What you are actually buying is the right to a phone line, a phone bond if you like, rather than the physical line itself. You are required to buy this licence when you get a phone line installed or activate an existing line in your home. Think of it as a deposit as you can easily sell the line/bond when you leave Japan and get your money back.

There are two types of phone line in Japan; normal (analog), and ISDN digital. ISDN's monthly fee is a little more expensive, but allows faster dial up internet connection speeds (64Kbps), an optional second phone number, and the ability to talk and surf the internet at the same time. The advent of cheap ADSL internet has largely replaced the need for an ISDN line though.

BUYING NEW

But if you are not so lucky you will have to apply for a phone line at your nearest NTT office. Take any official document which confirms your name and address such as your Alien Registration Card. The cost for a bond sold by NTT and installment (which simply involves a man flicking a switch at the top of a pole) is 76,440yen (including tax) plus any installation costs. It may cost more if wiring is actually needed. Your supervisor should help you with your application.

BUYING SECOND HAND

You can buy someone else's phone bond and the prices can vary. Expect to pay between 30,000 and 40,000yen. You will not be buying their physical phone line but the right to get a phone line from NTT. Look in the classifieds section of English publications/magazines and at Sayonara sales for good deals. Transfer of ownership will have to be done at an NTT office by the buyer and vendor by filling out and signing a simple form. Once completed you will then provide NTT your address and your phone will be connected the next day. Make sure you have ownership of the line properly transferred to you by NTT- you can be assigned the usage of someone else's line but NOT own it- making it difficult to sell again or have the type of line changed.

RENTING

A lot of JETs don't even bother getting NTT lines now - they rent. You can rent a line from Hello KDD Corporation Tel. 0120-40-8640 or J-Com. They will rent you a line through a contract with your employer. Installation costs 2,000yen (9,300yen if no phone line is installed) and basic subscription is 840yen per month plus NTT fees and call charges. You are able to make domestic and international calls from this rented line.

As mentioned above, the advent of ADSL high speed internet has made ISND defunct. But if you for some reason really need ISDN then please findthe relevant information below.

ISDN provides an alternative to the huge outlay for a new phone line. ISDN is nothing more than a digital phone line so do not be intimidated. It serves exactly the same purpose as a normal phone line with added functionality, such as having a phone, fax and computer running at the same time. For example you can be online and still receive incoming calls.

NTT have invested heavily in ISDN and are seeking to expand its customer base thus there is no charge to install an ISDN line in your home. You will need to buy a ïTerminal AdaptorÍ (TA) which can be found at any electrical shop for between ¥10,000 and ¥40,000. The TA simply converts the signal and gives you different outputs for connection to phones / faxes and your computer. Your computer will no longer require modems and installation is very simple.

If your home has at some point had a phone installed (i.e. Has jacks in the wall) then the admin fee from NTT is only a few thousand yen and the job can be completed within a week of the time you submit the application. If you do not have jacks in your home then the fee is obviously higher. Please refer to NTT's pricing, but ISDN lines are available with a variety of options and are slightly more expensive than analogue lines on a monthly basis.

If you would like to get an ISDN line there is a company called Bricks which will help you apply for an ISDN line through NTT. The service is completely free and they handle all the paperwork and talking for you. They offer a full English service. Call them on 03 5314 2525.

COSTS

You will be charged a monthly fee of ¥2310 for an analog line and about ¥2800, for ISDN, plus fees for any services and calling plans you select. Such services include touch-tone dialing (important for telebanking and callback) for ¥390 a month, itemised billing, call waiting and three-way calling. There are no free calls in Japan and the charge is based upon the time of day.

For ¥10 you get the following amount of time:

For more information on bringing the cost of your bill down see Reducing Bills.

USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Click here for a full list of helplines

Emergency operators, in most cases, will not be able to speak any language other than Japanese, but they may be able to transfer you to someone who can. If possible, have someone call who can speak Japanese.

You will receive a couple of very thick phone books through the mail which will no doubt be totally useless except for throwing at the NHK man. You can get your hands on Townpage, a more useful telephone directory which is in English and lists useful numbers and services.

You can receive a free copy of Townpage for your region by contacting NTT English Telephone Directory Office on 03-3459-7511 for Eastern Japan (Kanto) and 06-944-7504 for Western Japan (Kansai). You can also order copies online through their website. If you want an extra copy or a copy for the region not your own then each copy is ¥2,000 plus tax. They also have a great website, Townpage Online, which makes looking for numbers and services very easy.