Phone & Internet
Getting Connected
11 TELEPHONES �Ԓ���Ǥ�DENWA K obe JETs have the phone set up under their name when they first arrive at Kobe. The JET is responsible for paying the contract fee with NTT Communications Japan, however there is a subsidy from the KEC towards the installation fee which you will receive around November. Local calls go through NTT however international calls are rather expensive. There are many options for international calls such as World Link (not recommended), I-tel, the Yahoo BB phone (included with your ADSL service for an extra charge) or skype. The latter two are the cheaper of the options. If you regularly call the United States Yahoo BB has rates as low as 2.5 cents per minute. Skype on the other hand, offers similar or lower rates to all countries and you have the benefit of being able to purchase a local number from your home country for around \5000 (in your currency) so that friends and family can call you! Please see below for a comparison of the two services which both require an internet connection: 11.1 YAHOO BB ADSL/ Phone Yahoo BB's International price listing: http://www.bbtec.net/bbphone/price.php English website for sign-up Yahoo BB service or general enquiries: http://www.bbapply.com/index.html OR http://metropolis.japantoday.com/specials/tech/tech04.html Yahoo BB Internet costs at least 3000yen per month (includes modem rental and nominal NTT fee). It is available in either 8M or 12M speed connection. There is also the Yahoo BB phone. This is a local and long distance phone service offered by Yahoo. The advantages of BB phone are fairly cheap phone calls and Internet. If you call anyone else in Japan with BB phone, the call is free regardless of length of phone call. If JETs w/ BB Phone call other JETs with BB Phone, those calls should be free. If you call anyone else in Japan without Yahoo BB phone, you will pay 7.5-yen/3 min. It is very cheap to call the United States using Yahoo BB. Unfortunately, it isn't as cheap to call other countries with BB phone �C the costs are generally similar to those of World Link. A Yahoo BB application can also easily be done online with help of a Japanese-speaking friend or you can go into one of their centres at an electrical store such as Yodabashi camera in Osaka. 11.2 SKYPE You might also like to check out http://www.skype.com/ which offers free internet telephony. Skype allows you to call computer to computer for free. You can also call normal telephones for a ridiculously low rate. (It costs 1.7 Euro cents to call land lines in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the US etc.) If you purchase a ��skype in�� number in your home country you also receive a free answering service so friends and family can leave messages for you even if your computer is not on when they call. Sound quality for the free computer to computer calls is excellent and much better than a normal telephone. Sound quality for computer to normal phone calls varies. All you need is a computer headset (with speaker and mic - some computers have internal ones) and an Internet connection. 11.3 MOBILE/CELL PHONES Я���Ԓ�����������Ǥ�Keitai Denwa Obviously, keitai��s are not a necessity but most JETs do have them as a convenient way to keep in touch with each other. They are also quite useful as instead of SMS text messaging each phone has an inbuilt email system and you can also access the internet from your phone. Most keitai��s also have inbuilt cameras. You will be hard pressed to miss the stores selling keitai��s on virtually every street in Sannomiya, let alone the rest of the country. There are quite often ��campaigns�� which give you great discounts on top of the range models. Make sure that you ask for the options you have with an English model if you��re not fluent in Japanese. Most JETs use either Vodafone (now known as Softbank) or AU (the service is apparently better than other carriers for those who live in Hanayama). If your Japanese is not so good ask if one of the staff members can speak English ��eigo ga hanasemasuka?�� or ask another JET to help you out. A staff member will help you to sign up. You can arrange for the monthly payment to be automatically withdrawn from your bank account or billed to your credit card. Otherwise, they will send you a bill monthly which you can pay at the convenience stores. It is generally around \5000 per month for the service including some free phone calls �C have a look at the pamphlet you will find in the stores for a more detailed breakdown of the plans on offer. To apply you will need to take either: a) Your alien registration card (or proof that you have applied) and passport b) Your bank book or credit card After you have registered and filled out all of the necessary forms they will tell you when to come back and collect your phone ready to use! It shouldn��t take longer than two hours.
| Home | Sources & References | Site Map |