@theagentd being in Japan and all
How many people you meet use Android and other more "western" cell phones ?
because I've seen a lot of these flip form cell phones, using NTT docomo and such
and also, they dont use SMS really, they use these network provider email system, right ?
Those flip designs are pretty common. Some even have GPS, 3G, touch screens and even 3D screens a la 3DS. They are almost always made by Japanese companies, so they're usually cheaper than an iPhone/Android phone.
Smartphones are really common. Like 75% of all people on trains are staring at their phones or even tablets (hilarious during rush hours), which is understandable since many people commute for over an hour each day. From what I've seen most people have Apple stuff or those flip phones. Android phones are easy to find in store but a little bit rarer on the street from what I've seen.
I was surprised that my basic contract did not include SMSing, so I can't really say how messaging works...