Japan - How to #36 - Cell Phone.

[liyhbtjnfetlol]

your videos are amazing!! keep it up :)

[esmeraldaswings]

I have a question I would like to see answered: How often are Computers used or when are they used ? this is in reference to the fact that I rarely see Japanese people use a PC/computer over their cell phone

[HyperAndHappy]

@esmeraldaswings If people don't have computers in their home, and they need one they usually go to a internet cafe. Its costs a small bit of money, but you can do just about everything you can do at home.

[GimmeKitty]

I FIND THESE "HOW TO'S" INORDINATELY HELPFUL! :)

ARIGATO :)

[albertsauce]

I just can't understand why some Japanese cellphones are here in the Philippines?

[guchol87]

my cell phone company is DOCOMO-PACIFIC is it the same to the japan DOCOMO! for GUAM USA!

[msnfrenzy]

Dude $29 for an iphone (it said in softbanks window) yay I'm going to japan

[VladPayne]

Question, what about vacation? Roaming is good, but I bet it will cost thrice as much of standard fee. They sell SIM cards?

[TheMajin7]

I´m surprised to hear there´s no Vodafone for example.

And, slightly off the mobile topic: Do Japanese people understand Japanese if it is written using western letters. Shinkai, Arigatoo, Konnichiwa, etc?

Hope I spelled them right xD

[noelvanilla]

@TheMajin7 It's considered romaji, some will understand it, some will not.

[stephenrosado]

So several websites state that you cannot rent a SIM card or even a prepaid phone if you do not have a Japanese bank account. Obviously roaming fees are ridiculous with my phone in Japan, so can I rent a phone or SIM card for only 15 days while I am in Japan? Softbank's website does not go into details on this. I do have a 3g Windows 7 (HTC HD7) and a 3G iPhone that I could use. Any details would be great. Sorry if you have been asked this several times.

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@stephenrosado

Yes, you can rent a phone.. and you wont need a bank account.

[guchol87]

my cell phone company is dacomo pacific lol. guam usa

[NeptunePrincess04]

ah, so that's how they text in kanji! i've always wondered how that worked! thanks :) wait, does it work that way for computers too, if you're typing? :)

[dylandior123]

I want to go on holiday there for a week or two. But I don't want to buy a mobile phone. If I want to call home, can I use a phone card and a pay phone?

Do they have those in japan?

Thanks :)

Ps. "Let's try!" :-p

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@dylandior123

Yes, we do :-)

[dylandior123]

Yay! Thankyou so much! :)

Would it be possible if could you do a video of using a pay phone in Japan, or at least showing what one looks like?

I appreciate you're very busy.

Thanks again.

:)

[sebias2]

thats alot like they do in mexico, most people buy prepaid cards.

[ansel825]

i have a question about banking in Japan. Do they use checking/savings accounts like those in western countries? How do they manage credit when it comes to buying homes, cars, etc?

[TokyoNerd]

Most times if you go to study abroad, your school will help you get a cell pone.

[YamiAlex224]

@TokyoNerd that would be nice. cause i really do want to stduy abroad in japan 

[TokyoNerd]

@YamiAlex224

You and me too.

[khanjack]

man i bought a japanese mobile its m7500 b samsung emporio armani,and i tried to download some songs in sd card and then tried to play in my mobile but it doesnt work,,damn what to do ?

[BrutalWaffle]

I could never rent a phone. I like owning my things, feels wired knowing it someone else. Plus i like Japanese phones; i can use them like a credit card right?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@BrutalWaffle

You can if you have a Japanese bank account.

[BrutalWaffle]

@TheJapanChannelDcom

sweet thanks for the info. ^3^

[Fruitjoke]

Can't you simply plug in a sim card from Japan into your own cell, no matter where you bought it?

[K3fka7317]

Why do you need a passport to rent or buy a phone? Does that just apply if you're a foreigner?

[ibtihalsalsabil]

-_- its the same system here in dk

[Tracey00113]

so I dont need a bank account??? for pre paid??? I am leaving to go to Japan in less than two weeks, so I was wondering....

[koukku23]

lol my phone bills are usually about 0,7-1 euros so its about 1,2 us dollar + 3g internet connection so my bills are about 11 euros per month XD i dont like to call usually so i use mobile messenger XD

[Chuloloc]

Interesting. There should be an option on being able to type things in english and sending them to a Japanese person in Japanese.

