Cellular Service
 

I think there are cellular services from the states that will work in Japan if you have paid for it in your contract or whatever. Does anyone know this for sure? What companies? My contract is up soon and I would pick one company over another for this option because I plan to travel a bit.

Also, if anyone knows a company that provides this option, do they provide air-card products as well (for mobile internet)?

BUMP!!!1one

I believe AT&T offers service in Japan, but I'm not sure about the detailes (Source: Airport wall advertisement in Chicago O'Hare International Terminal which I saw coming back from Europe)

Well that thread seems like it would prove quite useful in keeping phone costs down but I'm still looking for an air-card type product to provide internet access.

Yes AT&T offers international roaming in Japan and 200 other countries. Here is there international features pageInternational calling rates and packages | Wireless from AT&T, formerly Cingular. However, in order to use international features you need to call them and have it set up and you aren't assured of it being activated unless you have had your account for 90 days. You also need a phone that operates on the UMTS 2100 frequency, of which there aren't very many available in the US. I think there are only 4 from AT&T; the AT&T/HTC Tilt, Samsung Blackjack II, Iphone 3G, and Sony Ericsson Z750a. When I was looking I couldn't find any other US carrier that had phones compatible with Japan but I last checked in April when I bought my Z750.

Option GT Ultra (Refurb) 3G
The Option GT Ultra provides the latest generation of mobile broadband technologies in a Type II PC Card design. Access the internet, email, and business applications from your laptop while on-the-go, whether in the U.S. or halfway around the world.

awesome, something to look into. that link helped. thank you!

Japan doesn't use the GSM standard but one called PDC, which is only used in Japan. But they also have a 3G network, which can be used with UMTS enabled phones.

To use this network, your home carrier needs to have roaming contracts with the Japanese provider, sometimes you have to call your carrier to unlock the roaming feature.

Data transfer is also possible on this network. But be aware, data roaming can be INCREDIBLY expensive, something like $10-15 per megabyte you download. Some carriers offer international data roaming packages, where you can buy an amount of data transfer in advance, at lower rates.

If you're in Japan for a while or visit often, you could explore the possibility of getting a data card and contract in Japan. I don't now if this is possible for non-residents but it would come a lot cheaper that way if you use mobile internet a lot during your stay.