Free WiFi in Tokyo? Unimpossible!

[Taro Toporific]

Tokyo Metropolitan Buses to Provide Free Wi-Fi
Tokyo, Nov. 22, 2013 (Jiji Press)---Wi-Fi wireless communications service will be available for free on all buses operated by the Tokyo metropolitan government by the end of March 2014, officials said Friday.
The service will start on the route between Shinbashi and Shibuya via Roppongi on Dec. 20 and be expanded to other routes gradually.
NTT BroadbandPlatform Inc. will offer the service.
Passengers with Wi-Fi-enabled smartphones or computers will be allowed to use the Internet continuously for up to three hours, but the service can be used any number of times a day.
More...

[GomiGirl]

This is great news. About time though.

What do they all do with the email addresses they collect when you register?

[kurogane]

Don't smartphones come with Wi-Fi??????

By which I mean, who buys a smartphone without a proprietary Wi-Fi service contract????

Isn't that like buying a car with no tires and showing it off to your friends?

[omae mona]

Don't smartphones come with Wi-Fi??????

By which I mean, who buys a smartphone without a proprietary Wi-Fi service contract????

Isn't that like buying a car with no tires and showing it off to your friends?

I haven't done too many new phone contracts myself in recent years, but from my experience: yes, usually DoCoMo and Softbank seem to have endless "temporary" promotions to get access to their wifi network (normally an extra fee) for free.

However: 1) most people I know aren't aware of the service (even though it's in the fine print). 2) it's so damn complicated to set up that nobody bothers, as far as I can tell. 3) Increase #2 by a factor of 10 if you don't read Japanese. 4) The speed is typically way worse than LTE and sometimes worse than 3G, when it works at all. Often I find my phone switching over to Wifi automatically because I'm in range of a signal, and instantly I lose access to whatever I was doing on my phone because the connectivity is so lousy. I have to turn off wi-fi to resume what I was doing.

[Coligny]

Don't smartphones come with Wi-Fi??????

By which I mean, who buys a smartphone without a proprietary Wi-Fi service contract????

Isn't that like buying a car with no tires and showing it off to your friends?

Cars unlike smartphone can have value unrelated to their functionality (being an end by themselves)

Bugatti Veyron without wheels, still a masterpiece.

Iphone without service or disfunctionnal wifi, sad piece of chinese made junk

[Coligny]

This is great news. About time though.

What do they all do with the email addresses they collect when you register?

Let some marketting bimbo think she's the shit because she filled a database of potential customers who will certainly be glad she spend all this time to write them email aboot the last disney-esquilax themed iphone dustcover they can have for free if their switch their contract and return it with a fresh dog carcasse also with a 15y cashback on their yearly fee. Maybe one day she will also have the sufficient IQ to realise that john.doe@navy.mil didn't really use her service that much...

Sales dept meeting were always such a great place to find new reason to hate mankind... You could always know which bimbo got her bunghole still stretched by the time she was allowed to talk despite the borderline insanity of her suggestions... Transition from captain of the cheerleading team to the workplace would never have been possible without the modern improvment of personnal lubricants...

[GomiGirl]

I was mainly thinking this is good for tourists.

[kurogane]

I haven't done too many new phone contracts myself in recent years, but from my experience: yes, usually DoCoMo and Softbank seem to have endless "temporary" promotions to get access to their wifi network (normally an extra fee) for free.

However: 1) most people I know aren't aware of the service (even though it's in the fine print). 2) it's so damn complicated to set up that nobody bothers, as far as I can tell. 3) Increase #2 by a factor of 10 if you don't read Japanese. 4) The speed is typically way worse than LTE and sometimes worse than 3G, when it works at all. Often I find my phone switching over to Wifi automatically because I'm in range of a signal, and instantly I lose access to whatever I was doing on my phone because the connectivity is so lousy. I have to turn off wi-fi to resume what I was doing.

To my ears (well, eyes.) That was delectably well written Martian.

But you managed to strenthgthen my increasinly Old Guy resistance to the idea of the smartphone.

And you do know I thank you for that.

Coligny,

Nice point , mon homme.

[omae mona]

To my ears (well, eyes.) That was delectably well written Martian.

Sorry, the English version is "don't bother with wifi from your mobile phone provider. Just use the regular mobile data."

