Japanese cellphone question

Hey everybody. Just had a question. I'm going to Japan for a month and I am looking at renting a japanese cellphone so that friends/family can keep in touch. There are a number of companies out there, but I don't really know which service is good and which are crap. If you have any recommendations or resources I can check out, I would appreciate it.

I'm not so sure at the moment, but I can check with my son who works for Softbank, and see if he were to have any suggestions. I'll get back with you then. (you didn't say when, actually, you'd be arriving here, though.)

I really appreciate that and thank you for your help. I didn't say when I was coming because I'm not entirely sure yet. I'm shooting for late july/early august. If you would like, I can post when I will be coming once I confirm the dates.