Job Discussion Forums

phil of smeg · Joined: 11 Jan 2006 Posts: 18 Location: Liverpool, UK

Hey all. Can anyone- preferably someone with a bit of computer-type knowledge- give me a bit of guidance with regard to getting on-line in Japan?

I'm thinking about picking up a laptop (nothing hugely fancy, just enough to support a broadband connection create documents and what-have-you) before I go to Japan. Obviously I'll have to think about power conversion so I'd get myself a power supply adapter, but does anyone see any problems with getting online using said laptop once I'm in Japan? Surely laptops by their very nature are intended to be used the world over? Please help- i'd hate to get over there and not be able to keep in touch with friends and family from the comfort of my own home!

Cheers,
Phil

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

kdynamic · Joined: 05 Nov 2005 Posts: 562 Location: Japan

Go with YahooBB. It's fast and you get BBphone with it

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Anyone using Yahoo BBTV? It's like a satellite but through your internet cable.

lalalateda · Joined: 05 Nov 2005 Posts: 72 Location: JAPAN

phil of smeg · Joined: 11 Jan 2006 Posts: 18 Location: Liverpool, UK

Thanks for the tips. I've heard that Japanese broadband speeds are ridiculously fast (compared to what we have in the UK)- up to 100MB!? Can only be a good thing.

The only other concern I have about getting online in Japan is the whole phone-line issue. I don't know about in other countires, but for me in the UK, phoneline rental is quite cheap, so getting it with a broadband package is fairly inexpensive, but I hear line rental in Japan is quite costly. Is that really the case? I also heard tell ('they' say a lot, don't they?) that you can get what is essentially just a cable broadband line, i.e. you can't make calls as such, you just use it for net access. IS that a massive lie?

Thanks again for the help.
Phil

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

To buy a landline for a telephone new is about 70,000 yen (350 pounds) from NTT.

You can buy the line second hand for 20-30,000 yen from people leaving Japan. You just switch over the name.

I have never done it but i believe you can lease a line from NTT if you dont use it for a telephone and just for Internet.

With Yahoo and Broadband you plug the LAN into the modem you receive, and the telephone line goes to the wall, but i think you still need the telephone line from NTT (the phone company) as they rent you the line. The connection itself is quite cheap.

bailey35mm · Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2006 7:43 am Post subject:

I have Yahoo BB, and after waiting about a month after you sign up, and are sent a note telling you the speed they will connect you at(50M, 26M, 12M and I think the slowest is 6M) NTT will come hook up the phone line just for the internet. Yahoo will add 170 yen per month on your bill as a NTT line fee, not 70,000 yen all at once thankfully. Later that day, the modem came in the mail and I hooked it all up. I have the 50M connection, and got the first 3 months free for about 6800 yen per month, and bb phone was free(just buy a phone and plug it into the modem. Go to www.bbapply.com for help setting up in english.

canuck · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 1921 Location: Japan