JAPAN TODAY


 

TOKYO - A lot has changed in the mobile phone landscape in Japan the last few years.

Cell phones used to be very heavily restricted. You had a choice of three large companies, all offering near-identical packages and prices, with customer service standards that generally fell well below what one would come to expect from Japan.

To make matters worse, it was nearly impossible to bring a phone into Japan and use it on one of these networks. If you didn’t buy one of the company’s phones on an overpriced two-year plan, then you couldn’t get access to its network.

Thankfully, this all changed about two years ago, when the government brought an end to the restrictive practice that was the blanket ban on phone unlocking in Japan (the process of making a device capable of working on any carrier network). That being said, figuring out the best option for a phone in Japan is still extremely tricky.

In this quick guide, GaijinPot will walk you through the following topics:

-- Unlocking your Japanese phone (even if you bought it before May 2015)
-- The difference between “SIM-free” and “unlocked”
-- Alternative plans to the “big three” service providers
-- Options for short-term phone plans
-- Do’s and don’ts for those switching to a cheaper network or plan
-- Do’s and don’ts of buying a SIM-free phone to use in Japan

Click here to read more.