Japan data

[sleepy]

Originally Posted by DRNewcomb

One thing to consider is that there is WiFi all over Japan and that Boingo Mobile is under US$8/mo.

I completely second this. Actually, it is also very easy to "find" open WiFi hotspots in cities.

But WiFi does not allow you to connect while travelling by car (I made VOIP calls to find and confirm next hotel while driving to them) or by train.
The overall flexibility of mobile Internet through the mobile phone network is unbeatable and while travelling can give you an edge.
You just need to be covered (and most of the time you are, even outside the cities if you are not in really rural areas) and connect, instead of going to some populated areas to find a spot and connect.

You pay more for this privilege, though, and it is up to each of us to decide what fits best our needs and budget.

Your information is very valuable, though, since it can cheaply solve many people's needs.

Cheers,
Sleepy

[Amrando]

Hi all-

you are definitely right about the limited availability of rental and prepaid options in Japan. There is NO prepaid 'disposable' buy-at-a-corner-store option at all in Japan- this is ostensibly to prevent use for eeeeevil criminal activities (yakuza, etc) but practically speaking is really just there to restrict and control the public's use and provide a barrier to entry and maintain profit margins for the established carriers.

You have to remember Japan has always been more advanced technologically than socially, and they are always very insular.

Softbank has offered a rental SIM for iPhones and smartphones for a couple years now, which is very inexpensive for voice usage but still bills by the kilobyte for data. This is the same with a few low-cost competitors fronted by KDDI, however you would need to use a KDDI phone as well as they do not support GSM.

My option across several trips now is a 3rd-party rental service - there are several companies based in and outside of Japan that rent Softbank or docomo SIMs and/or phones for use in Japan, and they will offer the only plans even vaguely comparable to what an actual subscriber would have in Japan.

My typical package is with *shameless plug* JCR Corp based in Hawaii. They offer docomo SIMs with unlimited data by the day, week or month. Yes, it is quite a bit more expensive than what we are used to as prepaid SIMs around the world, however the coverage is great and their ease-of-use for a rental service is phenomenal. They offer phone and data kit pickup and return from the takkyubin courier service counters at NRT, KIX and HND.

If you need voice and data in Japan, a rental service is unfortunately the only way to go. Down the road docomo and Softbank are moving to UMTS as is the rest of the world, maybe at this point they might get with the program worldwide. But as long as the market is a duopoly and they have the government in their pocket don't count on it.

[DRNewcomb]

There seems to be some good news. I was looking on the Softbank website and they now offer a prepaid SIM for "Short Term Residents". The necessary documentation seems to include a foreign passport with an immigration/entry card and at least 90 days remaining on your stay. Now, the catch with this seems to be that most of the time, when I entered Japan, I got a 90-day stamp. This would mean that you would have to obtain your SIM the very day you arrive in Japan. The Japanese tend to be pretty pedantic when it comes to paperwork and I'd be willing to bet that 89 days is not viewed as being the same as 90 days.

The rates appear high and their data rate is crazy ¥16/6 sec (¥160 per minute). Makes one wonder if someone's on drugs or something.

[reeder]

Originally Posted by DRNewcomb

There seems to be some good news. I was looking on the Softbank website and they now offer a prepaid SIM for "Short Term Residents". The necessary documentation seems to include a foreign passport with an immigration/entry card and at least 90 days remaining on your stay.

Are you referring to the clause Purchasing Procedures | SoftBank

3. Certificate of alien registration + Passport
The applicant must be eligible to stay in Japan for 90 days or more after the service application has been accepted.
The certificate and the passport must be valid at the time of application.
The certificate and the passport must include a photograph of the applicant's face, name, birth date and address, all of which must be identical to those written on the application form.
If the address on the certificate or/and the passport is different from the current address specified on the application form, you must submit separate proof of your current address.

Alien Registration wasn't the same as a 90 day tourist visa. I think it has been replaced by a foreign national resident registration system which excludes
(1) Persons granted permission to stay for 3 months or less
(2) Persons granted "Temporary Visitor" status
I'd need to check my passport stamps, but I think a US passport holder arriving for tourism would be granted a Temporary Visitor visa thus ineligible according to the rules.

Alien registration in Japan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
To all foreign nationals residing in Japan?Beginning on Monday, July 9, 2012,?Start of a new residency management system!
Consulate-General of Japan in New York

I've actually seen a few China Unicom sims for use in Japan on eBay. They roam on Softbank and use an apn in China. The apn in China and price discourage me from trying it, even though the 15GB/7 days data cap is plenty sufficient.