Just called Effendi, last day in Japan... anyway good communication 3 Italy -> Travelsim (roaming on Docomo), just a little delay

And you've payed not very much!

I think he payed almost nothing, just 9 cent/min to call me, and I didn't pay a single cent to receive.

BTW some news from Japan: the first MVNO is coming, JCI, roaming on NTT DoCoMo's 3g network, all information here.

But you are in time to help me. I am going to Japan the first week of April and want to have a phone with me while I am traveling.

What I have:

Cingular Tilt(HTC) Unlocked, I have verified that it will function with networks in Japan.



What I would like to be able to do in Japan:

Have a Prepaid SIM that I can order, receive, and test to work prior to traveling.
Have a number that US caller's can call, or that I can route my International 800# to.
Be able to call from Japan to the US.
Be able to call from Japan within Japan.
Text messaging/VoiceMail, etc. are okay, and optional.

My biggest question is what is a trusthworthy SIM that I can get ahead of time, that will work in Japan, and that isn't extremely expensive.

I checked the CelTrek mentioned in your post and it looks okay, that their site has not been udpated in nearly a year, and all the typo's concerns me slightly. Do you recommend CelTrek for me?

Any help is greatly appreciated as I have been looking around online for a month and can't seem to find the right information/SIM to use.

I have also considered just getting a SIM in Tokyo when I arrive, but that negates having everything in place for me to receive calls(people knowing the number to dial).

Thanks again,
Patrick

You cannot buy a prepaid card in Japan, you can only rent a phone with a contract for some time.

BTW I was in Japan at the end of January and I used Travelsim with no problems. Rates are rather cheap (much cheaper than Softbank prepaid!) and service quality is good.

Effendi, Travelsim goes to roaming with?

Travelsim roams on NTT-DoCoMo.

Thanks maccoy, french friend:D

Not familiar with that phone. If it has UMTS-2100 it should. Otherwise, don't count on it.
All I can say is that it has worked for me. It only roams on SoftBank, not NTT. So you don't get the benefit of double coverage. Not such a big deal since SoftBank's (Vodafone, JPHONE) coverage has gotten much better over the last four years.

One negative has to do with making local calls. Since the call routes (I assume) from Japan to Israel to the US and back there can be a noticable delay in the conversation. I recommended CelTrek on one friend who used it for local calls but his wife refused to talk on the phone. The time delay bothered her that much. I would assume that the same would be true for all international prepaids that are using a callback to connect local calls.

This is one problem you will not have with a local rental.
Renting a SIM from the SoftBank kiosk is a good option for many visitors. If you have a forwarding system in place you can activate it over the Internet before you leave the airport.

I was at Narita airport two weeks ago and Celtrek worked nicely. I wholeheartedly recommend them, their CS is pretty responsive.

I use an unlocked AT&T Tilt as well.

There was a noticeable delay, but it was way worse in Russia (Vladivostok and Sakhalinsk).