Dan Rempel wrote:
> Michael Cash wrote:
> 
>> On Fri, 17 Mar 2006 05:25:51 GMT, <shepshep1@excite.com> brought down
>> from the Mount tablets inscribed:
>>
>>> Hello, my wife would like to buy a cheap prepaid mobile phone to use the
>>> next time we visit Japan. You can buy one as cheaply as ?20 in the UK 
>>> and
>>> that includes ?5 credit, is there a similar deal available in Japan?
>>> Thanks for any information.
>>
>> Available at practically any convenience store.
> 
> I thought those phones had been discontinued, or at least made nearly
> impossible for foreigners to use. I was going to get a ridiculously
> expensive keitai from Telecom Square, but if those little toy ones are
> still available it would save me a bundle. Are you fairly sure us gaigin
> can still purchase and activate the things?

Assuming Vodafone still exists this morning, you can get a phone and the 
first card for about ichi-man all in.  New cards are available at any 
Seven-Eleven.  Overseas connect rates suck, big time.

You will need a valid ID, though.  I have helped a number of foreign 
visitors buy them.  The Vodafone-only shops have always been more open 
minded about what constitute ID.  Some of the multi-brand shops wanted a 
gaijin torokusho and would not even look at a passport or accept my home 
address when I offered to buy the phone for the people I was with.

CL