Off-topic: My kingdom for wifi, and how to get a Japanese mobile phone

I know everyone has a mobile phone here (keitai) but they all have laptops too and there is no easy Wifi in this whole city.

One of the most frustrating things this week was the fact that none of our mobile phones worked. In my attempts to get a prepaid phone or a short-term or whatever we discovered that you have to have a Japanese passport to get a phone since they are subsidized by the phone companies. That and the fact that they really don't want to sell you just the phone.

However, we learned that there are certain models that can be easily modded to work wherever there is network access--or at least wherever there is Vodafone access, you just can't get the English menus. Anyone who wants to learn more can shoot me a note.

[koebi]

How to get a Japanese mobile phone

You do not have to have a Japanese passport to get a cellphone. What you need is an alien id card, of course, to get that you cant be in Japan on a tourist visa.

Kumo Shirogane Minato-ku

[dtarpein]

Going to Japan Nov. 17 - How do I figure out phone

I read you post; interesting. So they really make it difficult to purchase a phone? If you don't mind, I would love to hear how to mod a phone to get it to work.

Thanks!

Dan

[daverosenberg]

Just get a rental mobile phone

The short answer is to do a rental phone---they just aren't as cool as the regular phones.

If you want to get a real phone there are only a few shops that will sell you an unlocked one and it has to have a swappable SIM card (like LG) otherwise you are hosed.