Question Best Way to Communicate with Someone in Japan - Besides a phone

[MikeSD]

I have been looking for a way to setup a communications path, between my wife in the U.S and her sister in Japan. Both are non technical. They do use phones but that is limited, for things like sending videos and photos. At least so far. Media doesn't seem to go through.

So here is what I'm looking for. I want to setup a dedicated computer, where they can just log on and send text, video, and photos. I also want them to be able to talk face to face over the internet. Kind of like a Teams or Skype connection. In fact, Skype might work. I made a connection like that once to Japan and it worked fine. So far SMS and MMS dont seem to work.

My problem is in logistics to set this up. I will need...
1) A wifi connection. How much is wifi in Japan?
2) Can I pay for connection with wifi, from the U.S.?
3) An application or two, for the software
4) It needs to be easy to use
5) And since the Japan side is non-techncal, it should be easy to restore connection, just by power down/power up
6) And I must be able to pay any monthly fees, from the U.S. side of this.

Also, rules in Japan for setting up wifi that may preclude foreigners, on a permanent basis. I have used temporary hotspots, but I need something permanent.

I need suggestions for doing this. We will be in Japan, in July, and I'd like to be ahead on this project, and set it up while there and test it before I leave.

 

[Buntaro]

Keep using the iPhones. You could also try setting up a private YouTube channel for sending videos.

 

[mdchachi]

I think LINE over a smartphone is all they need. As long as they have a data plan they should be good to go. If they are able to send messages, videos and photos over the phone they should be able to run LINE. And if one or both sides have a PC they can use the same LINE account there. But in that case they would need home internet and wifi as you were thinking.

First step is to set up and use LINE between you and your wife and then once she knows how it works she can train her sister. And since virtually everybody in Japan uses LINE her sister can get help from her friends or family too.

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

There seem to be some services of the product for elderly people simple videophone.

【もっとかんたんテレビ電話】LeChien2（ルシアンツー）の使い方

株式会社 アイ・コミュニケーション

株式会社アイ・コミュニケーションのTV電話を使用した双方向告知通信システム『知らせますケン』。幅広い年代に向けてＩＴリテラシーをあげることを目指します。

www.i-communication.co.jp

TQ Tablet

TQコネクト株式会社

TQコネクトのオフィシャルウェブサイトです。私たちのチャレンジは、すべての人が簡単に使えて、デジタルによる格差をTQタブレットで少しでもなくしていくこと。

tqconnect.co.jp

 

[Petaris]

We used an android tablet for my mother-in-law with Skype and a couple of other apps. She now has a smart phone so they just use Line these days.

 

[salyavin]

My mother in law found Skype "too hard", found turning on and using her laptop "too hard". And that is with my wife and I sitting there showing her how to do it. It's like a mental block. Now that she has a smart phone she uses line just fine, pretty funny. As they use iphones I would think facetime would be just as easy. If you cannot be there to show her a family member or friend should be able to show or sometimes even a mobile store for their carrier will sometimes help as they have with my mother in law.

 

[Twozyme]

I usually stick with texting or email since it's easy and people in Japan often respond fast. If we're both online at the same time, messaging works even better.

 

[Twozyme]

I used a sip provider a while back to stay in touch with a friend in Tokyo, and it worked really well over Wi-Fi. We both used headsets and could talk pretty much like on a normal call, without worrying about long-distance fees. The call quality was solid, even with regular internet speeds. It felt smoother than most messaging apps I had tried at the time.