Hi. A lot of people will probably regard me as some kind of freak or
dinosaur, but I've been living in Japan for fifteen years and never
used a cell phone!

Now, part of me says if I've done without one for fifteen years I can
probably get by for another fifteen, but another part is beginning to
find it increasingly difficult getting around the expectations of most
other people (some of whom appear to recognise no other form of
communication, and that includes actually meeting people and talking
to them).

So, I'm thinking of taking the plunge. My wife says I should go for
PHS, because it emits less radioactivity. For my part, if it's
healthier (or less unhealthy), that's fine by me, but my main
requirements are for a no-frills deal, that just lets me receive voice
mail and text messages, with as little complication as possible.
Preferably something with an English-language interface, but it
doesn't matter that much.

Can anyone recommend a suitable model and give me some idea of what
it'll be costing me to have such a creature? Being a dinosaur-freak, I
have no idea what a typical contract looks like; is there a flat
monthly rate, with an extra cost for actual calls made, or how does it
work?

Any advice welcome; remember, you're dealing with someone who hasn't
got a clue about cell phones, so please keep it simple!

Thanks in advance,

John