I'm planning for a short trip to Japan soon, and as I'm planning to meet several people, I will need some means of communication. Really, just some means of receiving emails or something is all that I would need.
A few years ago when I went to Japan, I got a rental phone, and ended up paying like $100 or more for 2 weeks, and I only used it 2 or 3 times. I'm trying to avoid that this time if possible.

I do have a wi-fi capable device now, so I am wondering if free wi-fi might be common enough that I could possibly get by on that? Is wifi available at jr stations? What about in areas outside of the big cities?

And if not, are there any cheap options for a cell phone? (i'll be there about 2 weeks)

Wifi: no

Rental: http://www.softbank-rental.jp/en/

You could use this website (http://freespot.com/) to check places before you go. I'm pretty sure some Starbucks have free wi-fi.

amillerchip Wrote:Wifi: no

To add more detail: there are plenty of places with wifi (e.g. Starbucks and most fast food places). However, almost all of these places require you to have a device serviced by a cell phone carrier (usually SoftBank) in order to connect to their networks.

Oh, well that kinda sucks.

That softbank rental phone seems fairly reasonable in cost though.

Zarxrax Wrote:Oh, well that kinda sucks.

That softbank rental phone seems fairly reasonable in cost though.

careful, there's other fees. insurance being one of them, as well as buying the charger.

http://www.softbank-rental.jp/en/price/index.php


i found some wifi spots but they were pretty sporadic, for example, the basement of parco.

if you have an unlocked smartphone and like the idea of having a data plan, this place is pretty cheap, looks like $170 for 2 weeks. the data plan helps so much especially regarding train routes and gps, imo.
http://www.jcrcorp.com

I got by in Japan without a rental phone, and I traveled from Tokyo to Osaka and many cities in between by train and bus with little trouble. I had my iPhone with no service and used wifi at my hotel and McDonald's with Skype to call home for free. Wifi wasn't always common, but it there was enough for me not need a phone. Also, if you load up maps on wifi, you can tour the city with the GPS in tact operable. You will not, however, be able to zoom in all that well unless you load it prior to leaving. I would take snapshots of the train routes I needed to take to get me to the next place. Never did I stay somewhere without wifi.

Test it out before you leave though to get the hang of it by turning off data. Should work with Android phones too.

I've been in this situation several times since you can't get a prepaid phone any more with just your passport, I stupidly lost my old SIM card, and haven't been back on a long-term visa for a while.

I went through http://www.rentafonejapan.com/ last time and was very happy with the service. Definitely cheaper than the major rental companies at the airport and such.