How I Bought My First Phone in Japan

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Introduction

Hi~! How’s your day going? Hope you are spending your time well. If it’s either resting or doing something productive, then pat yourself on the back for doing something good. If neither of those nor just doom scrolling through your phone’s screen, then give me a high five!

Speaking of phone, I had a Samsung Galaxy phone six months ago that I carelessly dropped while walking back home. I hastily picked it up from the ground and put it back to the right-side pocket of my hand-me-down jacket without checking if it is broken. When I arrived at home, I just lost the words to describe what happened to its screen.

^{Completely broken screen of Samsung Galaxy A-series phone}

Buying a New Phone

It was Sunday of February 18th when I couldn’t use my phone. Since it was a pattern lock and unable to see what’s on the display, I tried eye balling where the pattern lock so I could unlock it. Sadly, it did not work. I tried brute forcing it so I could even save a backup, but it was still not possible.

I gave up on the thought and tried thinking of buying a new one. I looked up online and checked the recent Samsung Galaxy phone. When the page loaded, it said that the phone is not available in Japan yet. You see, at that time, the release was just recent, and I did not knew when its release would be, so I re-considered my choice.

Giving up on the Samsung Galaxy, the next brand I looked up was Google Pixel. They have a good reputation when it comes to the mobile photography. That time, I was saving up my money to buy a Fujifilm camera, but I decided to use my money for a new phone instead. So, I picked the Bay Blue color and added it to my cart. When I clicked the checkout button, the website didn’t accept my card. Frustrated, I closed the browser window and just moved on.

^{Bay Blue Google Pixel 8 Pro}

A day has passed and I’m bummed out since I cannot do some transactions without my phone. I was thinking of buying the Samsung Galaxy via overseas but I dropped that thought thinking it will take a long time to be shipped. I set aside my thoughts and continued to do my work “diligently”.

It was after-work hours and I decided to buy in the physical store. Torn between going to Bic Camera or other official stores, I plotted my direction in Google Maps so I could remember where I would be going. Finally choosing the route, I dressed up and went to the place.

^{Apple Store Marunouchi}

Arriving at the Tokyo Station, I navigated to the Apple store and it was pretty close from where I was. I went there and directly stood in front of the phone display. A store clerk accommodated me and I asked her some questions in broken Japanese. She said that there were no phones with 1 terabyte of storage so I had no choice but to choose the base model of the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The transaction was fast and very convenient. It was different from the customer reviews I had read in Google Maps and I was really glad I did not experience what they experienced. After picking up the phone, I also purchased a screen protector. As it was being applied on my phone’s screen, I spoke to myself and thought “So expensive T_T“.

Afterword

It is now six months after purchasing my phone and I did not regret buying it. Its camera is good enough to take decent photos and its security features are reliable that even the Cellebrite, a phone hacking company, couldn’t hack iPhones running on iOS 17.4 or later.

Now, being inside the Apple ecosystem, I kind of get it now. If I want to buy earphones, then it is recommended and more compatible if I buy it from Apple. Same thing if I want to buy a smartwatch.

With all that said, if you want to buy a new phone then I recommend to do research and have extra money just in case of any emergency. Aside from what I recommended, there is nothing wrong if you wish to follow what your heart desires especially if you have been thinking of buying a new one for a long time. Maybe it is now time, or maybe this blog is now your sign. 😉