![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i.imgur.com\/AwpEyGv.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
On Saturday, I spoke at a Q&A Panel for\u00a0NEJETAA<\/a>\u00a0on technology in Japan. For an informal debriefing, I did\u00a0aite,\u00a0<\/em>but I finished feeling like I could’ve done\u00a0better<\/a>.<\/p>\n I thought I’d do a recap\u00a0here and add the stuff I forgot to mention originally. This info should be\u00a0helpful for anyone who’s going to stay in Japan, not just JETs, so let me know in the comments what you think.<\/p>\n My street cred is living in the mountainside of Japan from 2009-12, so it’s very possible some of this is a teeny-tad outdated.<\/p>\n Cell Phones<\/strong><\/p>\n The three major companies to choose from are:<\/p>\n Softbank was the first provider to carry the iPhone. Around the time I left, AU followed suit. But now, all three carriers have it. If you’re anti-Apple, there’s plenty of other smartphones to choose from, it’s just the iPhone plan usually ends up being the cheapest with the unlimited data plan.<\/p>\n For the first two years, I had a standard flip phone (picture above) with Docomo. Great reception– I was able to get service on mountains an on the subway, but the bill was around 6,000 yen compared to the iPhone unlimited plan of 4,400 yen with Softbank.<\/p>\n Most people go with Softbank not only because of the price, but Softbank is the company that\u00a0allows “free” same carrier calls. So why didn’t I go with Softbank right off the bat? For one, I was deadset on getting a kewl Japanese phone. And two, I knew I wasn’t going to be calling anybody and didn’t really want people to be ringing me up either. That notion changed during my third year, which is why I switched.<\/p>\n Each cell carrier has a special “couples package” where you can put your +1 on a special plan with unlimited calls and data. Otherwise, I’ve known some Japanese people to get a cheap third party service phone for the sole purpose of contacting their boo (or hiding another).<\/p>\n The final comment I’ll make on cell phones is smartphones have changed\u00a0everything<\/em>. Japanese people still prefer to message instead of make a call, but instead of relying on SMS\/MMS, they’ll just use an app. Most likely\u00a0LINE<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n