I'm not a visitor—I'm moving back there next week.
I've been posting in this thread since it started. ;__;
that's why I wrote "not related" and "for friends"

It's more like a general recommendation...
about softbank: I'm not a huge fan of contract phones... after all, you'll be stuck with a locked phone, which, in the long run, is usually more expensive than just buying one and getting a cheap sim card.
I've been talking to a few friends on Monday about this stuff actually. I can't remember why, but at least 2 of them weren't particularly happy with their Softbank contract and are going to switch to Docomo soon. Depending on your needs, there are also a few other non-softbank and non-docomo alternatives and from what I've been told, they're worth looking into.
edit: seems like the taifun has arrived! yay