[ishiyoyoshi]

Do you know if an american iphone work on a japanese sim card? thanks.

[CheeseCentral]

@ishiyoyoshi iPhone uses GSM. You might find some GSM sim cards in Tokyo or something, but I don't think their common in Japan.

[singh4lyfee]

yeah this is probably a stupid question but can u explain what katakana and kanji are? Sorry, I probably spelled that wrong.

[MarioKArtAdd1ct]

@singh4lyfee Japanese uses 3 alphabets. Hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Katakana is for foreign words or ideas, Kanji is used to express sentences in a short way, basically.

[singh4lyfee]

@MarioKArtAdd1ct thank you, looks like I'm going to have more trouble then i thought learning Japanese.

[AshuraXDemon]

One of the stickers on the back of your phone is the Kojima logo. Are you a fan of the Metal Gear Solid series?

[JephaHoward]

I kinda wanna buy one of the phones when I go to japan as a souvenir I guess, one of the flip ones the girls put all the decals over? I was hoping I could just buy one outright, but you said they only sell the well 'crappy' phones for prepaid. Could I still get one?

[YUGOSHIMA]

Hi! thnx again 4 ur videos! benkyou ni narimashita! one question about this topic: what about Iphone with chip? u know them? are they available to work over there?

[kvhottie]

Yes! this helps, im planning to buy a prepaid while im in japan.

[TheGhostOfSabotage]

Can you get pay as you go sim cards like in other country's? :)

[frasakunaru]

@TheJapanChannelDcom i always love your videos!!! i registered the site! sugoiiii!!

[xxTheChosen1xx]

I see Japan celphone companies work just as in Mexico..you have to buy prepaid cards and put the pin numbers on the phone... you could also buy a plan.. but its overly expensive, even for a person living there. Mostly companies use plans

[LetMeSignXx]

So it's like a Top-Up reciept, but a card.

[lich610]

I was wondering

If I got a phone from Japan will it work in a different country?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@lich610

Maybe..

would depend on the phone, the service and the "other country"..

[lich610]

@TheJapanChannelDcom

thank you

and by other country I mean US or Philippines

^^

[rioishikawa]

@lich610 look it up, if its triband or quad band it'll work pretty much everywhere

[J0RDSKI]

Kinda sucks you can't get a good phone without a bank account and getting a bank account seems way too complex.

[msmgamers]

in japan can you use an american iphone?????

[Level84]

So are those prepaid phones able to make international calls?

[fuseki]

That seems a little expensive, so it made me wonder about Japanese bills. How are they in comparison to American or Australian bills? Do they have many credit cards or debit cards or is it mostly cash?

[blank000blank]

We visited the Softbank booth at Narita airport - i rented a SIM for 105yen/day, thus just over 3000yen for the month. ($35 aud) (need a 3G and unlocked phone for this option)

For my GF we rented a handset - was about 5000yen for the month iirc

[DemonEyeBennett]

Interesting video. I recently set up a phone and a bank account in Japan and it was like pulling out my own teeth with a spoon.

I set up my bank account with the help of my manager but I had to complete all the kanji myself. I also needed to use a hanko which wasn't even close to my name because I couldn't sign. Ridiculous!

As for the phone, I was given a pre-paid phone by a colleague but I had to pay 4200 to re-active it with AU. I still can't work out how I can get email on it.

[saidkarlsson]

Good and useful video! I think it's worth mentioning that the calling rates with the softbank card is quite ridiculous. 90 Yen per minute (incoming calls are free), about 3times more expensive than on a monthly plan . Good thing is that you can get free email for 300 Yen/month with the prepaid card. For obvious reasons i more or less only use my phone for emailing. Not having access to internet with a prepaid card is another BIG minus to me.

[ilyIkutaToma4ever]

Thanks so much!

I love Japan and I am really glad I found your channel because it's cool to learn all this stuff about Japan.

I actually want to live there one day and I have started trying to learn Japanese ^^

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@ilyIkutaToma4ever

You are welcome.

[Flargenyargen]

Interesting that you show how they text on cell phones here before bringing up computer usage in any videos. In my case, it's better because I have used Japanese computer systems and keyboards, so I understand that well enough. Keep with these interesting videos! Such good stuff that people are curious about, and you're good at hitting the important points, it seems. I hope to see first hand someday, and this is good preparation.

[Pinkglass]

Thank you for this video!

