Bringing my 3g capable tablet to Japan - will it work with Japanese providers?

[waitingiskillingme]

Hi,
I am coming to Japan next week for a few years (hopefully) as I got MEXT scholarship for doctoral studies.
I have desktop at my home country which I find to heavy to take with me in Japan and a certain tablet (Prestigio 7074b3g)
I am coming to Japan alone and my wife should join me after a 2-3 months because of the visa procedure. So I need to skype a lot . Of course I will buy laptop in Japan after a few months when I determine what kind is most suitable for my research (and I want to buy a REAL thing). So I wonder will I be fine with just that tablet for the first few months?
It has a SIM card slot and 3g capabilities so naturally I would like to get mobile internet for reasonable price but I heard that you can't use Japanese provider's SIM card in devices that are not their own (there some story about when they detect you they charge you insanely...) Also MiFi is interesting thing but it seems expensive and limited in data plans... Should I say that tablet doesn't have network cable slot, just WiFi and 3G options to connect to internet. I searched on internet but most of the useful info is in Japanese and I am not that jouzu, if you know what I mean
Maybe someone knows what kind of internet I can expect in student dormitory, do they usually have WiFi or cable?
So, If it is not to troublesome can you guys tell me your opinion on what's my best option. Or how are you connected to internet and skype particularly?
Thanks a lot

 

[nice gaijin]

I've found Japanese carriers to be particularly troublesome when it comes to using your own devices, but I haven't tried in a while.

If you are able to buy a sim card and data plan for a smart phone, there's no reason you couldn't put that in your tablet, as long as it's compatible with the carrier. I just haven't yet found that option when I've visited. I once put a softbank sim card into my iphone and it worked just fine, but the bill was ridiculous, despite hardly using data at all; I think it was because we didn't have a data plan for the sim card, and not because the iphone wasn't from softbank.

 

[waitingiskillingme]

I've found Japanese carriers to be particularly troublesome when it comes to using your own devices, but I haven't tried in a while.

If you are able to buy a sim card and data plan for a smart phone, there's no reason you couldn't put that in your tablet, as long as it's compatible with the carrier. I just haven't yet found that option when I've visited. I once put a softbank sim card into my iphone and it worked just fine, but the bill was ridiculous, despite hardly using data at all; I think it was because we didn't have a data plan for the sim card, and not because the iphone wasn't from softbank.

Thanks nice gaijin,

but can I get SIM card only in Japan?

 

[nice gaijin]

That, I'm not sure. Someone else will have to field that question. I'd sure like to know, since I'd very much like to do the same thing when I visit.