Cellphone Queries

[Anigi]

I was totally thinking of just getting a regular cell phone, no smart phone/iPhone, when I got to Japan. That is what I had last time I was there and it worked out fine for me... but now that I hear someone mention google maps and translators that iPhone seems pretty tempting... lol But I don't think I would use it for much else so not sure if it will be worth it. I kind of liked have a 2500 yen phone bill I guess I will see when I get there.

[hatefulsandwich]

I can't honestly imagine going back to a "dumb phone". I simply don't think you can beat the entertainment and information value that smartphones provide. Maps, translators, IM services, games, scheduling, note taking, reading, listening to music, remote desktop control. Oh, and wireless tethering, anyone?

Those costs of unlimited data aren't bad at all. I think my current cellphone bill is higher than that and I have a bloody 350mb data bundle. My current "uncapped" (because your data is actually softcapped and you get throttled to death when you go over certain thresholds) Internet at 1mbps is also very expensive. Yay, Third World.

I think the apps you get related to Japanese alone make it worthwhile. I think your stay in Japan can be made a heck of a lot simpler with a smartphone. There's a great little app for learning Japanese basics called Human Japanese - it's probably one of the most useful Japanese tools you can use short of having a human teacher (something I cannot find here, actually). On android, I have come across some apps that are great for learning the writing system like WriteKana and WriteKanji. You get similar things for iOS, I just haven't investigated them fully. Considering the unfathomable manner in which addresses are written and designed in Japan, I imagine GPS and Google Maps are nothing short of a godsend.

I personally would prefer to go with an iPhone because it's pretty much a universal device. It seems like a lot of other smartphones are tailored to the Japanese market. Honestly, the only reason I went with an Android phone before is because I take great delight in voiding my warranty and coming close to heart failure when I think I've bricked my phone after the latest ROM flashing I've done. Fun, fun, fun. There wouldn't be a heck of a lot of support for a Japanese-specific phone, though. And honestly? iOS apps are still better made than a lot of Android apps.

TL;DR: Smartphones FTW.

[Cliodhna]

I simply don't think you can beat the entertainment and information value that smartphones provide.

Again, there is a cultural difference in priorities here- the west loves shoving as many media options into one device that it can. Japan isn't really into that. Saying it's 'dumb' not to have the same thing is superfluous until you go there and understand why it's different, and ultimately how those differences could be better in application to how japan 'works', for lack of a better word.


Maps - Japanese phones had this before western ones
translators - many japanese phones come with dictionaries, both japanese and english and translating.
IM services - you don't really need this when everyone has email.
games - Japan seems to prefer to game on the psp and ds, as there's a wireless network they tap into no matter where you go if you sign up for it. There are still pretty technical games you can purchase on your phone, though.
scheduling - yes, japanese phones have calendars and alarms.
note taking - there are notepad functions.
reading - Japanese phones had this before western ones.
listening to music - some phones are set up for this, but I noticed people preferred to stick to their ipods for this, probably because the mp3 phones have lousy battery life.
remote desktop control - I didn't know people still had desktop computers? (kidding!)

There are also convenience applications that aren't on western smartphones that are only gradually starting to become available to them that have always been available on japanese phones. I can't say how much of it has transferred over to them yet, though, but I'm kind of on the 'better safe than sorry' mind on this. An example of that would be the evacuation navi application that lists nearby evacuation zones or shelters when an emergency happens and the cell phone lines are jammed.

If I recall correctly, AU's phone and service manuals are multilingual, so figuring things out should be pretty straight forward, and in a dire pinch you can always ask someone- an excuse to make friends! 8D

Basically, all the functions you've listed were on standard japanese phones before smart phones came out. I think you might wanna step back a bit, breathe, and take the social and technological differences as they come instead of being so quick to lay judgement without a full understanding of how/why things work the way they do. Don't become victim to culture shock already!

