Phones

Cell Phones

Japan is famously known for its cell phone obsession, known as 携帯電話 (keitai denwa), or keitai for short. Getting a phone will make your life here much more convenient.

There are 3 major cell phone providers:

• SoftBank

  It's safe to say that SoftBank is the most popular among ex-pats in Japan, as it is generally known to be the most foreigner and English-friendly. The White Plan is a good cheap plan for people who don't make voice calls very often. iPhone's are available through SoftBank as well. Coverage in rural areas can sometimes be sketchy. Has an extremely popular white shiba dog mascot called "otōsan".

• DoCoMo

  Is known to have the best coverage in Japan, especially in rural areas. If you are out in the distant countryside you may want to consider DoCoMo. Ask your predecessor which company they use. Has a weird mushroom-looking mascot.

• AU (KDDI)

  Bills itself as having the "coolest" phones in Japan. Often bring in big-name Japanese actors and actress as their spokespeople to up their "coolness" factor.

Phone Numbers

• Fire: 119
• Ambulance: 119
• Police: 110

Local Numbers

Local calls made from land lines don't require a prefix, but how much of a prefix depends on where you are. In Tsu and Suzuka the 059 is dropped, but in Matsusaka 0598 is dropped and in Ōdai the 05987 is dropped.

Toll-free Numbers

All numbers that begin with 0120 and 0077 are toll-free. Also, numbers that have only six or seven digits and begin with double zeros are also toll-free (0088xx, 0066xx, 0037xxx). Four-digit 00xx numbers are access codes for non-NTT companies. Sometimes the company will provide toll-free support through a four-digit number (0057). Some information services are available via 0990 numbers - these are not free.

Cell Numbers

Cell phone numbers generally start with 090 or 080 or 070. The prefix must always be included when dialing.

Dialing Japan

1. Dial the international access code (often "011", will depend on country and phone system though).
2. Dial 81, the country code for Japan
3. Dial the full Japanese phone number including the city code, however, don't dial the "0" which is at the beginning of all Japanese phone numbers (land or cell).

Example

If your phone numbers are as follows:

• Land: 0596-58-1234 --> 011-81-596-58-1234
• Cell: 090-3333-3333 --> 011-90-3333-3333