I’m curious about what it would be like to live in Japan with a dumbphone/garakei or without a mobile phone at all. On the one hand, Japan seems like a place where you would need a smartphone to do a large number of things (I think of LINE and Suica). On the other hand, it’s still a cash society and I feel like a lot of people (especially older) are resistant to significant lifestyle changes.
I don’t like being constantly connected to a smartphone and prefer to have a flip phone where you either have to call or text me. Unfortunately in the US, most of our 2G and 3G networks have shut down, so the old flip phones are unusable. Most of the new flip phones run on a version of Android and have apps and a modern browser, which defeats the purpose for me. I’d like to be able to go back to an older phone.
I’d like to move to Japan at some point in the next couple of years and I was thinking about this issue. SoftBank will shut down 3G in 2024 and Docomo in 2026. Prior to that, I think it would be a fun experiment to live in Japan with one of the old 3G phones even if just for a few years.
I’d like your thoughts on potential hurdles, maybe personal experiences if you’re the rare person with a dumbphone in Japan.
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This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Living with a dumbphone or without a phone in Japan**
I’m curious about what it would be like to live in Japan with a dumbphone/garakei or without a mobile phone at all. On the one hand, Japan seems like a place where you would need a smartphone to do a large number of things (I think of LINE and Suica). On the other hand, it’s still a cash society and I feel like a lot of people (especially older) are resistant to significant lifestyle changes.
I don’t like being constantly connected to a smartphone and prefer to have a flip phone where you either have to call or text me. Unfortunately in the US, most of our 2G and 3G networks have shut down, so the old flip phones are unusable. Most of the new flip phones run on a version of Android and have apps and a modern browser, which defeats the purpose for me. I’d like to be able to go back to an older phone.
I’d like to move to Japan at some point in the next couple of years and I was thinking about this issue. SoftBank will shut down 3G in 2024 and Docomo in 2026. Prior to that, I think it would be a fun experiment to live in Japan with one of the old 3G phones even if just for a few years.
I’d like your thoughts on potential hurdles, maybe personal experiences if you’re the rare person with a dumbphone in Japan.
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All providers here sell 4G capable flip-phone. As long as you have phone number you will be fine.
The biggest hurdle will be if you want friends under age 50.
If your japanese is so good and you don’t need maps, then I guess it’s fine. But for me, google translate and maps are a daily tool. Can’t live without it. Lol
I’m not sure if you’ll be able to navigate without google maps, but of you can why not
Speaking as a Softbank 902(and Y!Mobile 903)kc dumbphone owner also looking to move to Japan in a couple of years, I’m sure life will be great. I’m in the US currently and a primary reason for this dumbphone transition has been to adapt to a more present lifestyle and find a system I can stick to for the foreseable future. I’m enjoying the ride and life is pretty simple. I do have LINE on my device (sideloaded just to familarize myself with the app), so note that you can (albeit not officially) install some non-negotiable communication apps on some SHARP, Kyocera, etc dumbphones.
I intend to be that guy exclusively using a dumbphone in Japan, there’s seems to be so much to get lost in. Can’t wait to take it all in and not rush to take a picture for social media lmao. Jk jk no shade to anyone 😂
I am not someone with a dumb phone, though as someone who spends too much time on my apps, I get the allure.
Aside from the daily life issues you’re thinking about, I’d try to think about emergency situations as well. Will you be able to receive the emergency alerts (which are annoying, but…)? What happens if you need to navigate to some place unfamiliar quickly? Translate something at a hospital? Communicate with someone in an emergency? Life is a little different when living abroad in a foreign country where you’re not a native speaker. It can be helpful to have more resources available.
I remember in 2011 after the quake— people had to walk home due to trains being shut down and a friend of mine wandered for a long time because she didn’t know the way home (she wasn’t the only one!). Cell service was fucked up, so I used Facebook on my phone to stay in touch with my family about the situation while I was waiting in an evacuation spot near my apartment. And thank god for Facebook and Twitter back in those days as Tepco was being super ridiculous about information so the internet was a better resource. It gave me peace of mind to be able to access all of that on my phone so I wasn’t tied to my computer during the aftershocks.