Cell Phones in Japan

He should wait until he gets to Japan as the phone system there is different from most of the rest of the world. No cards, monthly plans are an option. Try searching this branch for a discussion not too terribly long ago about cellphones, Japan and G3 (or 3G, I never remember which) phones.

Ruth

After looking at some other threads I have some more questions...

Which cell phone company would anyone recommend, NTT DoCoMo, DDI (CDMA-One), and Japan Telecom (J-Phone).
My brother doesn't use email much as it is, doesn't probably need a phone, or a phone company that provides that sort of thing. He will probably make very few calls to the US, but will be receiving calls (incoming calls are free???). Mostly he just needs a simple phone to keep in contact with friends and family (they will call him) in the US, and to use within Japan. I believe he will be living in Okinawa if that makes any difference.

What would be the cheapest and simplest, but most reliable phone brand/type to buy (without a million features).

What kind of contracts are there? Yearly, monthly? He will be there for no less than a year, I have seen the option of renting a phone, but that probably isn't ideal for longer term visits.

I have also seen some threads dealing with buying pocketboards, and recommending going to japanese Hit shops. What do people think about those ideas?

Getting a year's contract phone is the only realistic option, though the monthly line rental won't be cheap, starting from around 3000 yen.
Of the three mobile operators - NTTDoCoMo, au and SoftBank, NTT has by far the largest customer base (around 2/3) and possibly the best coverage. There are a vast range of phones on offer, with a host of different features, so your brother will need a bit of help in deciding which one to go for. Basic phones are free with contract, while top-of-the-range handsets will set you back 20 to 30,000 yen. But in return you get free TV reception, money-purse function (so you can store credit to use in shops, for train fare and season ticket), GPS (to help him find his way in complicated streets of Tokyo) as well as the usual texting, email, photo, video and voice calls. To buy a contract phone you normally need to show your alien registration card, proof of income and banking details (in Japan). Just go for a 'free' or '1 yen' phone with limited features - most handsets are reliable, but ask the store for one with English display.
Trouble with bringing a US phone with sim (it must be a 3G phone on WCDMA or UTMS for NTT and SoftBank, or CDMA2000 for au) is that he will be charged rather highly for every call received, and outgoing calls are expensive too. Incoming calls are free with (most) global sim card like TravelSIM, but the caller has to phone an Estonian, Isle of Man or Liechtenstein mobile number which can be expensive.

Where did you get your info from? J-phone is ancient news. About 5 years ago it turned into Vodafone, then last year it became Softbank. So it makes me wonder what other out-dated info you have read.

Anyway - email function is standard in mobile phones. As far as I know, there is no such thing as a simple phone, they all have a tonne of gadgets. Mine has a GPS which I didn't want and never use, but I didn't pay any extra for it, it is just there in my phone.

Although.....I do remember AU released a very simple phone specifically for old people a couple of years ago. I don't know if they still have it.

My advice for your brother is to not stress over which phone to get. If he doesn't care about features, then just get any phone with the cheapest plan and ignore all the features.

The contracts are yearly, cheaper if you get a two year contract, paid monthly. For the first purchase he can get a phone which will cost nothing.

btw. Keep in mind that once he moves to Japan the way he uses his mobile phone will probably change. Back in my home country I only used my mobile for emergencies, but here in Japan it is an extension of my arm.

Another thing to keep in mind is that officially he can't get a phone until he has got his alien registration card, which will take a couple of weeks to get. I got mine using the piece of paper to say that I had applied and was waiting the card, but this was because I basically bullied the shop assistant into it.

I came back from Japan last year. I was with Vodafone and I found that most of my foreign friends were with Vodafone too. I went with Vodafone because it was cheaper and because Vodafone is also in Australia I could short mail (sms) my mum and sister. Now that it's become Softbank I don't know what the deal is anymore, but any of the major networks would be fine, the all produce a pretty standard service.

#4 is right. The way you use a phone in Japan is a lot different to the way you use it at home. I planned half my trips around Japan using my phone. I also bought my phone with the paper work for my Alien Registration Card, but they you have the actaully card. They will also try to talk your brother into getting a two year contract, but unless he's sure he's going to be there for the two years I would suggest going with a year.

At any rate I wouldn't worry too much about it now. As you're brother will see going phone shopping is a lot of fun, there are so many different features, colours, shapes.

Incoming calls are free for the cell phone holder, but the caller TO the cell phone has to pay quite a bit more than usual! Just use Skype for free.

Cell phones these days automatically come with Internet capability, camera (still pic and video), and lots more. You can even opt for watching TV on it, although I can't understand why (and my wife bought such an option!).

Just be sure it has English mode. Many do, but I don't think they all do.

I am a Docomo member but I should have stuck with J-Phone/Vodafone/Softbank. Softbank has the best plans and free Softbank phone to Softbank phone call plans

There is a fiendish, cut-throat battle going on between mobile operators for market share. The dominant position of NTTDoCoMo (with 60% share) is being challenged by au (25%) and esp the new SoftBank (15%), with aggressive marketing and cut-price offers. The introduction of number portability last autumn has notched up the temperature, with au so far benefiting most. So my advice is shop around, get advice and read reviews (if you manage Japanese).