Job Discussion Forums

[naujokaitis]

I know this topic has probably been brought up in the past, but if anybody can help me out it would be wonderful. I will be going to Japan next week and I will have two weeks of training then I am moving out to Karatsu city (if it doesn't change). I would like to get the internet set up. How do I go about doing this? What companies are good and cheap? I was thinking I should probably wait until at least I get my first paycheck. Also, are the set up fees high and does it take a while to get it set up once you apply? And anything else you guys can inform me on this matter would be great.

Thanks.

[Mr_Monkey]

Some comanies are very cheap. IIRC, Toucan (in Fukuoka - the nearest major city to Karatsu) offered stupidly low rates. However, they probably also offer low speeds, a bandwidth allowance and high contention ratios.

Ultimately, any advice that can be offered regarding ISPs is ultimately determined by how much you're willing to spend, what you want to do with your connection and the level of service you expect.

Help us out here?

[kotoko]

Yahoo BB have an English phone number, so when you get here, give them a call and you'll have the net in a few days. If you have a supervisor/friendly person/your own Japanese skills then you can phone other companies too, of course

[ripslyme]

[Glenski]

Ask your coworkers or employer for advice, too. After all, they live in that area. Most of us on the Cafe do not.

[rxk22]

I waited 6 months to get my internet. Though is was a halfway rural area. When I loved I got my net in like 4 days, and it's decently fast.

[Yawarakaijin]

The last hold out in our quadraplex(?) just signed up for J:com. With everyone in our building now having j:com our rates got drastically cut. I now pay about 3,700 yen for the 100MB internet package and basic foreigner friendly cable package. ( sports, discovery, axn, history channel and all the other good stuff.)

[southofreality]

[Okonomiyaki]

I'm surprised that nobody has told the OP, a newbie, that he probably can't sign up for the Internet contract on his own, any more than he could sign up for an apartment or water/electric without a guarantor.

OP, whereas in the West you could probably sign up for an Internet connection with nothing more than a credit card and a copy of your apartment lease, it's a leeettle harder in Japan. You will probably need a guarantor-- usually your employer or an employed member of your host family-- to co-sign, just in case you might skip out on your bill.

You'll also want to have a bank account and your own "inkan" (signature-stone), preferably the kind registered with your bank, or even better the kind that's registered at City Hall. The rules for inkan can be finicky, especially for foreigners whose names are lengthy and don't fit on an ordinary small inkan, so look to your employer to help you out there!

Regarding YahooBB, do you reeeeally want to reward their overly aggressive advertising behavior? I've dreaded going shopping whenever those spamming brutes block the escalators and entrances. Your yen is your vote for or against this type of overly aggressive advertising.

The best deal may be with a local cable company, so don't make any decisions until you've spoken to your neighbors and co-workers IN THAT COMMUNITY.

On the happy side, it's easy for us to guarantee that you will probably pay US$50 a month give-or-take ten bucks, and will get startlingly fast, super-reliable broadband unless you're waaay out in the deep countryside.

I'm in Thailand now, and I want to cry like a baby every time I compare the Internet connection I enjoyed in Japan to what I'm stomaching here. In Thailand, "broadband" is merely a description of the string holding together two decrepit coconut shell halves!