Cellphones in Japan?

Question

Just a few questions about keitai in Japan:

1. Are Japanese cellphones unlocked? I want to buy a Japanese phone and then use it in the US and switch sim cards.

2. I'm gonna use the cellphone only for local (no intl. calls, I got IM for that). Any suggestions on what plans I can purchase? Or should I ignore cellphones altogether?

3. Do I have to sign a 1-year contract or so to get a phone in Japan? I'm only gonna be there for 4 months...

4. Recommended cellphone carrier in Japan?

Thanks, guys.

Answer 1

1.  I don't think you can use a Japanese cell phone in the States because they use completely different technologies here and there.  I know you can't bring a phone from the States to use in Japan either for the same reason.  The two countries' technologies are just not compatible.

2.  In Japan, you are only charged for calls that you make.  You can receive all the calls you want for free.  Therefore, I recommend that you get a prepaid phone (~$100) and buy minutes (25 minutes for ~$50).  Since prepaid minutes are so expensive, however, let your friends call you.  That is, call them, let it ring once, hang up, and let them call you back.  It is cheaper for them to call since they don't use prepaid, and if you do this consistently, you can make those 25 minutes last for at least a month.  

3.  Again, I recommend the prepaid option.  You don't have to deal with the hassle of canceling the contract, paying the cancellation fee, etc.  You will likely need to get your alien registration card made to get even a prepaid phone though, so make sure you go to city hall as soon as you get to Japan to start the process of getting your alien registration card.

4.  For prepaid, I used SoftBank, and I know friends who also used SoftBank and I've never heard of any problems.  So that is my recommendation.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Renting a phone in Japan is extremely expensive for a foreigner.

I rented one of the cheapest ones in May 2008, and the bill(including usage) came to over $400 CDN.

NTT/Docomo

AU

SoftBank

Answer 3

All japanese phones are carrier-locked with no unlock possible direct by the carrier.  You can have it done in certain shady shops (google for 白ロム).

Softbank has the best prepaid lineup (Docomo is overpriced and KDDI got out of the prepaid business a couple years ago)

You need to be a resident (no tourist visa) to purchase even a prepaid.  It is generally no-hassle if you can satisfy that.

There is no GSM coverage anywhere in Japan.  Docomo and Softbank use PDC (japan-only) and WCDMA-2100MHz (same as used in Europe/HK/etc.), and KDDI uses CDMAone and CDMA2000-1x (both on frequencies different than any other country).

Some Softbank and Docomo non-prepaid handsets are WCDMA-2100MHz/triband GSM (very few quad-band) for roaming use with a japanese-carrier SIM.  These are the candidates for unlocking at the dodgy shops.

A word of warning, handset subsidies are for the most part phased out now for postpays, so expect to pay a pretty significant price for a fancy handset.  (They make a halfhearted attempt to cushion the blow by letting you pay it off in installments over the 2 year postpay contract, but that works out even more expensive)