Oh yeah. I couldn't agree more. Now, if I weren't so damn lazy...
Yes, the iPhone has Skype, of course, as well as Fring and any other messenger/VoIP solution you might need. The only caveat is that unlimited 3G is still rare in many places, so most of these solutions are used when you're on WiFi.
The iPhone 4 has a front-facing camera, and it has been used for FaceTime. I think they got it to work on Fring, but not on Skype, yet.
Hokuriku, eh? What's that like? I've lived in Nagoya (Aichi Pref.), Gifu (Gifu Pref.), and Matsumoto (Nagano Pref.). Matsumoto (despite the alpine snow and cold) was, by far, my most favourite place to live in. I really can't stand Asian humidity.
Tokyo and Singapore can be on par in this regard, in my experience...but you can't get away from it, because the alternative is the dry heat you get in Israel (let along the whole situation with the
hamsin). Right now, I'm holed up in snowy Ontario, doing my grad school stuff here, but let me tell you--I do miss Matsumoto.