5 stars!

They are always so helpful and informative *\o/*

[dbzkid161]

Not to be rude or anything, but what is the reason why you are in Japan? Is it because you just love it and wish to share information about it to others?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@dbzkid161

Because I like the society better than western society.

[Nasaroth]

Hey man! Great vid! When me and my gf arrive we will buy our mobile phones at airport. Allthough, we were thinkin. Aren´t the phones in the airport more expensive than in town?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@Nasaroth

A bit.

If you can speak good Japanese go with a prepaid.

[softypapa]

An excellent summary and information about the cell phone market in Japan!

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@softypapa

Thanks brother!

[Kristnt]

Mate, these vid clips of yours are so useful.

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@Kristnt

Good!

Thank you!

[chopsueyjoint]

So - are you gonna move over to Docomo when u upgrade to 3G?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@chopsueyjoint

No, I stayed with Softbank,

Skype me sometime!

[Gruen2009]

staff at the airport shops probably are able to speak English but note that prepaid cell phones usually cost more than twice as much at the airport as in regular softbank shops.

and, although some people might make an exception, foreigners usually need a japanese adress (->ARC) to buy a cell phone. at least these are the rules set by softbank.

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@Gruen2009

Softbank stores at the airports are not selling prepaid at the moment.

Only renting phones to foreigners.

Passport and any address (even hotel) will do it.

[Gruen2009]

@TheJapanChannelDcom

Thanks for the info! Last time I checked was August '09

[Japanesebooknerd2]

@kmah88 - Yes the outlets are different then the west, I would suggest getting an adapter. You wouldn't want to go there plug in your phone then have it potentially break because of the watt. difference.

[resonatorproductions]

Are Nokia and Iphones popular in Japan ?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@resonatorproductions

iPhone is.

[shadowace421]

Lol, those are some plain japanese phone company logos there

[numloxx]

Good video, very detailed.

Any idea if a 3G phone like Nokia N86 from Australia would in Japan? I've heard mixed details. Keep the videos coming :)

[Codytheskater]

Great video i was wondering about this. I read somewhere online that you can go to your cell phone service provider and get some kind of out of country sim card type of thing (for a fee) and still use the phone from your home country.

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@Codytheskater

Depends on your provider.

[hunan6]

Is SMS texting free with the prepaid card?

[Volvagia89]

is it possible to buy those "charge-cards" in regular stores? or must u buy them at the phone store?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@Volvagia89

I thought I said.....

you can by them at convenience stores..

[xentron]

I am going to Japan this July. But instead of renting a phone I am just going to rent a SIM card for my own phone. It's about 20USD a month to rent and internet costs about 1yen per MB. This is from softbank at narita though, probably only available for tourists. I am assuming that Japan has HSDPA(3.5G) so that shouldn't be a problem with my phone right?

[bigfoot32194]

would a regular phone like an american phone work there (you would pay just extra for long distance?) thx

[kmah88]

my husband and i are coming to japan in 2 months (yay!) and he's worried about charging his phone... um, this is a dumb question but does japan have different electrical outlets than the west? does he need to get an adapter?

[hitokage651]

this vid makes me wonder: what of japanese signatures?

in the states where i live, people sign their names (usually in cursive english) to verify documents such as cell phone contracts. what are japanese signatures, or whatever the japanese use similarly like?

[rappwr]

Phones there are just awesome, but they don't run with GSM SIM-cards?

[mashi384]

ahhh so informative. your pretty generous to take your time and make these for us. hontou ni arigatou...

[APOKALYPSE34]

this was really helpful. I am heading over to Japan around June I will have to get the prepaid cell. thanks for the info!

[Dave102693]

I question about this video. If you already have a phone from another country, if you can, can you swich over your service to a Japanese phone provider instade?

[ElevenColors]

Willcom FTW

[LunaCherry2]

Fantastic, and right on time! Great help, thanks!

[ariadarabi]

Domo arigato, Mr. Robot. *bows*

[hcsurfer26]

Here's a question... If you get a phone in japan, have it set to english.... If you send a text/ e-mail to a japanese phone, will it show up in english, or japanese? Same question if a japanese person sends you a text in japanese, will it show up on the phone in japanese or will it be translated to english?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@hcsurfer26

It will be received exactly the same way it is sent.. it is basically just an email.

