details of your contract. Things like your personal information, the services that you’re signing up, and the price among other things.

When you’re done confirming everything, you should get a confirmation email! If you didn’t receive an email there might be something wrong. If you can speak Japanese, it might be beneficial to call them and confirm everything while setting up an installation date.

If You Need High-Speed Internet in Japan with English Support

Some of you may be thinking the following.

• “The contract for home internet is complicated and I want English customer support just in case something goes wrong.”
• “I don’t want to deal with the commitment of a 2 to 5-year contract.”
• “But I also want the fastest internet possible.”

If any of these apply to you, we recommend getting Sakura Fiber Internet.

Features of Sakura Fiber Internet

• Maximum connection speeds of 1 Gbps
• No 2-year binding contract
• Reliable English support
• Simple, stress free installation
• Various payment methods
• Pocket WiFi rental until installation is finished (no extra fee)

Sakura Fiber Internet’s monthly fees are 6,480 JPY/month, which is not the cheapest in the market. However, you will have access to English customer support 365 days a year and high speeds. Unlike other providers, you won’t be locked into a two-year contract with high penalty fees for canceling if you decide to go with Sakura Mobile.

During the installation process for fiber-optic internet, you will need to make explanations to your landlord or talk with the installation team; this is where many people who cannot speak Japanese struggle. However, with Sakura Fiber Internet, our bilingual staff will help you translate all the necessary information.

If you are interested, please check here for more details.