Job Discussion Forums

[Clairebear07]

Hi,

Can anyone please tell me how to go about getting a mobile once in Japan? I'm going to be in Osaka. Do you have to get a contract or can you/is it feasible just to get a pay as you go deal?
Is it best just to buy a phone once there or would it be best to bring a mobile that works and just get a contract/sim card?

Thanks in advance!

Claire ;0

[JonnyB61]

You certainly can get pay-as-you-go phones here, I've got one. It seems a bit pricy though so I'll be switching to a contract dealy next month. You'll probably have to wait until you've completed the alien registration process as you'll have to show your 'Gaijin Card'.

[markle]

[JonnyB61]

News to me!
Let me think, last October if my memory serves me right. It's from AU. They are still selling the cards for credit and no-one has mentioned anything to me about discontinuing them.
Maybe it's a regional thing.

[Shimmeringstar]

If you are planning on being in Japan for a couple years, I would wait until you get to Japan to get one. Some companies offer decent plans with international roaming, too, which can be handy if you're planning on traveling. Look at your options once you're in the country. There's plenty to choose from! It could be risky bringing a phone from home... hard to say how well it will work in Japan till you're here, plus you'll probably be able to find a cheaper deal here than what international plans could cost.
Good luck!

[JonnyB61]

OK mystery solved
There's a phone company here called Do Co Mo. They used to do pay-as-you-natter deals but they stopped last year.

Another big phone company here is AU and they are still offering them. Mine cost about 30 quid but it is only in Japanese. You might like to lash out a bit more and get one with language choices on it. Au are easy to find in every town.
Regards
JB

[ndorfn]

find a friend to take you around a few places and get a free phone that has english. i've used vodafone (now softbank maybe )and AU coz they're the cheapest and my missus gets a discount. lots of phones are free on contract.

[Gordon]

I have a pay as you go phone, but don't recommend it for most people. Mine is a vodaphone, now softbank . I used to pay 40 yen/minute and now it is 2 yen/second. Ouch!. I rarely use it so it isn't worth changing to get a different one.

[Hoser]

Is Canuck on vacation? I was sure there would be some smart reply with links to a FAQ or other such search results.

[Gordon]

[Sage]

The Softbank "white plan" + the cheep E-Mail option FTW.