So my plan was to keep my non-Japanese phone number and use that in Japan along with a monthly Ubigi cellular data-only plan (no additional phone number) but now I’m wondering if I should cancel my phone plan for my non-Japanese phone number and get a Japanese phone number along with cellular data all in one plan.
Is it true that you always need a Japanese phone number to open a bank account? Even for foreigners? If so, that’d be enough of a reason for me to do it. Any other reasons to get a Japanese phone number starting with 070, 080 or 090?
6 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
—
**Am I going to be fine with a non-Japanese phone number?**
So my plan was to keep my non-Japanese phone number and use that in Japan along with a monthly Ubigi cellular data-only plan (no additional phone number) but now I’m wondering if I should cancel my phone plan for my non-Japanese phone number and get a Japanese one along with cellular data.
Is it true that you always need a Japanese phone number to open a bank account? Even for foreigners? If so, that’d be enough of a reason for me to do it. Any other reasons to get a Japanese phone number starting with 070, 080 or 090?
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yes, Japanese phone number is required for a bank account and lots of other things.
What are you planning on doing in Japan, and how long do you plan on being here?
If you’re coming as a student and plan to get a part time job, there is no way an employer is going to want to dial international long distance just to schedule you for an interview.
Socially you’d be fine just using Line, but for professional interactions you’ll want a local number that can be called. I’d be surprised though if even a data-only plan doesn’t have a number that can receive calls. I’m not paying for voice with my povo account but I still have a number and can receive calls.
If you are living in Japan for any length of time, you really need a Japanese phone number. Lots of people will block all foreign numbers, too.
If you plan to actually live in Japan, you need a Japanese number.
Not having a Japanese phone number means you cannot create an account on ticket selling websites like e+ or l-tike as well as some apps (notably some taxi app), as they need sms verification. So at some point it can get annoying.
Also keeping a foreign phone number that would include roaming fee, that can get really expensive.