The biggest mobile phone companies in Japan are NTT Docomo, AU by KDDI and Softbank (Vodafone). Your phone will only work in Japan if it is a 3G model, and international roaming is expensive.
You will have much better rates if you rent a Japanese SIM card. Renting a phone at the airport is a convenient option, and some companies will actually send you a phone by mail to your home or hotel. You will need to present a valid form of ID with a photo and a credit card. There are two sets of fees on rental phones, the daily rental fee (between 250 and 1000 yen) and the per-minute calling fee (between 70 and 200 yen per minute within Japan, no charge on incoming calls).
Prepaid phones which can be charged up at convenience stores and mobile phone shops, as well as subscription plans, are not available for visitors to Japan, you will need to be in possession of an alien registration card and/or Japanese drivers licence for that. Note that very few Japanese mobiles function outside of Japan due to the way they are setup and network conflicts.
Update 20/03/2008
Keep more of your money when transferring funds overseas!
If you want to move money abroad, from Japan or to Japan for example, Fexco provides efficient and secure global bank to bank transfers and bespoke payment solutions for both business and personal clients.
Why Fexco
Fexco provides a secure international money transfer service online or by telephone with bank beating fx rates and low fees. Specialises in high-value transfers.
Main characteristics
Fexco will help you to keep your overseas money transfer costs to a minimum.
| Margin | 0.6% |
|---|---|
| Regulator | FCA |
| Fee | £10 < £5K or Free > £5k |
| Mini | £1K |
| Ccy | All (130 currencies, incl ‘exotics’) |
| Services | Repatriation of funds, Property, Regular payments, High Value payments, spot, online, telephone. |
Get an online quote today
When you are ready to make your transfer, John and his team will be available to help you with better rates and an unrivalled service to make sure your funds are delivered securely and speedily.