Perfect Phone Plan

[Housetek]

This will be my 7th time back to Japan. I arrived June 1st and currently staying in Takanawa.
Every time i come i rent a phone for hundreds of dollars! Bills get pretty expensive.
Docomo Wants up to 300 for 2 months and other companies are around 120-130 a month.
But this time i went with a Skype/ Softbank combo.
Ill explain.
There is softbanks all over Tokyo, the one i went to was in Roppongi across from the Almonds in the crossing.
They speak Very fluent english and will set you up with a phone within a hour.
TO buy a prepaid phone its 70 dollars you can pick from 2 models and 2 colors for each. *black, blue, and white and black*
This phone you can keep for ever, no need to return or mail back, its Yours.
All you need to do is buy a top up card for 3k Yen or 5k yen.
Its 90 yen per minute but its free incomming.
So you can call some one hang up and they can call you back and you get free incomming calls.
Text msging is 15 yen per text and free incomming.
They also set you up with a free soft bank email account
*yourname* @Softbank.ne.jp
mine is Housetek @softbank.ne.jp
okay so heres where the Skype part comes in
I like to keep in contact with all of my friends and family from the states and i want them to call me freely when ever they want.
So on skype for 12 dollars i bought a US number for 3 months in the area code all my friends and family live in.
its a PA/NJ number.
Then i put call forwarding on, and have all my calls from my skype from the US
forwarded to my japanese Prepaid Cell.
So my friends and family can call me ANY time they want with out being charged international rates and all of their phone calls go directly to my skype wich then forwards them to my Prepaid in which i get Free incomming calls.
Pretty nifty.
So if your looking for a phone in japan, instead of buying one at the airport you can try my method.
Which will cost you 70 dollars for the start up phone which you can use forever, 12 for 3 months of Skype number i also put 25 dollars into Skype credit but i always have skype credit on it just in case i want to call internationally back home. and then the Prepaid top up is 3k yen for 60 days.
my last PHone which i go from Narita airport cost me 150 dollars for one month
and a previous one cost me 150 for 2 weeks!
so i belive this way will save alot more money. also its very convenient cuz once you have the phone and you want to Top up next time you come back to japan you can buy a topup card at Any AMPM, lawsons or Sunkus.

 

[mauron]

Don't you need to show some form of (Japanese) ID, i.e. an alien registration card, when you buy a Softbank phone? At least that's what the Softbank website tells me...

 

[Housetek]

yes a passport and a adress of where you are staying is all you need for a prepaid

 

[Ewok85]

Softbank who was previously Vodafone who was previously Jfone have always had this prepaid setup, and its always been the simplest, and cheapest of the bunch. Used it back in 2002

 

[sanji]

When I tried to get a Softbank prepaid phone, I contacted the customer service I was told that you need either to have a Japanese phone, or to have a gaikokujin registration card. It seems the general rule is to not accept only a foreign passport as a identification.

From the official Softbank web site :

Q16: Where can I purchase prepaid handsets?
A16: You can purchase prepaid handsets at SoftBank shops or convenience stores.

1. May not be available in some stores.
2. When applying, one of the documents below is required. Always present originals. Pre-copied documents cannot be accepted for the contract application.

[Individuals] Alien registration card, Health insurance card + Proof of your current address, Student ID + Health insurance card, Japanese driver's license, Basic residential registration card, Japanese passport, Identification booklet for the disabled.

source : http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/en/prepaid/contact/faq.html

You can check all details about this prepaid service here : http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/en/prepaid/index.html

Also, the 3000 and 5000 yens cards you buy to charge your ketai are valid only 60 days. If you do not use the whole amount during this period, it will be lost. And if your phone is not charged for 12 months, then your phone number will be deactivated.

sanji

 

[blenze]

softbank with skype

I have some questions using the skype. So if your friends call you through skype which is forwarded to your japan cell, what is the cost to you for the forwarding call?
My son is deployed to Japan. He has one of those cell phones that incoming are free. I have a phone card but it cost 24 cents a minutes so I was trying to find ways of cheaper calling.
I see if he downloads skype to his computer and I have it on mine with both of us having a headset or phone receiver we can talk for free if I am looking at that correctly.
Your assistance is appreciated. Thank you!

 

[JimmySeal]

I see if he downloads skype to his computer and I have it on mine with both of us having a headset or phone receiver we can talk for free if I am looking at that correctly.

I believe this is true. You can definitely do that with Yahoo! Messenger. I do it almost every weekend.

 

[ifjames]

We have 3G Australian mobile (cell) phones which we know will work in Japan, but roaming is ridiculously expensive: is it possible to just buy a Japan prepaid SIM card (as we do in the US whenever we go) : we already use Skype, so this udes with Skype and free-incoming would be good for us too, but we don't need the phone.

It's OK I just found http://euc.jp/misc/cellphones.en.html#tech which explains it al. Sorry.

 

[Housetek]

Check out my youtube channel i have a video explaining the cell phone plan if you dont feel like reading it

YouTube

 

[ifjames]

Check out my youtube channel i have a video explaining the cell phone plan if you dont feel like reading it
YouTube

Just watched it: great!!!!
BUT
can we buy a top up card anyway as we already have a phone (looks JUST like yours!!!) or do you have to be registered as having bought a phone: that's the thing: don't really need the phone, and we are only going for a week BUT global roaming on Australian networks is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive: if all else fails we may just do text messages and then use prepaid landline cards from here (already have them as I ring my rellies in the US all the time): I'm planning on getting a T-Mobile SIM card when I'm in the US in August: wish there was some universal card that just charged you the local rates wherever you are: dream on!!
Thanks for all the help though: I did understand your thread, but hearing it made it even clearer. Cheers

 

[Housetek]

i believe you need the japanese softbank phone in order to make calls in japan

 

[AmerLaw]

If I'm going to be in Japan for a year, would it be easier/cheaper to buy a phone plan? If so, would I pull this off the same way (with Skype)?

 

[nice gaijin]

When I was there, AU had a great student plan and only a year contract. I got my phone for free and only paid about 3500 yen per month (and another 3000 to cancel the contract early, which is much cheaper than what American companies try to charge). It seems that people are spending a lot more money this year; I do not know if it's because they are unaware of their options, or if the system has changed.

Either way, the phone plan best suited to you depends entirely on how you plan to use your phone.