I was mainly thinking this is good for tourists.

Tourists take buses in Tokyo??
(even if not, at the pace most of those buses run, I guess tourists could get a few minutes of free access from the sidewalk as they drive by)

[J.A.F.O]

There are wifi hotspots all over the place here but the catch is you gotta create an account... pardon me but Go to Hell. I live somewhat close to a military base, and they offer free wifi access without any password requirements whatsoever. Not the speediest but usually works when the power goes out during a typhoon.

[yanpa]

I was mainly thinking this is good for tourists.

Tourists take buses in Tokyo??
(even if not, at the pace most of those buses run, I guess tourists could get a few minutes of free access from the sidewalk as they drive by)

Renting space at Starbucks would be more practical, you get a free coffee as well.

[kurogane]

To my ears (well, eyes.) That was delectably well written Martian.

Sorry, the English version is "don't bother with wifi from your mobile phone provider. Just use the regular mobile data."

Narooheso!!!! Thanks for that. I still don't get it, but that's my fault for trying to fight howitzers with a rusty trebuchet. What I get from that is that people are buying phones that offer no network, but I do get that 'other networks' exist to achieve the desired result. I am actually not kidding here, but is using a smartphone for Wi-Fi effectively like walking around town with a Wi-Fi ready laptop that just happens to be pocket sized?

I could see the convenience, but I still don't want or need one.

Also, WTF are all those white tourists doing walking around Tokyo and Kyoto looking at their F'in phones all the time? I met one weedy little emotard that claimed the lack of Urban Wi-Fi (WTF that is) in Kyoto was 'ruining his enjoyment of his vacation'. Do these people understand the object of their attention is currently under their feet?

[omae mona]

Narooheso!!!! Thanks for that. I still don't get it, but that's my fault for trying to fight howitzers with a rusty trebuchet. What I get from that is that people are buying phones that offer no network, but I do get that 'other networks' exist to achieve the desired result.

I am not sure anybody's buying phones without a network, but there are a number of reasons to intentionally avoid using the mobile network for data, preferring Wi-Fi instead:

• You're travelling internationally, and the roaming charges could bankrupt you within about 5 minutes if you're not careful.
• You have a local mobile account, but there's a monthly cap on data usage, so you want to avoid using it when possible.
• The Wi-Fi is faster than the mobile data.

In reality, I don't think the latter two actually happen much in real life, for most people, in Tokyo at least.

I am actually not kidding here, but is using a smartphone for Wi-Fi effectively like walking around town with a Wi-Fi ready laptop that just happens to be pocket sized?

Yes, I think that's a pretty good summary of what a smartphone is doing, if you turn off mobile voice & data and rely only on Wi-Fi.

[kurogane]

That was impressively lucid. Thanks man. It's nice to know, even if I haven't taken the smartphone plunge. I can see all those reasons, too. I used to get some whopping cell bills in the 90s when on fieldwork outside of the DoCoMo Kansai area. I think that was a sort of roaming charge; they've since axed that crazed practice, I believe.

Being ankle-ironed to a damn laptop all working day is as much as I can handle, but a pocket laptop that can also work as a phone could certainly be useful for many people, I'm sure.

[legion]

How about just looking out of the window instead?

[Coligny]

Me and them cats do this a plenty...

[jingai]

• You're travelling internationally, and the roaming charges could bankrupt you within about 5 minutes if you're not careful.

Omae, is this possible? I have a high quality US smartphone (Galaxy S4) and would like to use it in Japan as wi-fi only, but was worried that taking it out of airplane mode would subject me to roaming charges. Is it possible to disable cell service and leave wi-fi intact?

[omae mona]

• You're travelling internationally, and the roaming charges could bankrupt you within about 5 minutes if you're not careful.

Omae, is this possible? I have a high quality US smartphone (Galaxy S4) and would like to use it in Japan as wi-fi only, but was worried that taking it out of airplane mode would subject me to roaming charges. Is it possible to disable cell service and leave wi-fi intact?

Yeah, most phones I've seen have a setting called something like "data roaming". You definitely want that disabled if you have not confirmed your provider has a reasonable pricing plan when you're overseas. That setting gives you the best of both worlds. The voice call features still work (and don't cost anything unless you actually make or answer a call). But your phone will not use mobile data. All those nasty apps sucking down data quietly in the background will wait until you're on a wifi network.

