Telephony in Japan

Calls from a hotel in Japan are the most expensive, much cheaper than calls using the Internet or a public payphone. Pay phones, red, are very common and are found not only in cities, but also in small Japanese villages. They serve for calls within the city or rural district. Only 10 yen coins are accepted.

The yellow and blue machines are used for long-distance calls and can work with both calling cards and coins from 100 to 100 yen. You can buy such cards at kiosks at railway stations, bus stations, newspaper shops and small 24-hour supermarkets. A minute of a telephone conversation within the region will cost about 10 yen (4 rubles).

For international calls, gray-green telephones with the inscription ISDN are used. Calls are made using cards. Such payphones are usually located inside or near hotels, at airports, railway stations, bus stations. There are almost no such payphones on the street. The cost of a minute of conversation is from 140 to 270 yen (60-110 rubles).

In all machines, the rules of use are explained by successive drawings located inside the booth.

Mobile communication in Japan

Mobile communication in Japan не поддерживает стандарты GSM, использовать свой телефон для звонков можно лишь при наличии в нем 3G или 4G. Old cell phones cannot work on local mobile networks. Expensive smartphones are capable of this.
Local sim card

Mobile communication in Japan достаточно дорогая. It is represented by 4 national operators: NTT docomo, KDDI, SoftBank Mobile and Willcom, which changed its name to Y!mobile.

In addition to these companies, small regional operators operate in the country.

It is almost impossible for tourists to buy a local SIM card. When drawing up a contract at the operator’s office, you will need a passport. If it has a tourist visa, the buyer will be denied.

Phone rental in Japan

Renting a phone for your own SIM card

Tourists can rent a local telephone and insert their SIM card there. Tourists will have the same number and roaming will be activated. You can rent it at Narita Airport (成田国際空港) and in large hotels – Imperial Hotel, New Otani, Hyatt, Four Seasons.

Mobile phone rentals at Narita Airport are located in Arrivals Halls 1 and 2 terminals and are marked with Mobile Phone Rental and Rental Cell Phone signs. The rental price is about 1200 yen per day (500 rubles) with insurance in case of theft or loss.

At rental points, the traveler will need a passport, a bank or credit card and a pin code from a SIM card. It will need to be entered during the connection process.

Rent a phone with a Japanese SIM card

At the same rental points, you can also use a cell phone with a Japanese number. The rental price is similar to a phone with its own SIM card – 1200 yen per day (500 rubles), it also includes insurance against loss or theft.

The difference between the rental options is that for rare and short calls it is more convenient to use a phone with your own SIM card. For frequent calls within Japan, mobile Internet and applications, local numbers are more beneficial.

Phones for tourists

There are also special phones for tourists. They are in the communication departments of mobile operators, for example, in SoftBank offices. The cost of the phone is about 10,000 yen (about 4,000 rubles). Payment is made by pre-paid card, the number of which must be entered into the phone, after which the funds will be credited to the account. The cards are sold at the operator’s offices, supermarkets and newsstands. The cost of a card for 7 days is 2,700 yen (about 1,100 rubles).

Addresses of SoftBank offices with English-speaking employees can be seen here.

To rent or buy, you will need a passport. The place of residence is a hotel, hostel or hostel.

Connection with Russia

Outgoing call: 600 yen (250 RUB) / min.
Incoming calls: from 200 yen (80 RUB) / min

Travel sim card

Travel sim card – простой и недорогой способ оставаться на связи. When using such a card, the phone must support the 3G or 4G standard. The cost of a tourist SIM card is about 300-400 rubles. Calls to Russia cost 20-30 rubles, incoming calls from 7 rubles. Mobile Internet will cost from 40 rubles. for 1 MB of traffic.