Kitty Trail: Japan 2008 -> Making Phone Calls

If you are like me - a bit paranoid about the inability to contact or be contacted by people especially in a foreign country where English is not widely spoken, you will be more comfortable with having your own cellphone with you.

I certainly didn't like the idea of arriving in Japan at night with a long way to go yet and with no phone in my bag and looking for coins or pay phones at that time.

Only Quad-band cellphones will work in Japan even if your international roaming is activated. In other words, my Treo (which I had used in the US) and Nokia 6300 were useless, according to the websites I checked.

Still, I called Globe through 211 on my cellphone and that information was confirmed...so I thought of different possibilities.

I had the following options:

1. buy a Quad-band phone  - {nah! my phones are more than enough, it would be an additional expense}
2. borrow a Quad-band phone from a friend - {I was running out of time and I didn't think my friends would have extra phones to be borrowed just lying around}
3. rent a Quad-band phone in Philippines - {hmmmmm.....}
4. rely on public pay phones in Japan - {not that happy with the idea}
5. rent a cellphone in Japan - {hmm...possibility}

For option #3, an ex-office mate told me that his elder brother rented one from Globe for his trip to Japan.

For option #5, I read somewhere that in Japan that there are cellphone rental facilities in major airports you will land in. If I remember correctly, the difference in renting one in Japan versus renting one here in the Philippines is not that big...probably a couple of pesos but less than Php50.

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I dropped by one of the numerous Globe hubs, this time in Glorietta and at first they told me that my Nokia 6300 was 3G (in fact IT IS listed as 3G on the actual display of the unit on the cabinets) and that I could use it in Japan. I asked them to check it again since their 211 helpdesk number said otherwise. They did so and afterwards, they apologized and said Nokia 6300 wasn't equipped for 3G.

Moral lesson: double check what you see on the internet, and with the phone company itself and double check some more.

I went to the Globe office itself on Park Square 1. Since the line was long, I called Globe's 211 again and they said they did not do rentals anymore but that it used to be P75 per day. I hanged up when my number was called and still proceeded to ask about cellphone rentals.

Surprise! Surprise!

Globe still rents out phones and it is at P75 per day. I made a reservation to pick it up a day before my flight and happily interviewed the one who handled my request.

He recommended using a prepaid card instead of my postpaid plan. It does make sense since I would be incurring more if I use my postpaid plan.

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For PREPAID CARD, at the time of this writing:

You just need to have a minimum of Php 50 daily balance to make and receive calls. This may change by end of May 2008. It usually is Php80 but Globe has promos now and then.

To send text messages:
Use the international number format when sending a message.
"+" + country code + mobile access number + mobile number
example: +639XXXXXXXXX

To make a call:
1. Dial "131" + country code + area code (or operator code) + called party's number + # sign.
example: *131*6327301212#
2. Press SEND button.
3. Wait for this confirmation message to be displayed on your screen: "Please wait while we process your request".
4. Your phone will return to the main screen. Hang up.
5. Wait for your phone to ring, and when it does, answer it and you are automatically connected.

To activate Globe Prepaid Roaming Service:
1. Text GROAM ON <Start date in mm/dd/yyyy format> and sent to 2884. Activation is free.
Example: GROAM ON 05/17/2008

2.. For special countries, duration should be included. Text GROAM ON <Start date in mm/dd/yyyy format> <# of days> and send to 2884. Activation is free. You can activate the roaming for a maximum of 180 days.

To call Globe helpdesk while in Japan:
POSTPAID PLAN:  +63 27301212
PREPAID CARD: *131*6327301212#

Costs for Calls/ Texts while in Japan:

Outgoing Voice: Php 60.00/minute
Incoming Voice: Php 60.00/minute
Incoming Text: FREE.
Outgoing Text:
Php 25 per 1 line message sent (can't remember how many characters) for outside of Japan destination.
For local text (text to a Japan number), its Php 15 per line of text. Btw, Japan is in Zone 1 list of countires. For other Zones, the cost may be different.

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I loaded Php 800 into my PREPAID card. I also brought along my POSTPAID SIM.
I tried calling out the day of my flight just to be sure that it would work and called 211 again. They confirmed my international roaming was on.

Murphy's Law struck. When I got to Japan and loaded my PREPAID SIM into the Nokia 6650 I rented, I could not call out. Hell's bells!

Seems the problem was with my PREPAID Card itself and not any setup of the cellphone, something about Call Barring..which made me quite irritated since the service desk agent told me I could activate it (my GROAM is on but its an entirely different matter) but it would not do any good as I was in Japan WHEN it was activated. What in the world....?...and after all my preparation too! grrrrrr.....

Since I was queued in Immigration at that time I hung up as I was next and calmed myself. I  promptly inserted my POSTPAID SIM into the rented phone after my short interview. It worked. Thank God!

Moral lesson: Backup or contingency plan is not just in IT.

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Inspite of the trouble and hassle of going back and forth and renting the phone, I was thankful since even though I would probably be paying a whopping bill by the time my SOA arrives, at least I was able to use it to call some friends in Japan who I needed to call for arrangements or travel plans. This time also, PAL gave out some free phone cards for international calls, and it was good for 10 minutes...reloadable too!

TIP:  It is a matter of prefix!
You do not need to panic once you try to call a local number and you hear messages such as NTT DoCoMo not allowing the call or something like the call cannot be made through a mobile phone.  Try changing the prefix..either use "+" or a "00"..one of them is bound to work.

Aside from the problem of no network coverage or signal which I first encountered in Osaka and then in Nara, I also received the message saying I could not make the call through the mobile but only through a regular phone. So..relax! If there is no public pay phone nearby, try your cellphone again and just fiddle with the prefixes. I was experimenting since I was alternating in trying to call Philippines, Japan number and US number.

Now I just need to use the P800 worth of credits in the prepaid for the next 60 days when I didn't need it in the first place here in the Philippines.

oh well..hope that helps the readers...not to take anything for granted here in our surprising country...

PUBLIC PAY PHONES:
Prepare your 100 Yen and 10 Yen coins.

TIP: Use the lower value coin.
Use 10 yen first just in case you would have a problem since you don't get any change for 100 yen at all if you hang up early and not use its duration or if the call has a problem sometimes.

AT&T CALLING CARD:
I had this calling card for company use. Since I would be working 2 days in Japan out of my whole vacation duration, I got the numbers I needed to call in Japan to make my phone conferences. In case you have an AT&T card usually here in the Philippines its 10511 you dial to make a call from your cellphone or landline. In Japan here are the numbers:

KDDI: 00 539 11
Softbank Telecom: 00665-5111 or 00 441-1111
NTT:  0034-811-001

Japan Country Code: 81
{Osaka 6 Nagoya 52 Tokyo 3}

Additional NOTE:
The author recommends the readers check with Globe or their respective preferred providers for the most up-to-date information as the above data may have changed as more time passes by.