[hatefulsandwich]

Erm, I used to term "dumb phone" in a bit of a poking fun way, hey. As in the opposite of a smartphone. It wasn't meant to be judgmental or anything. I would consider phones that have those functions as smartphones regardless, even if some people might argue otherwise. When I refer to "dumb phone", I'm talking about a phone that's pretty much used for calling and text alone.

And, well, TL;DR for the rest.

I would still go for a Western Smartphone just because I'm a mod junkie and while there might be manuals for those phones in English, I'm willing to bet that any software modding is probably instructed in Japanese.

[Pamela]

I was wondering what the availability of android/google phones is like in Japan. I currently have a google phone in Canada, but it's a few years old and has been dropped one to many times (the on/off button doesn't always work... ), so I'll probably be looking to get a new one. Would it be better to buy one here in Canada and bring it over, or can I get an English-language android in Japan? Also, which cell providers carry android?

[adiosToreador]

I have an english-language Android with Softbank, though I think AU is the big Android provider (since that's where everyone assumes I got it from)

But yeah you can definitely get Androids here no probs, and like back home you can get decent, reasonably priced ones if you don't absolutely need the very latest and greatest. Mine was the previous year's model so I got it for around $100 and it runs perfectly well.

[Cliodhna]

or can I get an English-language android in Japan? Also, which cell providers carry android?

Probably safer to buy it in Japan, that way it will already be set up and compatible with your carrier. I know AU has some android stuff, but others probably do as well. The big american brands like Android/iPhone are probably inherently bilingual so it shouldn't be a problem I don't think.

[Pamela]

Cliodhna and adiosToreador, thanks so much for the response! I'll probably get one over there, then, so I know it'll work.

[Cliodhna]

Cliodhna and adiosToreador, thanks so much for the response! I'll probably get one over there, then, so I know it'll work.

No problem, and good luck this week!!

[Gizmotech]

Wow. TLDR and lots of mis-information in what I read.

Gizmo's Cellphone Rant

Here's what you need to know about cellphones in Japan.
A) There is no point in bringing a handset with you to Japan for the purposes of using it as your main Japanese handset. They don't sell SIM only plans here.
B) If you bring a cellphone from home that CAN connect to the network, you can use it essentially as a Pager if you continue to pay for a service at home. (I use it to keep my old CAD telephone number and receive text/VM notifications. Receipt is free, sending is outrageous)
C) Japan is NOT a CDMA network, it's (W-CDMA) UMTS. 800/1500/1700. (Minor niggle, but important)
D) Japan does use SMS, it is just not the default for communication as Japanese people use their "e-mail" service instead. This is why people on smart phones have difficulty messaging other cellular networks (IE Softbank --> docomo) as the other networks don't auto-break long texts into manageable chunks.
E) Unlike back in Canada, where smartphones are a much bigger chunk of the cellphone using population, it is just as common in Japan to see old school style flip phones as it is smart phones. (dunno about the states, I assume similar to Canada).
F) If you don't have a garaunteed pay option available, you have to pay for your phone upfront. IE: Credit card or bank cash card.
G) If you use a garaunteed payment option, you likely will not get a paper receipt/bill payment notification. They will charge you for paper bill... I think I pay about 100-300 yen for paper receipt.
H) If you can't read Japanese, get a smartphone. Most Android/iPhones are capable of being converted to a full English environment with multi-lingual input.


Stuff to know about signing up for a cellphone
A) All JETs should have no difficulty signing up for a cellphone plan so long as they bring the RIGHT documentation with them. (w/ softbank at least)
B) It is completely possible to not buy a phone upfront.
C) It is also possible to get automatic bank withdrawal with B (I'll tell you the trick below)
D) It is usually in the JETs best interest to figure out what everyone else uses for their cell phones. However, this is only REALLY important if you plan to do a lot of TALKING. E-mailing is free, texting costs money to other services, calling is NUTS expensive. Most carriers have pretty good coverage unless you're up in the hills inaka or out on the islands.
E) It is definitely in a new JETs interest to get themselves a smartphone. It might sound like an expensive extravagance however having access to GPS maps and convenient web access makes life SOOO much easier for new JETs. This is before even looking at all the fun/useful apps they can install on them.
F) Plans are 2 years long. Plans auto renew, they do not go Month to Month when the contract is done.

