I decided to finally just brave it out and get myself a Keitai (cell phone). On the way out I asked one of my dorm managers and one of the helpers (Yutaka) to help me find out if there were any English speakers at the place I planned to go. It's a good thing I talked to them because they called and found out that only a few places still had the plan that I wanted available. So they helped me find out the basic information for the plan, gave me the location of the store with a map, and sent me on my way. This took quite a while on its own, but then I biked the 2.5 miles to Musashisakai station, took two trains, totaling about 30 minutes of riding time, and then had to follow the (Japanese) map they gave me to find this particular SoftBank shop in Shibuya (very crowded is an understatement). When I got there, the woman told me that they did not have any of this plan or phone left. Surprised, I told her that my friend had called and I had come here specifically because he said this one had some left. So, she brought one out. I don't know what that was all about, but hey, I got it.
This is where the fun part started. I sat down in the waiting area and watched some Tom and Jerry with Japanese subtitles until she came back with a booklet explaining the plan... in Japanese. As it turns out, nobody in the store spoke a word of English, and with my level of Japanese they must have felt like they were trying to sell a phone to a three year old. After a long time of broken conversation, misunderstandings, and her attempts to speak to me through Google translator (we all know how well that thing works), she called up a bilingual operator. From the operator I found out all about how the plan works:
I buy the cell phone, the charger, the SD card, and either a 3,000 or 5,000 yen card. Then I activate the card (3,000 yen is best for me because I have no plans to use talk time with my phone, and therefore wouldn't use up 5,000 before the card's 60 day expiration date). Once the card is activated, I dial a number, go through a maze of options, and select the option to take 300 yen from the card and put it toward 30 days of unlimited mail. After 30 days if my card still has 300 yen or more on it (which it will since I won't be using it for calls) another 300 will be deducted automatically for another 30 days of unlimited mail. With all of that, including the 27 yen service charge, I will have about 23 minutes of talk time available to use, otherwise that money will be voided when the card expires. Calling is 90 yen per minute, but incoming calls are free. After every 60 days when my card goes void, I repeat the card purchasing, registering, and unlimited charging process.
This all took a lot of time to make sure I thoroughly understood, and then we hung up. After that, however, we still had unfinished business. The lack of communication continued, but after about 2.5 hours of SoftBank business, I was out of there with a new phone, a number, a phone emailing address, and a large supply of relief.
I did a little bit of window shopping on my way back to the station (it's impossible to resist in Shibuya) and headed home.
This is what my new phone looks like.
Oh, and remember when I mentioned the ridiculous but amazing Japanese phone deco? This is Melissa's.
This is where the fun part started. I sat down in the waiting area and watched some Tom and Jerry with Japanese subtitles until she came back with a booklet explaining the plan... in Japanese. As it turns out, nobody in the store spoke a word of English, and with my level of Japanese they must have felt like they were trying to sell a phone to a three year old. After a long time of broken conversation, misunderstandings, and her attempts to speak to me through Google translator (we all know how well that thing works), she called up a bilingual operator. From the operator I found out all about how the plan works:
I buy the cell phone, the charger, the SD card, and either a 3,000 or 5,000 yen card. Then I activate the card (3,000 yen is best for me because I have no plans to use talk time with my phone, and therefore wouldn't use up 5,000 before the card's 60 day expiration date). Once the card is activated, I dial a number, go through a maze of options, and select the option to take 300 yen from the card and put it toward 30 days of unlimited mail. After 30 days if my card still has 300 yen or more on it (which it will since I won't be using it for calls) another 300 will be deducted automatically for another 30 days of unlimited mail. With all of that, including the 27 yen service charge, I will have about 23 minutes of talk time available to use, otherwise that money will be voided when the card expires. Calling is 90 yen per minute, but incoming calls are free. After every 60 days when my card goes void, I repeat the card purchasing, registering, and unlimited charging process.
This all took a lot of time to make sure I thoroughly understood, and then we hung up. After that, however, we still had unfinished business. The lack of communication continued, but after about 2.5 hours of SoftBank business, I was out of there with a new phone, a number, a phone emailing address, and a large supply of relief.
I did a little bit of window shopping on my way back to the station (it's impossible to resist in Shibuya) and headed home.
This is what my new phone looks like.
Oh, and remember when I mentioned the ridiculous but amazing Japanese phone deco? This is Melissa's.
Hi! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the informative post. I'm also going to ICU as an OYR this September. Is it okay for you to say how much your phone was?
I'm actually trying to budget the money I should set aside for settling in stuff like phone, etc.
Thanks!
Sofia, I'm glad you found my post to be helpful, and I am more than willing to answer your question(s) since I remember how frustrating it was having no answers before I came. But be aware that this plan isn't a permanent one. It seems that, in Japan, plans come and go (the way phones do in America), and this plan is already almost sold out. I'm sure they will have something similar, though. The phone comes with the plan.
ReplyDeleteThe phone was 6,980 yen, and with it you have to buy a charger (980) and an SDcard (1,980). Hope this helps!
Thanks for the reply Alysse :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad having someone to ask about these kind of things since this is going to be my first time living abroad. And I have zero Japanese knowledge since I haven't studied the language. :(
I'm actually planning to bring my own unlocked 3G phone and just get a prepaid sim but maybe it'll be cheaper if I just get a plan there. So I'll just try to decide.
See you in ICU :)
If you plan to bring a 3G phone from America, just make sure to do a lot of research first. There are specific frequencies and broadband types that need to match up with whatever carrier you choose here, plus you may not be able to use the prepaid card on certain phones. Plus, if you want to use the 3G here there is a high possibility of through-the-roof roaming charges. I know all of this because I was going to do the same thing, but decided against it. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAfter more researching about Japan phones, I'm planning to just buy the phone that's included in Softbank's prepaid service. I think it'll be less of a hassle. Thanks for all the help :)
ReplyDelete