Most people have mobile phones and smartphones nowadays, so the number of public telephones has drastically decreased. However, they are still there and functional in various places in Japan.

Call charges vary according to the time zone and call distance. Also, note that call charges for mobile phones change depending on the operator. The coins that you can use in a public phone are \10 and \100 coins. Please note that you won’t get change if you insert \100 coins.

The public phone usage is as follows.

When using coins…
① Take up the handset.
② Insert coins into the coin slot.
③ When you hear a dial sound, enter the phone number using the dial button.
④ Make a call.
⑤ Return the handset.
⑥ Take the change from the coin return slot.

If you are using a telephone card…
① Lift up the handset.
② Insert the telephone card into the telephone card designated area.
③ When you hear a dial signal, enter the phone number using the dial button.
④ Make a phone call.
⑤Return the handset.
⑥ Take the telephone card from the telephone card return slot.

Except for some restricted areas, international calling is usually available. When using the international calling function, please dial as follows.

“0033-011- or country code phone number”
* The other party’s phone number starts with the area code, but you do not need to enter the first 0 of the area code.

Emergency phone call (free of charge) in the event of an accident/disaster

・Police station: 110
・Fire-station: 119
・Coast guard: 118

For digital payphones, you need to lift the handset and enter the number. For other payphones, press the emergency call button and enter the digits.
Use during power cuts is usually also possible.

In the event of a disaster such as an earthquake or a volcanic eruption, there is a function called “disaster communication dial”: digit 171. In this case the communication is also free.