Buying an iPhone in Canada and moving to Japan

June 18, 2009 8:26 PM

I'm interested to buy a 16GB iPhone 3GS tomorrow, without a contract. The little problem is I'm living in Canada and will soon be moving to Japan.

Considering I'm currently living in Canada but will move to Japan this fall, is buying an iPhone 3GS here without a contract a wise move? (Obviously, I can't go for a three-year contract right now.) Will an iPhone bought in Canada work in Japan? If so, with which carrier? Do I need to jailbreak or unlock the iPhone, if possible at all? Will that Japanese carrier allow a foreigner like me with a working holiday visa get a SIM card?

I also heard the Japanese doesn't like the iPhone as much as we do in North America. If buying an iPhone is not the right thing to do, should I consider other cellphones instead? It'd be nice if the cellphone could play music, sync with my extensive contact list on my Mac, take pictures and videos, browse the Web and check my Google mail. (I also know Japanese cellphones offer extras the iPhone doesn't have like watching on-air TV and a "wallet" function allowing you to buy goods simply by swiping your cellphone at the register.)

posted by remi to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

Best answer: SIM cards and phones aren't yet separated in Japan to the extent they are elsewhere. It's probably possible to do what you propose via some tricky maneuvering and/or hacking, but I don't think it would be easy. given that iPhones are available in Japan easily and (relatively) cheaply, it really sounds like you'd be better off just getting one here -- given that you're planning to deal with a phone company anyway.

Re the Japanese not being such a big fan of the iPhone: It's really a relative thing. Awesome, beautiful phones have been around in East Asia for much longer than elsewhere, so there was no pent-up longing for such a thing, and competing companies had had much more practice flooding the media with their own eye candy. So it didn't make as much of a splash, but it's still quite popular, especially among the "early adopter but not actually a techie" crowd.

Given your list of things you want to do, the iPhone sounds like the most painless solution (especially the syncing-with-a-Mac thing). Although, if you are only here for a year and it is for fun/adventure, and you like gadgets, consider that "Yeah, in Japan my phone was bright red and could play TV and blah blah" makes a better story than "Yeah, in Japan I had a black iPhone exactly like yours."

On preview: You don't need to worry too much about the GSM network coverage if you're going to be in one of the major metropolitan areas.
posted by No-sword at 9:33 PM on June 18, 2009

By the way, here's Softbank's English page about their current iPhone campaign. You can see that it is indeed super-cheap, although the contract is 24 months long.

Their Japanese front page says that the 3GS will be available on June 26, one week from now. This info doesn't seem to have filtered down to any English pages yet though.
posted by No-sword at 9:44 PM on June 18, 2009

Do not buy an iPhone 3G S in Canada. You will be unable to use it in Japan except by international roaming, and it will cost you a fortune.

Now, depending on how long your visa is valid for (one year?), you may not be eligible to sign a two-year (26 months, actually) contract, which means you may have to purchase the phone outright and then sign a one-year contract.　(Read through this PDF from SoftBank.) You will also need an alien registration card, of course, which you can obtain within 3-4 weeks of entering the country.

At any rate, I think you should wait until you get to Japan before you decide anything. Mobile phone companies release new products two or three times a year (for the spring, summer, and winter/fall sales seasons). You might find another phone that appeals to you, either in features or in price.
posted by armage at 11:23 PM on June 18, 2009

You will be unable to use it in Japan except by international roaming, and it will cost you a fortune.

Just to clarify this: the USIM card used in the iPhone in Japan is specifically for the iPhone. You cannot use it in a standard mobile phone, even if it is from SoftBank. That means that you cannot simply purchase a free or one-yen phone and hope to use its USIM card.

Now, SoftBank *can* issue an iPhone-specific USIM card for a fee of 1,995 yen if you bring an iPhone to one of their stores, but I do not know whether an iPhone purchased overseas is covered by this.

At any rate, the campaign that No-sword mentioned is going on until September 30, and it is indeed valid for the iPhone 3G S as well. You would end up saving a lot of money by buying an iPhone in Japan (perhaps 7,500 yen per month for 12 months, less if you're a student).
posted by armage at 11:40 PM on June 18, 2009

Just to clarify armage's points further. An iPhone purchased in Canada is carrier locked to Rogers. Now crafty hackers are busy making carrier unlocking for the 3GS which would allow you to run on another country's network. Except as armage says SoftBank may not give you a SIM card that will work on their network. In other words, wait until you get to Japan to buy an iPhone.
posted by birdherder at 11:58 PM on June 18, 2009

There's no sim-unlock for the 3GS yet - if it becomes available, it will be here. Keep an eye on that site for the next week or so...
posted by DreamerFi at 3:07 AM on June 19, 2009

You'll have to unlock an iPhone you buy in Canada. You can buy them outright for 700$, or there abouts. I'd just buy the phone in Japan.
posted by chunking express at 6:22 AM on June 19, 2009

Response by poster: Thanks a lot, everyone! The MetaFilter community has never let me down and always offered great advice.

I think that answers it. I was impressed when I saw the features and capabilities of the new iPhone 3GS, but I knew the Japanese already has many models of cellphone years ahead of ours. I believe I'll just make my old Samsung SPF-A580 last until I move to Japan, and keep my iPod Touch for a while longer. It's possible I'll just rent a cellphone, if I really need one, with Softbank until I get my alien registration card.

This being said, since I'm likely going to Japan on a working holiday visa in a few months, I'm sure I'll have a few more questions to ask. Until then, thanks again!
posted by remi at 6:46 AM on June 19, 2009

You will have SO MUCH FUN browsing through the hilarious technologies the Japanese have thought of to put in their newest cell phones. Don't deny yourself this pleasure. Wait and see. You can get an iPhone when you get back (if you ever come back).
posted by Bobby Bittman at 9:51 PM on June 19, 2009