Keitai Phones

[chopobo]

hi guys,

I might be going up to Japan again end of this year for about 3 months.

I just got some questions on acquiring keitai and how it all works.

I know you most likely need an alien registration card.

But I want to know more on how their plans work.

What are the differences between the carriers, eg Docomo, KDDI Au, Softbank etc

For a 3 month stay is it better going prepaid?

What are the call rates like?

Do they have something like yes time here?

Also which carrier is more widely used?

I'm aware their keitais use email instead of sms. But what is Skymail? How do they charge for this service?

How long are the contracts? Is there a penalty if I cancel within 3 months? How much is that penalty.

Softbank 3G phones. I hear it is possible for them to be used here by unlocking it.

What is reception like, especially up in the slopes. (which is where I will primarily be staying)

International calls?

Oh and do all phones have free incoming calls? Or do some carriers charge for incoming calls.

Sorry for all the questions but I would greatly appreciate any information you have.

Cheers

Lawrence

[Beer Baron]

1. get prepaid.

2. NTT docomo seems to be most popular amongst japanese people, but I have NFI why.

3. forget skymail. it's old school. pretty much any phone you get will just use email anyway.

4. you can buy a prepaid phone from vodaphone for around 10,000yen and no need for an alien registration card. just passport etc.

5. i dont know of any company that charges for incomming calls.

[SKYLVIA]

Go DoCoMo

[Hungryhippo]

If youre going to be anywhere near a mountain then stay away from vodafone,or softbank as its now known. Im pretty sure I lose the signal just by putting it in my pocket.

Edited November 2, 2006 by Hungryhippo

[akeenan]

docomo is expenisve... for a 3 month stay get a prepaid plan.

you dont pay for incoming calls.... you pay a month month fee and you get that price in free calls. I use my phone a hell of a lot and pay 5000円　a month...

it would just be a lot easier when you come to go to a shop and enquire... bring a credit card,... and you dont need an alien registration card to get one... PS: stay away from foma(docomo)

[Mr. Keets]

What about a stay of a couple of weeks (TAS holiday )...docomo?

Can i organise to pick it up at the airport or hotel??

[shiro240]

I'm using Vodafone (Soft Bank) prepaid now. It's not the cheapest, nor does it have the best coverage, but most (if not all) of their phones have the ability to switch to English menus.

Unless many of you looking to buy a phone are fairly Japanese literate and have a good grasp of the kanji alphabet, you should make sure the phone you're getting has the same feature.