Mobile phones in Japan..?

[xRealCinderellax]

Ok, sorry if this has already been asked about like 493758 times already or is in the wrong place, but I've been looking all over the place trying to find out and keep finding different answers..
What types of mobiles will work in Japan? Will any? So far I've seen people be told that no phone that isn't Japanese will work in Japan, that any old G3 phone will work, and that it can't be any type of G3 it has to be one that uses WCDMA. Which is it? And if it's a really specific type like the WCDMA thing if you could recommend any that'd be great too =D (one that doesn't cost £400 preferably..)
Also, as another option, would I be able to buy a phone once I got to Japan? I read somewhere that you have to live there to buy one, and read somewhere else that they don't do pay as you go phones, which I found a little odd...

I already know about renting phones, but I'm going for 70 days so that could get a little expensive.. and I need a new one anyway, so if I can get one that'll work there it'd be handy..
Thanks =)

 

[ifjames]

What types of mobiles will work in Japan? Will any? So far I've seen people be told that no phone that isn't Japanese will work in Japan, that any old G3 phone will work, and that it can't be any type of G3 it has to be one that uses WCDMA. Which is it? And if it's a really specific type like the WCDMA thing if you could recommend any that'd be great too =D (one that doesn't cost £400 preferably..)

Thanks =)

Hi: we found in March
1. can't buy phone unless you are resident..no phones, prepaid SIM cards, nothing
2. to use global roaming (VERY EXPENSIVE) you need QUAD BAND ie 2100 band: find it under Network Set up: we found that our Motorola RAZ 6 worked, cos it had the 2100 band, but NOT the RAZ 3:
Also, there is a link on the Forum (I've deleted the bookmark : sorry) about combining Skype and cell phones: looked an excellent idea for long stays..check it out..good luck

 

[misty88]

Do you know if you can bring your own SIM cards? would they work if you braught them from another country....?

 

[xRealCinderellax]

Hi: we found in March
1. can't buy phone unless you are resident..no phones, prepaid SIM cards, nothing
2. to use global roaming (VERY EXPENSIVE) you need QUAD BAND ie 2100 band: find it under Network Set up: we found that our Motorola RAZ 6 worked, cos it had the 2100 band, but NOT the RAZ 3:
Also, there is a link on the Forum (I've deleted the bookmark : sorry) about combining Skype and cell phones: looked an excellent idea for long stays..check it out..good luck

Ok, thanks =) Quadband makes life easier, there were a few quadband phones I was looking at anyway, I just didn't know if they would work. I know roaming is insanely expensive, but its only really for a couple of texts each week to stop my parents freaking out

 

[alantin]

I stayed in Japan for about 3 months 1.5 years ago and I got a cheap softbank phone for that time.. I guess the whole thing with the subscription was around 50€ at the time and that was all I paid for the whole time because I didn't buy any additional prepaid minutes.

A friend of mine who was a permanent resident then registered it in his name.

I mainly used it to receive calls though and used public phones to call myself. I got n prepaid minutes with it but I had to use them inside the first month or so after which they expired!

I think that's about the cheapest option for a short stay if you want to actually use a mobile phone there!

Btw. You can't send or receive text messages with a japanese phone! That feature is a heritage of the GSM specification which was never supported in Japan!
They use email with their phones instead!
You should be able to use a WCDMA compatible phone to send and receive text messages though! ☝


@misty88
The phones in Japan are pretty much operator specific so it is unlikely a subscription to a foreign operator would work even if you could put a SIM card into the phone!

 

[dreamer]

Btw. You can't send or receive text messages with a japanese phone! That feature is a heritage of the GSM specification which was never supported in Japan!

Too bad for you...mine works perfectly with either text messages or e-mails though...

 

[ifjames]

Do you know if you can bring your own SIM cards? would they work if you braught them from another country....?

You can't buy a phone so no point in bringing SIM card unless you bring your own quad band phone.....

 

[alantin]

Too bad for you...mine works perfectly with either text messages or e-mails though...

What kind of phone is it?
A Japanese one?

I thought that at least the newer 3G network should have support for text messages too but didn't really believe they'd sell phones that support it too since the email is so popular..

 

[ifjames]

What kind of phone is it?
A Japanese one?

I thought that at least the newer 3G network should have support for text messages too but didn't really believe they'd sell phones that support it too since the email is so popular..

We found we could send texts OK on our quad band phone, but nobody with a japanese phone could receive them...only email or calls..tough on global roaming when all you want to know is where they are cos you can't find them in the station!!!!!

 

[dreamer]

What kind of phone is it?
A Japanese one?

I thought that at least the newer 3G network should have support for text messages too but didn't really believe they'd sell phones that support it too since the email is so popular..

Mine is one of these new GSM/3G... when I send messages, my family receive them somehow...

 

[ifjames]

Mine is one of these new GSM/3G... when I send messages, my family receive them somehow...

So if the Japanese resident has a 3G phone they will receive texts from a global roaming 3G quad band, right?? Do I assume the Japanese 3G phones then are the quad band ones??? Or do ANY 3G phones now work in Japan...our motorola RAZZ 3 certainly didn't in March, only the Razz 6....

Sorry, not razz3 : should be V3xx

 

[Dogen Z]

Ok, sorry if this has already been asked about like 493758 times already or is in the wrong place, but I've been looking all over the place trying to find out and keep finding different answers..
What types of mobiles will work in Japan? Will any? So far I've seen people be told that no phone that isn't Japanese will work in Japan, that any old G3 phone will work, and that it can't be any type of G3 it has to be one that uses WCDMA. Which is it? And if it's a really specific type like the WCDMA thing if you could recommend any that'd be great too =D (one that doesn't cost £400 preferably..)
Also, as another option, would I be able to buy a phone once I got to Japan? I read somewhere that you have to live there to buy one, and read somewhere else that they don't do pay as you go phones, which I found a little odd...
I already know about renting phones, but I'm going for 70 days so that could get a little expensive.. and I need a new one anyway, so if I can get one that'll work there it'd be handy..
Thanks =)

iPhone? ☝ It works in Japan but you'll have to make arrangements with your carrier. Or you could just use an iPod Touch and use a wifi site like McDonalds for emails.

 

[alantin]

Mine is one of these new GSM/3G... when I send messages, my family receive them somehow...

Is it a Japanese phone bought in Japan or something you brought from abroad?

 

[dreamer]

Mine was bought in Japan indeed...a Sharp Aquos cell phone.
Japan indeed only allows for the use of CDMA/WCDMA as well as a few expensive GSM mobiles (but you'll pay a lot)