Tonight’s research: Phone options! You can’t get a contract unless you’re living there two years or more, which I’m not. Prepaid options for data service are slim, and I consider data service essential. So I’m looking at two things:
1. http://www.hotspot.ne.jp/en/index.html provides access to a bajillion wifi hotspots around Japan, but not just anywhere. You have to be at a place with access, you can’t just go walking around. Cost is ¥1,680 per month (about $22). I think you can use any device, laptop or phone.
2. http://emobile.jp/service/emcharge.html is a mobile broadband service. I think you get a puck or a USB stick or something like that. A bit hard to work out the website though, I’m using Google Translate on it. Cost seems to be ¥4,410 ($58) monthly for 7.2Mbps, which would be fine. Not sure this can be used with a smartphone, but you can use it anywhere.
I’ll be discontinuing my phone service in the US, of course.