[kurogane]

All those nasty apps sucking down data quietly in the background will wait until you're on a wifi network.

And now I finally understand what they mean by Data (as opposed to non-voice communications, a la texting, etc.). That sounds like a Borg sleeper cell, man. Scary.

Jingai,
These guys rent cell phones in Japan at reasonable rates. http://www.rentafonejapan.com/index.html

I used them last year, and it worked well. I don't have a smartphone at all, though, so perhaps the other option you mentioned is easier. BTW, if one uses said data disabled smartphone to make calls while in Japan, are you not still paying to phone via the home country? That sounds like it could get pricey fast.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Tourists take buses in Tokyo??

I don't think many FG in Tokyo even bother to deal with the bus system. Depending in where you live though it's definitely worth learning.

[GomiGirl]

Tourists take buses in Tokyo??

I don't think many FG in Tokyo even bother to deal with the bus system. Depending in where you live though it's definitely worth learning.

I love love love the bus. I use it all the time. I have like 5 bus stops within 3 minutes walk in many directions that will give me super fast access to either Shinjuku or Shibuya or Harajuku for a variety of routes for practically door to door service. No stairs, no waiting and a seat with a view.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Tourists take buses in Tokyo??

I don't think many FG in Tokyo even bother to deal with the bus system. Depending in where you live though it's definitely worth learning.

I love love love the bus. I use it all the time. I have like 5 bus stops within 3 minutes walk in many directions that will give me super fast access to either Shinjuku or Shibuya or Harajuku for a variety of routes for practically door to door service. No stairs, no waiting and a seat with a view.

Yeah, I'm on the east side of town and the bus is definitely better for moving north-south and vice versa than the train.

[legion]

Tourists take buses in Tokyo??

I don't think many FG in Tokyo even bother to deal with the bus system. Depending in where you live though it's definitely worth learning.

I love love love the bus. I use it all the time. I have like 5 bus stops within 3 minutes walk in many directions that will give me super fast access to either Shinjuku or Shibuya or Harajuku for a variety of routes for practically door to door service. No stairs, no waiting and a seat with a view.

I love the bus too, but the ones round here are possessed by the ghost of an obasan who divulges really useful information about each locality constantly, and reminds us to lock our doors and windows

[yanpa]

The bus was the most convenient way to my previous office, though it was haunted by the ghost of a cyclist who had failed to mamoru the ruuru.

[omae mona]

I'm a relatively heavy bus user, but it's really rare for me to notice other FG riding.

[yanpa]

The 都01, which I used to use regularly and which runs from Shinbashi to Shibuya via Roppongi, often had a fair smattering of FGs.

[matsuki]

I only use the bus when I have to but I have to agree, almost never saw FG on there except the bus to the Immigration center from Shinagawa.

[kurogane]

Most of the time in central Kyoto the bus beats the trains, and the route system is actually not completely opaque.

The main problems I have had on Tokyo buses is that the drivers don't understand Japanese, and can't answer questions except to say Dappe, Dappe..........

[jingai]

Hi Kurogane,
When I was there last year I got a Huawei smartphone with tethering from PuPuru:
http://mobileinjapan.com/2010/11/03/vis ... connected/

The service was fine and the data unlimited but the phone was crap. I have no problem using it for calls but would far prefer to use my S4 for everything else!

Thanks for all the info.

All those nasty apps sucking down data quietly in the background will wait until you're on a wifi network.

And now I finally understand what they mean by Data (as opposed to non-voice communications, a la texting, etc.). That sounds like a Borg sleeper cell, man. Scary.

Jingai,
These guys rent cell phones in Japan at reasonable rates. http://www.rentafonejapan.com/index.html

I used them last year, and it worked well. I don't have a smartphone at all, though, so perhaps the other option you mentioned is easier. BTW, if one uses said data disabled smartphone to make calls while in Japan, are you not still paying to phone via the home country? That sounds like it could get pricey fast.

[jingai]

I ended up renting an Android sim card from Global Advanced Communications. It has unlimited Docomo data (3g) and I can use my Galaxy S4 instead of a POS Huawei. http://www.globaladvancedcomm.com/simrent.html
I'll post back if anything goes horribly wrong : )