Job Discussion Forums

[illflip]

To the people who have cellphones, what is the best and cheapest way to go abouts getting a cellphone. I'm arriving in Tokyo in January and one of the first things I want to do is get a cellphone. Are the any monthly plans where you can get a free cellphone? Anyone who is knowledgeable about this, please give any advice you can. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[pnksweater]

It's easier for a foreigner to get a cellphone now than it was five years ago. Some companies may want a copy of your foreign registration card (gaikokujin torokusha). Since this takes a few weeks to process, you may have to wait a bit before you can get your phone. However, I'm pretty sure that companies are loosening up on this. You may be able to get by with your passport page.

As for the free phone... yes every shop will have atl east one phone for "1 yen". The catch is that the 1 yen price is only if you sign up for a specific plan. Check what the plan includes. If you end up paying more per month for services you don't use you'd be better off paying more for the cheap phone, say 3,000 yen, and getting a more reasonable monthly plan.

As for which company to go with, it really depends on the person. A lot of the Tokyo foriegn population has Do Co Mo becausse of their English help line. I have Au because the price is a bit lower, they had a family plan that suited my needs, and there's a shop in my neighborhood I can go to if I have any problems or questions.

[earthmonkey]

Hi.
Unless the rule has changed quite recently, you cannot sign a regular cellphone contract unless you have more than 90 days remaining on your visa. So, if you're starting out on a tourist visa, you'll need to get a prepaid phone.
In terms of providers, DoCoMo is the number 1 and has the best signal, but they have a 30,000 yen deposit if you are a foriegner. I use Vodafone. Most phones are bilingual, and big shops have English speaking staff. The signal is a little weak though.
If I were to change I'd go with AU. Better signal than Vodafone and no gaijin deposit.
If your visa is 90days. You'll need prepaid. I got one recently for my mother to use when she came to visit. Got from Vodafone it was only 3,900yen and another 3,000 for a prepaid card. Outgoing calls are expensive, but incoming are free. Phone's name is enjorno. It's the cheapest one and not every Vodafone shop has it. Ask them to call around and find you one if they don't have it.
Hope this helps.
Good Luck!

[illflip]

Im actually on 6-month Working Holiday Visa, which can be extended to 1 year. So I won't be getting prepaid. Anyone with any recommendations which company to go with for a long-term plan? Thanks to the previous poster, however, some estimated costs would certainly help. Also, I was curious how much extra it might cost to be able to have internet access on my phone as well? I know almost everyone has this on their cellphones in Japan. Checking your email on your cellphone sounds like such a convenience.

[JimDunlop2]

For individual subscribers, I recommend Tu-Ka. The company's a bit smaller than some of the big guns (Docomo or Vodafone) but money-for-minute you get by far the BEST deal. Actually, I dont think it's smaller (it's a division of KDDI I think) but it just behaves like a smaller company would.

I have AU, because I have 2 phones -- for my wife and I, and the family discount plan is best.

I think the reason why so many people get Vodafone is because all their friends have one -- not because they offer the best value. I don't have anything against them as such, but I do think Vodafone is kinda overrated.

As for Docomo... Well, they're a branch of the incumbent phone company. It's no surprise that they are by far the most expensive no matter how you slice the pie...

As for some other specifics, I can't comment on availabilty of English staff, other than I haven't been able to speak with ANYONE with ANY company in English. AU has English service and product catalogs. Maybe the other companies do too. I dunno. As for reception, I have had few problems with Tuka or AU (I've had both). Can't comment on Voda or Docomo.

Monthly, I pay about 7,000 yen for each of my units. Don't know how much talk time that covers though. Seems to be enough though, whatever it is. In the end i think it works out to about 30 yen a minute. AU has an English website, and their charges are here: http://www.au.kddi.com/english/charge_discount/index.html

You can also check out the other parts of the site for service and product info. It's not as comprehensive as the Japanese site, but not too bad...

Now, if ANY company could offer me English BILLING, I'd probably switch tomorrow! That's still uncharted territory for 99% of companies in Japan, I'd say.

Good luck!

[Nismo]

I have Vodafone because it's cheaper than DoCoMo, and AU had horrid coverage when I had a plan with them. I, also, have the Vodafone "lover's special", so all calls and email, any time of the day, between my girlfriend and I are free of charge.

As far as the application process goes, I've only seen one case where someone didn't need an ARC, and she got off with just using a credit card on the app. In every other case regarding friends, classmates, and co-workers, an ARC was required.

[Apsara]

I used to have Tuka and it cost me less than 4000 yen a month but the coverage was terrible and they have little in the way of choice of phones. I recently switched to AU- it's costing me about 5500yen per month, I talk on the phone an average amount and send a lot of emails. The coverage is probably not so good as Docomo but is a huge improvement on Tuka. It will take you a few days to get your Alien Registration Card (gaikokujin toroku shomeisho , not torokusha) unfortunately so I think so you won't be able to get a phone straight away.

[pnksweater]

My phone plan with AU is little over 3,000 yen a month. I don't have internet but I can send and recieve e-mails. Internet would involve access to web sites and other more complicated things. My husband used his phone much more heavily than me and averaged around 7,000 yen a month. Many of my friends spend over 10,000 a month on their DoCoMo bills, but they don't have a land line and are totally dependent on thier cell phone for calls.

As for coverage, it depends where you are living. Way out in the boon docks covereage may stink all together, or only one company may serve the location. In these situations there's not much you can do. However, if you live in Tokyo (or other large cities?) it's unlikely you'll have any problem with coverage. I've used both Tuka (five years ago) and AU and have never had a problem with coverage or service of either brand in Tokyo.

If you are going to be here long term you may also ask your company if they have a point system. AU has a point system where you get points with each bill you pay. When I go to get a new phone I can use these points to lower the price of the phone significantly.