Japan

It was bound to happen to me at some point, but the way it happened is a bit out of the ordinary. I switched mobile phone provider recently… Actually make that mobile data provider as this was for my iPad, but that distinction doesn’t matter these days because data is king and who makes normal phone calls anymore, amirite? Probably the biggest reason most long-term residents, along with many Japanese themselves, are switching carriers lately is that there are many options among companies now that offer almost exactly what you need without having to pay for a lot of stuff you don’t. Of course, this is easy-peasy in many other parts of the world; go to an electronics shop, find a plan you like with the new company, grab their starter kit, go home and turn it on through their website, terminate the old service on theirs, and change SIMs, done. Japan is a bit different but not entirely complicated if you know the steps. Step 1: Find a new plan and carrier There are a TON of mobile phone companies in Japan now due to the laws regarding MVNOs (“kakuyasui providers, 格安プロバイダー” in Japanese parlance) changing a few years…