[nokomarie1963]

I was so interested I asked my own daughter about phone service in the USA. All she wouild say is' "It's pricey".

[Joeisreason]

man, every time i see one of your vids and you say something in japanese the first thing i think about is how well you speak it, you truely have a gasp on this language

ive been studying italian for 2 years (this year makes 3, next year 4) and i still have trouble with basic stuff, i guess practice makes perfect

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@Joeisreason

Thanks.. but my Japanese is still basic.

[linkinpain]

20 dollars a montho.o!

[arhamus]

I love their phones with flap thats why i have flap motorola xD

[ZehChap]

I'm going 2 half years to Japan with 1 year in between, so I guess prepay is my best option?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@ZehChap

sounds like it

[mellowsky47]

When you get married will that make you a Japanese citizen? Will you be able to get a Japanese passport? Thank's for the phone info.

[briggs9187]

you said that a prepay card can cost from 50 to 70dollars, you never mentioned a regular phone plan cost, if the prepay cards are relative to the regular monthly plans then it should be more expensive. you said that on your monthly plan you pay 20 dollars a month....what does that cover? unlimited phone calls, unlimited texts, unlimited internet?

[oscarscheepstra]

@TheDutchGaijin of course, you are dutch :P

[Snuzzlekin]

What better way to drive a boring sunday away by looking/listening about my most favourite country

[Danoftouni]

good vid but $100-150 dollars a month is sooo expensive..i pay like $30 dollars a month...

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@Danoftouni

That is to rent the phone short term and for the service..

sorry, apparently I was not clear enough...

[krassomatenkrass]

to load a cellphone with monbey, often you can enter *104*1234567812345678#, 1234567812345678 is the prepaid-code from the card.

this work with the most phones in the most countries, without gsm too!

[chrismecking]

that was really informal!! Good idea!!!

[briggs9187]

That was an expensive phone bill and andd expensive prepay card...here in the states my unlimited phone, text and data 3G is about 70 bux a month, prepay cards are like 20bux at 35 cents a minute I think, I think the Japanese have some crazy expensive lifestile if the prices are that high for a phone...good to know though

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@briggs9187

My 3G prepaid is costing me about $20 a month...

must have got lost in the maths somewhere maybe..

[Yoshoku]

If your there short term, will phones from like Europe still work? Like if you go with friends for a month and will only be phoning home?

Thanks :)

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@Yoshoku

You need to ask your European phone company that.

[FoldingSunrise]

Your videos are so helpfully and have such a high level of continuity. I'm always excited to see that you've posted new videos! Thanks again!

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@FoldingSunrise

Thanks!

More coming.

[wrxbungle]

interesting!

[coldwarrior3]

Real thanks. I have been looking for mobile phone company but i wasnt so lucky finding it because its all in japanese. Your videos are the best thank you for your time and courage and patience.

[Degenskonto]

Heck I only got calling + sms here in Sweden anyway, never been out on the net on it... Pretty overkill imo.

[TheJelloEmperor]

Hmm, I'd probably be one of those people using Kanji all the time on phones and trying to use them as shorthand. Haha

We have "LOL" and "TTYL" etc and I'd make up

後食か。 (Kanji for "Later" and "Eating")

For trying to make dinner plans or something.

I get weird ideas at 3 AM..so I'm going to bed now.

[camoy0]

you just say it lasts for 2 months, but you never say how much you actually talk, can you tell us how many hours is the credit going to last! like how much is each minute

[allgoo19]

Do you have a hanko, japanchannelDcom?

If so, I want to see what gaijin hanko looks like.

Or have you already posted it in another video?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@allgoo19

Made that video and it will be released this week.

[AlbaDoggy]

wow, everything's so much more complicated then i would have ever imagined!

how long have you lived in Japan?

[alikokos]

seems like the airports are the place to shop when visiting Japan. More english speakers.

[CrappyCartoons]

One problem with the pre-paid is that you can't get on mixi.

I've been pretty disappointed with Softbank. They've spent a lot in advertising and as a result their network has spotty coverage.

[unowien]

Some nice information here. Answers a bunch of questions I had. Thanks for the video!

[wolvermonkey]

Another cool vid. Personally I have no use for cell phones but it was still interesting to learn about how it is there. Thanks.

[Razerser]

This was very informative :D

Btw if i buy one of those pre paid phones can i take it back home to sweden and change card and use it there?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@Razerser

The charge card wouldn't work.. they phone might..

