Can I get a pay-as-you-go sim card in Japan?

Hello all. I'll be going to Japan (Tokyo) in a couple of months and staying there for at least a year. Everything I've looked at seems to indicate I can only get monthly contract sims. I obviously want a phone out there for emergencies but I don't intend to use it all the time. I don't really need internet data or anything, just calls and texting.

It'll be my birthday shortly before I fly out, I was planning to get an unlocked phone in my country (UK) and then get a sim out there. Or should I just buy the phone and sim together as soon as I get out there?

So I guess in short I want the cheapest mobile phone in Japan haha

Try Softbank 3G prepard phone/sim package.
Each reload credit last for 60days, and 3++yen for all you can email/S!Mail for 30days.
Note that SMS is only btwn softbank no. only.

Package 3G flip phone plus SIM credit start from as low as 6,+++yen.
If you don't topup credit you can still receive calls, but cannot call or email. Phone no. Is valid for 360days.

Credit topup reload is 3000 or 5000 yen.

www.softbank.jp/en/mobile/service/prepaid

Hi! I've been looking into this too as I'm also going to Japan for a year in a few months.
The best solution I have found so far is to get an unlocked phone in the UK (must use the 3G 2100MHz frequency to work in Japan), then order a sim card from a company like this: http://www.onesimcard.com/
They say that when you top up the credit lasts for 10 months, which is really good as all the pre-paid sims I've seen from Japan run out after 30 days.
I have never tried any service like this before but it seems like a good option!

Prepaid sim credit in Japan expires after 60 days. Keep in mind that overseas "international sims" can be cheaper/more expensive depending on your particular usage, so you'll have to do the math to see if it works out. Also, don't expect Japanese people to call/text you on an international number, so this may be a dealbreaker if you want to be in contact with locals.

Two possibilities...

There is Freetel, which is exactly what you (and I) want. The problem is that you need a credit card with a Japanese bank to sign up. If your situation is such that you can get a Japanese credit card, Freetel will be very good and cheap. You can check their website for a list of unlocked phones that are compatible, or they have very cheap phones too. If you can't get a Japanese credit card but you have any good friends or relatives in Japan, you can have them get the phone for you. Technically, it won't be your phone then, but meh...

Another possibility is to get a used phone and portable wi-fi. A lot of people in Japan use portable wi-fi... it connects to the cell networks. You won't have a phone number then, but you can use messaging apps like LINE and VoIP calls. I don't know if you need a Japanese credit card for this as I've never tried it.

I have a used phone without a contract. I contact people with LINE, or I use Skype to make calls to numbers. I'm usually at home or work, so I use the wi-fi there. If I'm out, I have a list of places I know with wi-fi, and I just go there...