Can I use my Canadian iPhone in Japan?

[kickFlip]

Hi!

Anyone have any experience with bringing their North American iPhone to Japan and successfully integrating it into a carrier there? I believe Softbank would be the only carrier that would support 3G.

My wife and I are going to move to Japan very soon and I would like to purchase an unlocked iPhone here, in Canada, before the move. Can I use this in Japan?

Thanks for any insight!

EDIT: Sorry, just used some new keywords in my forum search and came across some threads dealing with this same issue. If a moderator can delete this thread, that'd be great. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

[mr miyagi]

hi
i am sure you will be able to use it in Japan.

 

[ptmms]

Check with the Canadian authorities to see if the phone requires a passport. Also check with the Japanese authorities to see if the phone requires a visa.

 

[itou]

i do this on a regular basis.
my wife and i return to japan a few times a year and after having debated about the issue of unlocking the iPhone vs. potential concerns with it being bricked (we did it many times locked to a Canadian carrier = extremely high costs), we decided to unlock the iPhone.

you'll have to unlock it yourself, or pay somebody to do it.
once you arrive in Japan, proceed to SoftBank and purchase a prepaid account. For an extra 1500 ($15CAD) yen, you'll be able to purchase the unlimited "e-mail" plan which in your terms is data. this is the best way if you want to use e-mail and voice.

if you're moving to Japan, i would suggest buying a phone there.
If you have a phone already and want to enter into a monthly plan, why pay the extra money here and have an unlocked iPhone when you can have it subsidized? you're entering into monthly costs anyway?

all mobiles phones in Japan have English localization. they're not as good as the iPhone's, obviously, but the iPhone is not your only choice. there are many.

-itou.

 

[scottness]

I used my 3GS iPhone in Japan, no problem. The international data roaming is pricy, though.

 

[kickFlip]

Woah! I didn't expect any responses in this thread. Thanks so much to everyone for their input, especially Itou.

So, Itou, if I go with Softbank, what kind of monthly charges am I looking at with a decent voice plan and unlimited data? EDIT: and by "data" I guess I mean Softbank's term of "packet"? Basically, I'd like to have unlimited usage of the internet (not just email).

Thanks for your advice.