Quote:
Originally Posted by SkinnyPupp
Also have an update on the SIM situation, since I did some research. Most are data only, in the range of $10 USD per week of service (time limits range from 3 days to 21 days. A 30 day card is rare to find) with about 1-3GB of data available in total (so a 1 week card usually only has 1GB, and a 3 week card would have 3-5GB and cost $30). Some offer more data, like 5GB for $50, but still the same time limit.
Best deal I found for longer trips (>10 days) was Docomo. You get the sim for as long as you like, and just buy data as needed.
The card itself is $10. You could actually just buy this and have unlimited basic 128 kbps service for 2 weeks. This is the very cheapest way to do it just to have some sort of data connection.
From there you buy a package of data - 600mb for $7, 1.2GB for $12
And that's it.. just buy more data if you need it.
After you sign up, you can add to your data by playing commercials. I got 360MB by doing all the things while watching football.
You can get another 300MB by using the coupon code found here. Or if you're going before Oct 23, please consider using my code 4QPQSXF3 so we both get some free data 
That's it. Kind of complicated (because Japan) but I think it's the best deal (for a longer trip anyway)  |
Just an update on this to share my experience. I ended up staying longer than originally planned, and the card expired after 21 days. I used about 6GB during that time, not including wifi use. So I switched to a 5GB card for my last two weeks.
The 5GB card was from b-mobile, cost about 3500 yen. Problem is, data was MUCH slower with them, and you don't have access to the Docomo wifi points.
Next time I'll do more research, and try to find a 5GB card that is faster. The person at Yodobashi told me it was slow when I went to buy it, but she didn't offer and recommendations that were faster. She kept insisting that I only needed 1GB for the 2 weeks I was staying ("you will only really use it for Google Maps") I ended up using 3.5GB of it btw. She wasn't very helpful, despite being correct about the speed.
So I still think Docomo is a great option for 1-2 weeks, it is fast and convenient and you get more wifi access. But I ended up staying 4 weeks, and used way too much data.
BTW, wifi access in the cities is MUCH better than it was 5 years ago. Practically every station, every big store (like Bic, Donki, etc), Metro stations, JR stations (even some JR trains, like the NEX and newer Shinkansen), all offer free wifi. It isn't 100% reliable, but it is there if you need it. You definitely would still need a SIM, but it is great in a pinch. It saved me when I broke my phone (I couldn't install sims and had to use wifi) to look up a repair shop (and eventually had to buy a new phone while I was there)