I went in today to look into getting a phone and setting up an internet connection in my apartment. I had no idea what was available or how much anything would cost, but I knew I wanted a smartphone and would probably use Softbank because almost everyone I know here uses them. It turned out that I only really had two choices for Softbank smartphones: the iPhone or a Lumix Android phone. Also, because I can't commit to a two-year contract, I have to pay for the full price of the phone upfront. Because the iPhone was ¥46,080 and the Lumix was ¥95,280, that made choosing the iPhone pretty easy. They had other Android phones on display, but they won't be in stock until June, and at this point I was in no mood to wait any longer.
Because I'm buying the phone upfront and not paying it off over two years, it does reduce my monthly payments from ¥5705 to ¥3785, plus usage charges. It gives me unlimited access to the internet, which will be nice while I'm waiting for a real internet connection at home. Unfortunately, the iPhone was out of stock at the store I went to, but they are getting more tomorrow. I'm scheduled to go back at lunch and get everything taken care of, which I'm definitely looking forward to.
Internet is a whole other story, sad to say. NTT needs a week to figure out if my apartment as the proper set up or if they need to do some installation work. If something does need to be installed, it will cost me extra, though they didn't say how much. I'm most likely going to go with the plan the other foreign teacher here uses, which gives him quick, reliable, unlimited access for about ¥4000 a month. After I choose a plan, it'll take at least a month to get someone to come out and install it. Best case scenario, I'm looking at another five weeks without a proper connection. I'm surviving just fine right now, but it will be really nice to put an end to this daily struggle for any kind of connection.
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