Cell phone won’t work in Japan

My carrier (Tracfone) does not have service outside the US. What are my best alternatives (aside from getting a new phone or service)? I will have a laptop or pad with me and may have to rely on that for communication with friends and family back home.

Wouldn’t you just get a sim or eSIM? Or is your phone locked? Most people won’t use their home cell phone provider because it’s too expensive

Have you thought of getting a pocket wifi?

Since you have a phone and a laptop that needs to be connected to the internet, I'd probably rent a pocket wifi. Here's a comparison table of the good providers.
https://visitjapan-vegetarian.com/is-pocket-wifi-worth-it-in-japan-wha...

If you only plan to use the laptop in your hotel, can consider a SIM card or an eSIM.
eSIM:
https://visitjapan-vegetarian.com/should-i-get-a-japan-esim-card-and-w...

SIM:
https://visitjapan-vegetarian.com/should-i-get-a-japan-sim-card-and-wh...

I used to have Tracfone, for years in fact. (I have to say, it seems to have gone into the toilet after being bought out by Verizon. You might still be getting decent and cheap phone service in the U.S., but god save you if you ever need customer service.)

During my Tracfone years I used pocket wifi in Japan and found it to be very satisfactory for getting on the Internet. I did not make any international phone calls. The few times I needed to make domestic phone calls in Japan I used a pay phone (!). They still actually exist in some places.