I don't know anything about Sweden's phone systems..

[fbeox]

@TheJapanChannelDcom Well it would

not work since the japanese and swedish

telesystems are completely different! ^^)

[Blahrg]

What's the deal with kanji? I hear its really hard and not everyone is good at it. Which seems weird since it's their language. When is kanji used?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@Blahrg

Change the language on your youtube page to Japanese and you will see.

It is used all the time.

[Blahrg]

@TheJapanChannelDcom

lol sadly i wouldn't know the difference. ill wiki it.

[mattchew1993]

wow, everytime i hear 5000 yen or a number like that i think "whoah! 5000 dollars?! that's expensive!" but then i remember each yen is basically a cent over here :P

[Klintoniusmaximus]

ありがと. :)

[DropkickMurphysFan01]

@IanIan0420 Well I actually meant like a live person, because sometimes even the "english" speaking CS reps, I can't understand them.

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@DropkickMurphysFan01

I understood, that was what I meant too ^_^

[jackienopants]

I was in tokyo last year for a few weeks and tried to get a prepaid phone. I went to Yodobashi in Shinjuku and they told me that you can't get pre paid phones, so did the concierge at the hotel I was staying at. Liars! :P

[softypapa]

Great video with excellent tips for visitors and residents alike. I did not know that the 2G phones were being phased out. Looks like I need a new phone!

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@softypapa

Softbank is stopping on 31st March.. don't know when the others will.

[softypapa]

@TheJapanChannelDcom Thanks for

the info! -Kurt :-)

[wspangler]

a little did you know... if your with softbank, you cannot text message people on carriers of docomo or au. you can call them but not text. found that interesting when i first got here

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@wspangler

yes you can.

I have friends on both.

[Danandria]

Informative video.  I think another interesting video would be a "how to" on Japanese Citizenship.

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@Danandria

Japanese Citizenship for non-Japanese is super rare.

I do get asked that a lot..

ok, video coming.

[Danandria]

@TheJapanChannelDcom Thanks :-) I'm also surprised to hear that it is rare for non-Japanese. Coming from the United States, I know that one has to find a way to live in the country for 7 years, take and pass a course along with test, and that's it. I wouldnt mind hearing about the major steps and why its rare. Thanks again.

[Nakushin]

YES MOST DEFINITLY DO THAT please .....PLEASE..i need to know...=)

[nokomarie1963]

Almost not done. My Dad was in Japan during the reconstrution.

Umm, you do relize that, in your heart, you must sacrifice all attachement?

[Raydeus]

Thanks for the info.

Could you also coment about where and when should you silence your phone? I'm still kinda confused on whether it's ok to have your phone ring in public places. For instance I'd silence it on the subway, but what about places like parks or restaurants?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@Raydeus

I think letting phones ring in restaurants is rude in any country.

I leave mine on vibrate 24/7.

[JeremyScottThompson]

im like this...always on vibrate unless im at home

[oscarscheepstra]

come on, I think it would be delightful to have your phone ringing with all its might on a old traditional tea house witha cheesy ringtone :P. I would like to see that, hahahaha.

[HillBillyDrew]

@Raydeus Screw it, be a westerner and do whatever you want haha, Joke of course.

[GlompoFie]

Yay mah question got answered ^^ And no one in my group of friends won the bet on what the keyboard's language was in Japan XD

[narutostarfire]

actaully bro i have seen all of them i have no life T_T but yea i seen all the how to especially this one brother and yea its awesome im a fan now lol

but yea im really happy and have great respect for you uploading videos almost daily so thank you really.but i wonder what type of ethnic music does japanese make im trying to get ideas for my piano and other stuff.but thank you keep going with the videos you have my deep support.

[geminielf7]

hey here is a question how do Japaneses people handle like repo men. Or like skipping a payment for a car. How would the company react to this? Seeing that Japan wants to keep harmony an all.

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@geminielf7

Japanese people tend to pay their bills.

If they ended up in trouble they would take the consequences.

[geminielf7]

@TheJapanChannelDcom

I had a some what feeling that's what the answer was.

[waybeforetheplatypus]

yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh

thank you

[cuervorockero]

first!!!!

wow.. i would love to have video calls here in the states

god job sir ^_^

[ChrisTehGamer]

Is the english good on the phones if you choose to set them to english?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@ChrisTehGamer

It is OK.