Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
You can save money by calling late at night. Economy rates are available from 11pm to
8am. Note that it is also cheaper to make domestic calls by dialling outside the standard
hours.
Useful International Numbers
Direct-dial international numbers include the following. There's very little difference in
their rates. Dial one of the numbers, then the international country code, the local code
and the number.
»
001 010 (KDDI)
»
0033 010 (NTT)
»
0041 010 (SoftBank Telecom)
For international operator-assisted calls dial
0051 (KDDI; operators speak English).
Prepaid International Phone Cards
Because of the lack of pay phones from which you can make international phone calls in
Japan, the easiest way to make an international call is to buy a prepaid international phone
card. Most convenience stores carry at least one of the following types of phone cards.
These cards can be used with any regular pay phone in Japan.
»
KDDI Superworld Card
»
NTT Communications World Card
»
SoftBank Telecom Comica Card
Local Calls
The Japanese public telephone system is extremely reliable and efficient. Unfortunately,
the number of pay phones is decreasing fast as more and more Japanese buy mobile
phones. Local calls from pay phones cost ¥10 per minute; unused ¥10 coins are returned
after the call is completed but no change is given on ¥100 coins.
In general it's much easier to buy a telephone card
(terefon kādo)
when you arrive
rather than worry about always having coins on hand. Phone cards are sold in ¥500 and
¥1000 denominations (the latter earns you an extra ¥50 in calls) and can be used in most
green or grey pay phones. They are available from vending machines (some of which can
be found in public phone booths) and convenience stores. They come in a myriad of
designs and are also a collectable item.
