Communication¶
Telephones¶
So you finally made it to Japan! What’s the first thing you want to do? Call home, if you’re like many people. If you’ve read your CLAIR materials, you know all about the red and green and green-and-gold and gray and pink phones. If you haven’t, you should know that phones come in many flavors in Japan. The ones that concern you are:
Green: Regular public phone. You can use a phone card.
Green-and-Gold: Same as green, but you can make international calls.
Gray: Same as green phone, but they have data ports for using computer modems.
Pink: Basically the same as a green phone, but you can’t use a phone card. Usually found in restaurants, sometimes in a new gray-black style.
Japan’s pay phones have only two major differences. One: some phones accept coins, others accept coins and telephone cards, and some accept only phone cards. Pay phones do not give change, so don’t go using 100-yen coins! Two: green phones with gold plates and gray telephones can be used for international calls with any of the three major international companies (001, 0041, 0061).
Emergency calls can be made from pay phones by pressing the red button and then dialing 110 for police or 119 for fire or ambulance.
Telephone Cards¶
Telephone cards are like pre-paid credit cards: you buy one for a certain value (usually ¥500, ¥1000, and multiples of ¥1000), and you can use it until that value is used up. To make a call, pick up the receiver, insert your card, and dial. Each local call costs one credit, or 10 yen. However, if you are calling long-distance or overseas the card will lose its credits quickly, so be prepared. As you talk, the digital readout shows how much value is left on your card. When you finish your call, the phone will spit out your card, with a hole punched in it. The position of this hole also indicates the value left in the card.
As soon as you can, get several telephone cards. Keep one in your wallet or handbag, one in your schedule book, etc. They can be real lifesavers. They come in all colors and patterns, and there are even places where you can have them made with your picture on them. Phone cards are sometimes given away as promos, and you may receive them from people at the office. You may purchase phone cards at tourist shops, tobacco shops, most local variety marts, or other local stores, as well as at vending machines.
If you have a home phone line, you can get a “Card C” from NTT for 100 yen a month, which works like a phone card except that your home number is billed. This saves on waste, but DON’T LOSE IT!
