mobile phones in japan
 

anyone got any up to date information on how well a uk mobile works in japan. travel guides advise they dont, yet orange tell me thre is an excellent service throughout the country! what is the truth?? should I hire a mobile??

There is no GSM service in Japan. There is 3G, on the same frequencies as Europe. So if you have a UK 3G phone, it'll work if your service provider has a roaming arrangement in Japan.

hey, thats great information, many thanks!!I was on the verge of hiring just in case! i shant worry now, as I have a 3 g phone!!

thanks for your help!!

Remember roaming charges for an Orange sim in Japan are very high - like £1.50 a min to call UK and £1 a min to receive (I know because I have one and am a frequent visitor to Japan). I suggest you get a global sim from operators like http://www.travelsim.co.uk/ and put into an unlocked 3G phone. Their call out charge is reasonable at around 40p a min and they charge nothing to receive calls (callers have to dial an Isle of Man number, which are often included in bundled talktime, and definitely with Orange). I usually carry a global sim in one phone and rent a Japanese sim to put into another phone, purely to receive calls made within Japan (e.g. business contacts).

Still carry your Orange sim and phone, as it's useful for receiving text messages (free). Even texting to UK mobiles is quite reasonable at around 35p each.