Calling the U.S. From japan
 

Hey All

I am a young guy going to Japan/Asia for the first time on business. If I want to call home to family and friends what is the best (i.e. most cost effective) way? Is there a calling card or dialing code I should know about. Is calling from the hotel phone going to be expensive?

Thanks!

Art

Take a look at:

http://www.idt.net/products/debit/gc/Default.asp

I'm not sure to what extent you'll get stung when calling from a hotel though. My solution was to rent a Japanese cell phone and give my family the global call card details so they could call me (you don't pay to recieve calls on a cell phone in Japan).

I've been using Cognicall (www.cognicall.com) to make calls from Japan at 39 cents per minutes. It even works from Japan payphones without inserting coins. Cognicall works from most all other Asian countries too. Cognicall does their billing online, charging to a credit card, so if you need paper bills in the postal mail, you'll have to pay extra.

It's been a while since I surveyed calling card rates so I don't know if Cognicall is still the among the best rates...

The cell phone idea sounds good if you're going to be in Japan a while. There's a cell phone rental shop right in the NRT airport mall. Don't know if you'd save alot of money going elsewhere...



[This message has been edited by anthonyanthony (edited 07-28-2003).]

IDT is 20 cents a minute but is by no means perfect (yes it works in Japan but it's international network of numbers is poor). Genrally, if I can call home for less than 50 cents a minute from far off places, I'm happy.

Edited to add: Cellphone rental can be expensive (I paid £5 per day plus calls) but I go cold turkey if I don't have a phone these days. If going to Japan often, or for prolonged periods, getting a local to set you up with a local contract phone is very cost effective (and you'll get a phone that makes your US/european model look like something from the Stone age).

[This message has been edited by Internaut (edited 07-29-2003).]

J-Phone, a Vodaphone unit, sells a prepaid mobile.

http://www.j-phone.com/english/servi...syu/index.html

I would think this with a combination of a calling card is the best option for mobility and cost-effectiveness, if not most economical.

Go2Call is 5 cents per minute (1 yen per call to 800 numbers) to the U.S. but you need a PC and a headset with a microphone.

[This message has been edited by Chiangi (edited 07-31-2003).]

Funny, I just got off the phone after talking to an MCI rep.

The Costco MCI Calling Card is .... $.17 yes, seventeen cents a minute calling the USA from Japan.

Why look anywhere else for a calling card?

I like the idea of renting a phone though!

Jim

Thanks for the info! I will go with the Costco!

Only problem with the pre pay mobile is that it can be hard to get hold of if you're not a Japanese resident. I believe proof of an address is required)