"pay-as-you-go" style Mobiles in Japan

[karekora]

When I get to Japan, what are the best (--CHEAPEST--) "Pay-as-you-go" style phones out there? -- i.e. no monthly bills, just top up your credit whenever you need to.

I've heard Vodafone Japan are good??

I'll be using the mobile to email quite alot too, do all mobiles in Japan now have email facilities set-up on them 'ready to use'?

When I bouhgt my mobile in England, in order to get the WAP working I had to go through a loooong process, and even then the email didn't work. Is it easy to use in Japan?

Thanks

[Caustic Saint]

Vodafone's service is pretty good, and they do offer prepaid mobiles - but why not get a regular phone?

I got mine last Saturday and only signed a 3-month contract. The phone was still the same price as usual and the rates are cheaper than with a prepaid service. Check out their English store page here. The prepaid service page is here. They only show one model on that page, the J-D07, but their current hard copy catalog shows 4 models that can be used with prepaid service (three "candybar" style and one flip phone).

The flip phone is the J-SA06, which sells for Y2,940 if you get a regular plan. There's no pricing info on the site for how much they charge for the handsets if you go prepaid, but I'd imagine it's more than if you got a contract. If you do get a contract plan, though, the phones go for the price listed on the site - whether you sign up for 3 months or 12.

Unless you don't have a credit (or debit) card, there's no reason not to get a "real" phone. They're a lot better than the model available for prepaid usage.

[Thanatos' embalmed botfly]

Oops. This thread has nothing to do with THE STRANGLERS classic "Shah Shah a go-go" at all does it? Frightfully sorry. You see, I see the "go" bit in the subject line and got all.. um. Yes. Carry on.

At the risk of being accused of wanton solipsism, it may be of miniscule interest to almost one of you that I have never actually used a cell phone. Yes, I've touched them but have never actually activated one.

Yes. Uhh.. as I said...

Carry on.

[Taro Toporific]

When I get to Japan, what are the best (--CHEAPEST--) "Pay-as-you-go" style phones out there? -- i.e. no monthly bills, just top up your credit whenever you need to.

As Caustic says, it seems that just getting a regular keitai contract is much cheaper in Japan. The prepaid phone business was severely restricted police a couple of years back and now there seems to be only a couple? of very expensive prepaid phone plans for tourists with English interfaces.
Personally, would love to have a CHEAP pay-as-you-go keitai plan since I almost never use my phone. However as far as I can tell that business model does not exist in Japan because of excessive regulation.

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6616&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=prepaid
Have a look at this site. Don`t know if you can use them back in america though.
http://prekei-japan.com/

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7598&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=prepaid

I use a prepaid when I'm in Japan. Since I'm not resident, I had to get a Japanese friend to buy it for me - my passport wasn't sufficient. I don't know if I just got a difficult store clerk or if that is still the.
Calls are expensive but you can make 3000 yen last if you beg people to call you back.
One slight inconvenience - if you lose your prepaid handset, you lose your number too mind you which means you have to phone/email with new details to everyone you conceivably gave your number out to.

I think a prepaid phone is your best option, but the calls are expensive. The phone is about 7000 en and the cards are 3000 en. The phone comes with a card that has 3500 en on it - so the phone actually only costs 2500 en ( around $22 US) When you get low on minutes you go the konbini and buy a new card from a machine (they have instructions in English) for 3000 en.

But be warned, everything is in some strange language and even the simplest tasks are a chore.

? pre-paid cell phones in Japan ???
http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4469&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=prepaid

Pre-paid phones.. don't waste your time. Seriously, the phones are crap, the charges are high and you don't get to take advantage of the cool Japanese mobile phone technology like email and mobile internet content.

That's right - you can email your friends back home right from your phone and they can email you!! Take photos and movies and send them as well. Don't just think of your mobile phone as something to make calls on.. if you don't believe me, check out some of the old threads on this board about mobile phones. Also, TokyoDV (GuyJean's site, has some great video about some cool phone technology)

If you use a credit card, you will be able to get yourself into a modern phone and you might even be able to get one for 1yen if you shop around. You can do this on a tourist visa - just ask Ultra he was here for 3 months and had a cool SonyEricsson number for the cool price of 1yen with the bills going to his credit card. He just cancelled it when he left and kept the phone.

Get into a good plan for voice/data and get mobile!! You can email, surf the internet and also access really cool and useful sites that will make your Japanese experience worthwhile.. you can even view this board from the phones!!!

[GomiGirl]

Personally, would love to have a CHEAP pay-as-you-go keitai plan since I almost never use my phone.

Well people would call you more often if you had it turned ON!!!

Oh my friend Taro-sama.. the number of times I have tried to call you and your phone is OFF!!

[Taro Toporific]

Personally, would love to have a CHEAP pay-as-you-go keitai plan since I almost never use my phone.

Well people would call you more often if you had it turned ON!!!:

So true. Let's see: my keitai is off at work, while I'm quadraped walking, when I'm asleep, at dinner...gee, come to think of it, no wonder my battery remains charged for more than month. Oops.

Then again...the philosopher Erik Hoffer once said to me when I asked him about his lack of a phone number: "I am not a monkey on a string."



"A man by himself is in bad company." - - Eric Hoffer 1902-1983

[Charles]

Then again...the philosopher Erik Hoffer once said to me when I asked him about his lack of a phone number: "I am not a monkey on a string."

You should have asked him: do you have a doorbell?

[Taro Toporific]

When I get to Japan, what are the best (--CHEAPEST--) "Pay-as-you-go" style phones out there? -- i.e. no monthly bills, just top up your credit whenever you need to.

TRhe Telecom carriers' policies split on supporting prepaid cell phones
Japan Times, Jan 12
....Wireless telecommunications carriers are divided over how to treat prepaid cell phones, which have been criticized as a tool for con artists taking advantage of relatively lax identification requirements.
In response, the big three carriers say they have tightened their registration process, while a group of ruling bloc lawmakers plans to submit a bill requiring a vigorous identification check on buyers of such phones.
Even so, NTT DoCoMo Inc., has decided to call it quits.....
... In Britain, for instance, 60 percent of the subscribers are prepaid customers] prepaid phones offer a valuable pay option for customers, since there are no basic monthly fees.

[Mulboyne]

Kyodo via Japan Today: DoCoMo to end acceptance of new prepaid phone contracts
NTT DoCoMo Inc plans to stop accepting new subscribers for its prepaid cell phone services by the end of March as they are increasingly used in crimes, company officials said Tuesday. Prepaid cell phones under the existing contracts can be used for the time being, but NTT DoCoMo plans to discontinue prepaid mobile phone services after a transitional period of two to three years, they said.