LCL - Nothing big to update in iPhone...I have great signal here in Ikego w/ AU. Our first bills were about $100/phone including activation charges - so I hope month 2 that they should be closer to $75 a month. Minutes roll over - we bought a plan where we get 62 minutes of free calls a month. We only used half of them from 11/11-30. Incoming calls to your mobile are free, but outgoing calls get charged. So, that's why we got a few free minutes. My 64GB white iPhone is only about $5/month more than my wires 32GB white iPhone. Now, over 2 years that's a $120 additional I pay for my 64GB, but in the grand scheme - I kinda wish we had both gotten 64GB.

Groovie - Pandora works while I am on wifi in my house in Ikeog (base housing). Router plugged into my Americable modem, nothing else fancy required. If you still can't connect, recommend you get a VPN account such as "hidemyass.com" or "StrongVPN". Then you can connect via a US server, and then go to pandora. I am using Pandora apps on iPad, iPhones, iPod Touch throughout the house. Again, it did not work over my AU iPhone while on 3G. When I got home, I had to re-enter my account stuff, and it worked again.

LCL - both AU and Softbank offer the 16GB iPhone 4S for "free" following discounts and a 2-year contract. AU is somewhat Verizon-ish, in that it's a CDMA network and you cannot surf the internet (3G) while talking to someone. A feature I never used while on AT&T in the US. Softbank uses GSM chips a la AT&T and you can surf and talk at the same time if you so desire. Voice plans are almost identical in price, however Softbank has a plan where you can call any Softbank mobile for free. On AU, the only free calls I get (unlimited) are to my wife as we signed up as a family. You do pay a little less over the course of 24 months with AU vs Softbank, for the cost of your phone. Softbank is a little cheaper on the unlimited data than AU. Both have unlimited text.

If you plan to live in an area where there are predominantly Softbank users - then maybe that is a better way to go. If you do want free minutes w/ Softbank, it does take you off of their "White Plan" which then removes your ability to call other soft bank mobiles for free, and starts charging your air time to your allotted minutes. But now you can call any mobile lines, regardless of networks, and landlines (taxi, personal property, spouse's work phone, home phone) and use your minutes.

If Signal reception is a priority for you - you may want to go with AU. In general (and in my experience) I have seen/heard AU gets better signal than Softbank...in general.

AU had phones available on a walk in basis - I had friends waiting for Softbank (and others on this site) that had 3 weeks to a month wait. I was too impatient for that, and we needed connectivity.

OK - lots of food for thought. I think, in the end, the monthly costs work out to be the same as one company charges more for one thing and less on the other. For me, it boiled down to signal reception and availability of a phone quickly, so AU was a win-win for me. Others are very happy w/ SB from what I've seen here, too.

Someone here said you can't use an unlocked iphone with softbank, not true when I was in japan I did it worked fine.  You can use an unlocked iphone with softbank, but data may not always work which was fine for me.

Transferring from Germany and wondering if an unlocked Iphone can be used with softbank? Also have an Ipad 2 3g will that work with softbank as well.

Actually ThaiGuy, the US iPhone 4 is GSM...

Question. When I got here in Aug I signed up with SB and got the iPhone free plan for two years. I do get to keep the iPhone when we leave Japan right?

@jsalt:

ATT's iPhone is GSM. Sprint and Verizon's are CDMA. I just picked mine up from Sprint on Friday.

Posted By ALock92 on 02-13-2012 6:10 AM
Question. When I got here in Aug I signed up with SB and got the iPhone free plan for two years. I do get to keep the iPhone when we leave Japan right?

Yes, it's yours to keep.  I fulfilled the 2-year contract on my 3GS, upgraded to the 4s, and sold the 3GS to a third party. 

Posted By ALock92 on 02-13-2012 6:10 AM
Question. When I got here in Aug I signed up with SB and got the iPhone free plan for two years. I do get to keep the iPhone when we leave Japan right?

All iPhones are locked for your specific carrier. Hopefully Apple will have the released the unlock code for your version of iPhone or you go through the jailbreak community to unlock it. Otherwise it will just be an iPod Touch.