Best cell phone company?

I'm going to be living in japan for a few years.. Usually when I'd get a cell phone there I'd get AU because of their cheap cancellation fee. But I won't need that anymore.
I know Do Co Mo is the hot brand but expensive and a lot of people are angry at SoftBank for poor customer service and deceiving sales on cell phones ("free" or "1 yen phone" but not really cuz they paid for it in their bill later).

I'm going to be living in Sano in Tochigi. I'll need good service of course. So with this info, what company would you recommend?? Also, do I need my visa to buy it?

I'm going to be living in japan for a few years.. Usually when I'd get a cell phone there I'd get AU because of their cheap cancellation fee. But I won't need that anymore.

If you will be staying as a student then au will probably be the cheapest as they have a half off promotion for students.

I know Do Co Mo is the hot brand but expensive

Docomo is the leading brand, however they've been continuously losing customers to softbank and au because they are more expensive and their phones don't have the same coolness advantage that they used to.

and a lot of people are angry at SoftBank for poor customer service and deceiving sales on cell phones ("free" or "1 yen phone" but not really cuz they paid for it in their bill later).

Not sure when the last time you had a phone was, but they changed the purchase rules a few years back and now there aren't so many 1 yen or free phones. Instead the companies offer subsidized phones and nonsubsidized phones with different contract obligations. Softbank in particular has a program where you can distribute payment for the phone over the course of your contract, so you eventually pay off what may appear to be a zero yen phone up front.

I'm going to be living in Sano in Tochigi. I'll need good service of course. So with this info, what company would you recommend??

I've had au, which I though had great service pretty much anywere, but I recently switched to softbank for the iphone. Personally I liked the au service better, but the iphone is so much more useful to me that it made switching worth it. Otherwise the services all seem to be the same, especially in large urban areas, so I'd probably choose a service either by the particular handset I was interested in, or the overall cheapest price.

Also, do I need my visa to buy it?

No, but you will need a gaijin card, and your bank book.

See this page for more info:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2223.html

I'm staying cuz i got a job as an ALT in Japan. The last time I got a phone there was 2007 fall.

Can't really speak for the other companies but I've been pretty satisfied with Softbank, especially since my friends and family are also on it. With the free calling during the day between softbank subscribers, I thought it was a pretty good deal.

To be perfectly honest, like all things in Japan they are way overpriced. When you receiv your bills they have a price but no breakdown of phone numbers, minutes and charges. Big time scam if you ask me. When I lived in Hong Kong I would pay the equivalent of 1,000 yen a month and get 1,200 minutes free included. Softbank seems to have the coolest looking phones and Docomo is super hot but AU is probab;y the most economically feasible. There are only a select few phones that can be programmed in English so ask first. Like most japanese companies who don't believe foreigners exist, they probably don't have English support services but don't quoite me on that one. If you're looking for fullEnglish support for high speed internet go for "GOL".

Oh don't worry. I don't need an English phone. I can do Japanese just fine.

But thanks for the tip.

To be perfectly honest, like all things in Japan they are way overpriced.

Well that depends on what you are comparing to. Your Hong Kong example sounds exceptionally low and you will definitely not be able to find those kind of prices in Japan (or so many other countries). However, if you compare things like unlimited data plans then Japan can be significantly cheaper than other countries.

When you receiv your bills they have a price but no breakdown of phone numbers, minutes and charges.

I used to have au and my bills had the breakdowns. I've recently switched to softbank and I think those things are viewable online, although I'm haven't checked my bill yet.

Softbank seems to have the coolest looking phones and Docomo is super hot but AU is probab;y the most economically feasible.

When comparing similar plans, Docomo is definitely the most expensive. Then its a toss up between au and softbank depending on your usage. If you call a lot softbank can be cheaper especially if you have friends and family on softbank (calls to them would be free during daytime hours).

There are only a select few phones that can be programmed in English so ask first.

The entire softbank line can be switched to english. Most Docomo and au phones can as well.

Like most japanese companies who don't believe foreigners exist, they probably don't have English support services but don't quoite me on that one.

Softbank has english support, while au has limited english support. I haven't used docomo so I'm not sure about them.

If you're looking for fullEnglish support for high speed internet go for "GOL".

What is GOL?

Also, there are a few other brands to consider, such as Willcom and emMobile which have competitive (for Japan) prices as well.