Stuff to bring when signing up for a cellphone (on your first day in the inaka)
A) Your passport
B) Your Alien registration receipt
C) Your temporary Alien Registration form (you buy this when you fill out your registration)
D) Your hanko
E) Your credit card
F) Your identification from home (Drivers license, liquor card, whatever you have that was sorta official looking)

The whole story (This part is long and boring)

I decided when I was getting ready to go to Japan that I was finally gonna join the smartphone revolution. Though expensive, the GPS and web access would easily make up for my general lack of ability to read Japanese. I also had dreams of studying Japanese on it (never happened) and playing games (realized I like having battery available to use GPS/web features more).

Before coming to Japan I did some reading, and found out that there is a "temporary" Alien registration form you can buy at city hall. It costs somewhere between 500-800 yen (about 10$) and it an official registered document useable as ID within Japan until your ARC arrives. I do not know how this will work for you new JETs who will be processed at immigration, however I suspect you will be able to ask for something similar.

The registration process is different for JETs this year as compared to previous years. I do not know if you are given your laminated ARCs (or if even the ID card still exists in the new system) at the airport, or if it would be mailed to your new address. If you do not walk out of Immigration registration with a photo ID, ask for the temporary form and pay for it. I sincerely wish I had more imformation on this point.

Armed with this, all all the above documentation my supervisor and I found the nearest cellphone selling store (in our case we drove PAST softbank and went to Yamada Denki). I picked out the iPhone that I wanted (a 16gb iPhone 4) and we sat down with the sales guy. The process of registering the phone took about an hour and a half, mostly because the sale associate didn't know how to register a foreigner. After providing ALL the above information, I walked out with a fully functional iPhone 4 that I was not paying upfront for. This was also a phone on the FIRST day in inaka, most people have to wait for their bank card or ARC. It was being billed on my Credit Card from home. Now I know this is a bit more expensive, but it was the only way to get the 2 year contract and not pay for the phone up front which I had NO intention of doing.

Now I have a softbank iPhone 4 on the standard white plan with unlimited data. (Truly unlimited, but speed capped after 1GB which they don't tell you.) AU's network has MUCH better speed than Softbank's, so if you really want to stream stuff all the time, that's something to consider.

How did I get from paying by Credit Card to automatic Bank withdrawal?

2 months later, when I was finally ready to do things, and I had received my actual ARC and my cash card from the bank, I went to the local Softbank store. I simiply asked them to switch my payments to my cash card. 2 months after that my bill was processed from my bank account. No problem. Sure this probably cost me 20$ worth of exchange penalties back home on my CC, but in the end it was worth it to not drop 500$ up front.

Another option for automatic Bank withdrawal.

If you happen to sign up with a bank which does not have a waiting period for providing you with your cash card, you can use your cash card. However, it isn't uncommon for banks in the inaka to have a delay in providing you your cash card of up to 2-3 weeks (I ended up waiting a full month for mine)

I think that about covers it for cellphones. For more information on what softbank requires you to do when signing up see this link:

http://mb.softbank.jp/en/
http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/iphone_en/pric ... rice_plan/

[Cliodhna]

Thanks a ton, Gizmo!! Auto withdrawal is something I don't know a ton about, and it would seem the preferable mode of payment at the end of the day.

I have one question for you if that's ok- with your unlimited data plan, does that mean you have one flat fee every month or does it change depending on what you use and how often you use it?

Thanks again!!

[adiosToreador]

When I got my phone softbank had two plans for non-iphone smartphones

First, a sliding scale plan, which changed according to how much you used, with the highest (unlimited data) bracket being 6000 yen or so, and a flat rate unlimited plan which was like 5000 or 5500 or something i obviously don't pay a lot of attention to my bill, but it was less than the sliding scale cap

So, if you were consistently using less data than it took to hit the unlimited bracket, the sliding scale plan was cheaper, but if you were constantly going to be going over, then the flat rate was cheaper, iirc. I don't remember if there were any other perks to the flat rate plan.

