Telephone and Internet Connection
RESIDENTIAL TELEPHONE
When you want to have a home phone installed in your apartment, contact the nearest NTT office. (Usually, when you sign your apartment lease contract, the real estate agent will advise you of the contact address for NTT.) When you sign up for the home phone, you will need your Foreigner Registration Card or a valid Japanese driver license, so that NTT can confirm your name and address. It costs 72,800 yen plus an installation fee which could cost another 10,000yen. You can then sell your telephone line to somebody when you leave Japan.
Want to save some cash? Buy a "used" telephone line from someone who is leaving the country or has an extra line. The average price is between 40,000 - 65,000yen. Want an even cheaper line? Check out the resell market among Japanese. For some reason, the lines seem to be bought and sold much more cheaply among Japanese than among foreigners.
IDs Required for Telephone connection: You can never have enough ID when you apply for something here in Japan so take EVERYTHING!! Your passport, your Alien Registration Card, your proof of residence, your signature, your hanko (stamp), your bank book, your driver's license, your birth mark, your Japanese friend! Many places even ask for your friend's ID too! You can argue with them about it or you can save yourself some time and just show it!
- NTT East, Kashiwa branch.
Telephone tel.0120-04-7182
- NTT East, English Service GuideEnglish
More details here. (English only)
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MOBILE PHONE (PREPAID/POSTPAID)
NTT Docomo, KDDI and Vodafone are the 3 major cellular telephone companies operating in Japan. KDDI has 2 different brands, TU-KA and au.
Each cellular telephone company has its own system for student discounts, benefits, options, etc. Please compare well, before you choose to sign a service contract with any company.
You can sign up for your own cellular phone service at any shop that carries cellular telephones.
You can either buy a PREPAID MOBILE PHONE or a POST PAID MOBILE PHONE :-
POST PAID MOBILE PHONE
You can get a mobile phone at nearly every store in Japan now! The stores get a commission on your monthly bill so everyone is selling mobile phones. You have to show your Gaijin Card and your passport. Your visa must also be valid for at least 3 months. So if you're here on a tourist visa or if you're about to renew your visa you should get a prepaid mobile phone (See below).
PRE PAID MOBILE PHONE :-
This is your best friend if you're here for a short period of time or if you only need to receive calls or send text messages. Prepaid mobile phones do not require id, or minimum monthly payments. You buy your phone (usually free-2000 yen) and a prepaid card for about 3000 yen or 5,000 yen. You dial a number to activate your credit then you're away! Compared to a monthly contract of an average minimum of 3500 yen you're doing very well! But if you do dial out one minute costs about 90 yen calculated in minute chunks rather than in seconds like a regular mobile phone. Also check the expiration date on the phone. These phone numbers expire after about a year. Please note that not all companies offer prepaid phones in all areas of Japan.
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IP PHONE :-
IP (Internet Protocol) phone is a telephone service which uses the Internet rather than conventional telephone lines. For IP phone users, the fees for making both international calls and domestic (Japan) long distance calls are significantly cheaper than for calls made on the standard home phone. Internet providers have their own rate scales and services, so please check well, in advance, to choose the system that best suits your needs.
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INTERNET :-
To connect to the Internet, you must first sign up with a local
Internet provider. In Japan, there are many Internet providers, and they
all have their own fees, services and systems. Compare well. Some Internet
providers also offer IP telephone service, so you should compare providers
carefully before you sign up.
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