Travel with Iphone to Japan?

September 25, 2009 1:18 AM

I will be traveling to Japan for 2 weeks Want to use my iphone mostly for non-cell usages: mail, maps, etc. 2 questions: are prepaid sim cards available for iphone if i jail break it in Japan and how common are free wi-fi spots in Tokyo if i want to go airplane mode to avoid ALL data charges?
posted by dougiedd to travel & transportation (8 comments total)

What model of iPhone? The original model doesn't work as a phone in Japan at all (no GSM networks exist).
posted by w0mbat at 3:01 AM on September 25

Firstly, it needs to be 3G

Secondly, you will need to have Japanese text enabled

Thirdly, it will need to be jailbroken

You can get prepaid sim cards. Email from these sim cards is included in the price, so you'll never have to add any cash if you use it mainly for email. Softbank do a good one and most convenience stores will top you up. You might not be able to get a sim card on it's own, some plans are tied in with a handset which you will be forced to buy. I was in Japan very recently and was lucky enough to have a friend with a spare SIM card. I recommend asking around to save you some cash.

Data plans are more difficult, and I think you'll find that your prepaid card gets emptied VERY quickly indeed. WiFi is not very prevalent in Japan. You can get it in some parts of Tokyo, but outside Tokyo it is very very rare indeed. Hotels all have LAN services, but rarely WiFi.

Good luck
posted by 0bvious at 3:29 AM on September 25

I went to Japan with an ipod touch and the same idea in mind, and I can confirm that free wifi is very rare, if not impossible to find, even in Tokyo. Maybe they don't really need it considering the phones and data plans they have.
posted by anto1ne at 4:01 AM on September 25

Wifi doesn't exist here, for the most part. There are some places (like McDonald's) that offer it for Nintendo DSs. Some areas might have it, but only for subscriptions. It's just not part of the infrastructure. I got more use out of my iPod touch in a month in Kalamazoo than in over a year in Japan. Jailbreaking is probably your only option, but Japanese cell phone contracts are kind of bearish.
posted by Ghidorah at 4:33 AM on September 25

I took my 3G to Japan a few weeks ago. If I were you, I wouldn't just put it on airplane mode - I'd call AT&T and tell them where you are going; they will give you a full set of instructions on how to make sure you don't incur charges accidentally.

I could not find free wifi anywhere - a lot of western-style coffee shops in Tokyo had signs for "free wifi" but they required a password which had to be emailed to you (I bet these were the subscription service referred to by Ghidorah).

Our hotel in Tokyo had wifi in the lobby, but it was barely usable, for being so slow.

That being said, there were a couple of apps with maps in them which were great to have, so I'd still recommend bringing the phone. It was also good to use it for texts in emergency situations (although the charges added up).
posted by Shebear at 4:55 AM on September 25

I couldn't find any free WiFi in the Osaka area either. I don't think it exists. Nobody needs it because they get the internet on their phones. I had to go to internet cafes (which are very elaborate in Japan) if I wanted to get online while walking around town.

Prepaid voice will be expensive. Prepaid internet access will be very expensive. Prepaid email is really cheap.

What I did was get familiar with the Japanese street address system and then I bought a really nice map book of the area I was in. Mine is by Mapple. The only way to get around (and the Japanese do this as well) is to go to the nearest subway station to your destination and then follow the graphical map as best you can, keeping your eye out for landmarks and buildings marked on the map to make sure you are on the right track. Streets rarely have names.
posted by twblalock at 11:45 AM on September 25 [1 favorite]

You can get prepaid sim cards.

You cannot -- at least, you will be unable to get the USIM card that is particular to the iPhone. Please review this earlier post on the same topic.

And as others have mentioned, free, no-fee wireless access is not prevalent in Tokyo, much less the rest of Japan. Most access points are through one of a few major providers that charge a fee.

In short, my advice is to either rent a phone for the duration of your stay (US$100-200, depending on your usage pattern) or simply pay the roaming charges (which will likely be up in the hundreds of dollars if you have any data usage).
posted by armage at 4:49 AM on September 26

sounds like it would be useful for games and emergencies: ie leave it at home. too bad
posted by dougiedd at 1:24 PM on September 26