I didn't have internet access for almost two months so I opted for the flat rate and abused the heck out of it

[Gizmotech]

When I got my phone softbank had two plans for non-iphone smartphones

First, a sliding scale plan, which changed according to how much you used, with the highest (unlimited data) bracket being 6000 yen or so, and a flat rate unlimited plan which was like 5000 or 5500 or something i obviously don't pay a lot of attention to my bill, but it was less than the sliding scale cap

So, if you were consistently using less data than it took to hit the unlimited bracket, the sliding scale plan was cheaper, but if you were constantly going to be going over, then the flat rate was cheaper, iirc. I don't remember if there were any other perks to the flat rate plan.

I didn't have internet access for almost two months so I opted for the flat rate and abused the heck out of it

Pretty much this. One iPhone software update, or updating the apps on your phone through the phone itself (not via pc sync) and you'd blow the sliding cap anyways, so I just went with the truly unlimited data plan for the set price. I doubt I use it each month, but on the months I do I love seeing 1 million yen charges with an equally large discount right below it

[teabot]

Gizmo's advice is pretty solid, but i have a few things to add.

Armed with this, all all the above documentation my supervisor and I found the nearest cellphone selling store (in our case we drove PAST softbank and went to Yamada Denki). I picked out the iPhone that I wanted (a 16gb iPhone 4) and we sat down with the sales guy. The process of registering the phone took about an hour and a half, mostly because the sale associate didn't know how to register a foreigner. After providing ALL the above information, I walked out with a fully functional iPhone 4 that I was not paying upfront for. This was also a phone on the FIRST day in inaka, most people have to wait for their bank card or ARC. It was being billed on my Credit Card from home. Now I know this is a bit more expensive, but it was the only way to get the 2 year contract and not pay for the phone up front which I had NO intention of doing.

this is not the only way to do this. all of the JETs in my city (i was the only one who went with a Japanese Android rather than iPhone) were able to get their iPhones on two year contracts with Softbank without paying upfront. the process is the same as what you detailed more or less, except we actually did go to Softbank, and took care of all of that there. the problem is that Softbank stores themselves seem to be very ESID. i've heard from friends that already had their phones/contracts taken care of for a while run into minor phone problems, but were told different things by different Softbank shops in my city. so you should be totally able to get your iPhone on contract with monthly payments towards the phone, but it largely depends on whether the staff at that particular store know what they're doing.

How did I get from paying by Credit Card to automatic Bank withdrawal?

2 months later, when I was finally ready to do things, and I had received my actual ARC and my cash card from the bank, I went to the local Softbank store. I simiply asked them to switch my payments to my cash card. 2 months after that my bill was processed from my bank account. No problem. Sure this probably cost me 20$ worth of exchange penalties back home on my CC, but in the end it was worth it to not drop 500$ up front.

Another option for automatic Bank withdrawal.

If you happen to sign up with a bank which does not have a waiting period for providing you with your cash card, you can use your cash card. However, it isn't uncommon for banks in the inaka to have a delay in providing you your cash card of up to 2-3 weeks (I ended up waiting a full month for mine)

in my case my CC just wtf'd at a charge from Japan (despite the fact that i had called to advise them of my international move), and so i got a letter from Softbank about the failed payment including the handy-dandy automatic withdrawal postcard and just had my person-who-assists-supervisor-with-ALT-miscellany fill it out for me.

my phone was taken care of not on the first day but on the second or third day or so, though i do live in a city, and i did have to wait on the bank card for a week or so. (i got the bank book the day i opened the account, though i had to wait for my hanko to be finished in order to open the bank account.)

[eacat]

I have a quick question. I have an old pay as you go phone from Vodafone from the time I spent abroad. It's been five years. Would I be able to use this (i.e. is the number still mine) once I put money on it? Or is this handset worthless now?