Gaijin, iPhone and Osaka

It's been a while since I've started any thread - can't even remember when was the last time I was much more regular to this forum. Was it 2008? Or was it 2007? Geez~ like they say time sure does fly~

anyhow as now becoming the annual ritual I'd took missus and my elder daughter to Japan mid Jan. I've been going to Japan in Jan each year for last several years. It's usually to show her the different culture and the way of living in another country since she was born here and brought up pretty much under western culture.

enough about that. I usually brought the netbook with me on such tips but this time around since I have the iPhone 3GS I thought why bother with the bulkier netbook when I have the iPhone. As it turned out I was much too naive for what I had to arrange/prepare for using iPhone in Japan.

Firstly it's not easy to get the pre-paid SIM for iPhone in Japan - probably from Softbank for someone who is visiting Japan for 10 days. And also I've heard unlike western countries free hotspots are virtually non-existence in Japan - apparently something to do with their law or something.

Armed with these basic knowledge I hit the big fat button of Google. And within several seconds I've scored with numerous tips/advise/articles/etc. in relation to this topic.

Firstly my main aim were as below.

1. Use iPhone in Japan WITHOUT roaming
2. Use Wi-Fi where ever possible
3. Utilise the hotel room broadband service if possible
4. Access to my trip plan and associated info on iPhone

For (1) I used one of pre-paid SIM designed for travellers. It's called TravelSIM and worked out roughly less than half the cost of calling from Japan to Aus under roaming. To do this I needed my iPhone unlocked and as turned out Apple does support the official unlocking and I had my iPhone unlocked in no time.

Now the Wi-Fi issue. I know I won't be able to use the 3G data in Japan since the TravelSIM doesn't have the facility and wasn't prepared to purchase the pre-paid SIM with data access for 10 days when the minimum purchase was for one month. That would 'be overkill not to mention waste of hard earned money. Therefore the only viable alternative was accessing the Wi-Fi hotspots.
Now from what I was told in Japan it's against the law to have the open Wi-Fi hotspots. Then I found out there are two methods to gain access those hotspots in Osaka. One is Wireless Gate and the other is HOTSPOT. After checking and comparing the coverage I settled on the HOTSPOT as one of its hotspot is right where I was staying. To access there were few different ways to go about but I opted for 1 day passport that can be purchased at selected Fami-mart or hotel reception. It allows 24 hours access from the first login.
As the backup I did sign up for Wireless Gate though only used once and now I unsubscribed.
As a side note while I travelling I did encounter one completely open free hotspot in Kobe. After bit of sightseeing I took my family to the port city and had quick meal before we headed to the theme park(?) nearby. The restaurant was actually very good offering the crab rice steam in its own pot and served hot. ^ ^ Anyway as a habit I ran the active Wi-Fi scanner and sure enough it picked up one open AP and while we had the meal I managed to do fair bit of checking/replying/etc. on my iPhone. Sadly that was the one of only time I found the open free AP in Osaka/Kyoto/Kobe.

Now about the hotel room, specifically the broadband access with the iPhone. As usual the access is via the Ethernet cable next to the TV and as you know iPhone doesn't have the Ethernet port. To fill this gap I brought the Apple Airport Express with me. Before left though I configured the AAE in the bridge mode and tested it worked. Unlike other routers AAE can only be configured by the configuration utility from the connected computer. And since I won't have my netbook with me I won't be able to do any configuration on the field. So after consulting Apple's knowledge pages I set the AAE in the bridge mode so when it was connected to the hotel room's Ethernet port it will simple convert that port into the wireless access point where I can connect my iPhone into. I had my reservation whether it would really work or not since I've read conflicting articles/posting from various forums.
Well it worked rather brilliantly! After the AAE showed the green light I connect my iPhone to the new AP and open the Safari. Soon as I Google I was brought to the Hotel's broadband access agreement page. After chose the time and amount and agreeing to their t&c I was on the internet.
It wasn't cheap by the way at 600yen for 60 min. So I only used twice while I stayed there.

Finally, the need for accessing my trip info on the go. After looking at several Apps and others I settled on TripIt service. It's free to setup the account and they provide the free App for iPhone to access the trip plan from TripIt,com
After spending fair bit of time to enter all the details for the trip and itinerary it was breeze to access all the details on my iPhone as after initial connection the App download the content from the web to iPhone so you can access the details while off-line. Since iPhone supports Japanese I was able to enter all the address and etc. in Japanese so I was able to show the screen of iPhone to the cab driver on few occasions when he didn't quite understood my pronunciation. ^ ^

With these simple preperation my trip to Japan with iPhone was rather success.
Hope these info of some help to other who plan to travel to Japan with his/her iPhone.
Of coz YMMV~

 

You know... you don't need 3G to surf the net on an iPhone. I have mine set to 2G network mode. Perhaps it does not work right in Japan in 2G though.

 

with iPhone 3GS if you want to access the web site and there's no Wi-Fi access your only option is 3G.
Sure you could use 2G but I'm not that desperate to use the slow lane... ^ ^
And as I mentioned my travelSIM does not have the data accessing whether 3G or 2G...

 

All the McDonalds in Shinjuku had free Wi-Fi when I was there last year.

 

Not sure of Tokyo but at Mecca near Namba City I can see the hotspot but it was asking the login details. I used one from the one day passport and it worked.

 

Heck the McD's even had outlets for your laptop. I just used my hotel room's net as it was included.

 

I'm still not sure about the details regarding that Softbank Prepaid sim. Will need a new phone this summer when I go back as my old one got cancelled but I'd rather use my existing phone (HTC Hero) with a sim than buy a completely new phone again only to be used ~1 month.

From what I gathered some Softbank stores sell the sim card, but it's unclear whether you can get it with a tourist visa and also whether they all stock it or not..

 

Well I tried getting a softbank prepaid card/phone last year and the prompt answer was "no no, sold out everywhere" and then the shop clerk swiftly disappeared...

 

no you cannot get with the tourist visa.
apparently you need the alien(?) card in order to get one~
[something to do with terrorist issue or so they say..]

 

They didn't even ask me for any ID or documentation

Supposedly you could get one without a gaijin card as long as you present your passport or some other ID

 

Yeah, I think the sim is the same as getting a prepaid phone: they should ask for your Gaijin card but esp. in the bigger cities they don't always do that, usually they just want your passport.

 

no prepaid in japan anymore. not w/o a residence proof.

 

Yep, even 7/11 have stopped selling the pre-paid phones now.

 

....hence my original posting. ^ ^
I've searched and what I did was as far as I'm aware the most cost effective way to use iPhone as the tourist visiting Japan for short stay.

 

Wi-fi is not outlawed, it just isn't common.

 

Why no more prepaid? A friend of mine has one, but has had it for a while so just refills it (no gaijin card, but he's here about 4-5 times a year). Shouldn't be too hard to have a friend get one for you -- you can't destroy their credit with it.

 

^ That. And some stores are known to not ask for alien registration. Google around, it's usually Softbank stores..

 

Ironic since they're such pricks when getting a contract. My mates prepaid is through Softbank, btw.

 

softbank were the worst, when I got a prepaid for my mate. couldn't sheer believe through what I had to go to get that celly for him.

 

Japan doesn't support traditional GSM (at all) so no 2G for you.

That's also why the original iPhone never launched there.

You can only use the iPhone 3G/3GS in WCDMA/UMTS 3G mode while in Japan.

This is true of any phone. Basically, if you want to ensure your GSM phone can get service in Japan make sure that it supports 3G 2100. If it does, you're good. If it doesn't, you get no signal.

-hl718