Whether your best friend lives in Japan, you want the secret to the best sushi possible, or you simply want to call a business in Japan, you will need to know how to place an international call. Follow these steps to learn how to place an international call to Japan.
How do you call Japan?
- Enter your country's exit code if using a landline, or + if you're using a cell phone.
- Dial 81, Japan's country code, followed by the area code and phone number you're calling.
- Japanese phone numbers, including the area codes, are 9 to 13 digits long.
Steps
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Enter your country’s international exit code. To place an international phone call, you will need to dial your country’s exit code--the number that tells your phone service that you will be calling outside the country. In the United States, Canada, and many other countries, you'd dial 011. In other countries, you'd dial 00. For a full list of international exit codes, visit https://www.howtocallabroad.com/codes.html and look at the "Int'l prefix" column.
- If you are calling Japan from a cell phone, dial a + instead of 011. The + is shared with the 0 key on your cell phone's dial pad.
- You can also search the web for “[name of your country] exit code.”
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Enter Japan's country code, which is 81. All calls to Japan from other countries should include this code.Advertisement
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Enter the area code for the region you are calling. The area codes in Japan can range from one to five digits in length, depending on the area you are trying to reach.
- The area codes are as follows:
- Akita 18
- Himeji 79
- Matsudo 47
- Takatsuki 72
- Hirakata 72
- Matsuyama 89
- Tokorozawa 4
- Hiroshima 82
- Miyazaki 985
- Tokyo 3
- Ichikawa 47
- Nagano 26
- Toyama 76
- Ichinomiya 586
- Nagasaki 95
- Toyohashi 532
- Iwaki 246
- Nagoya 52
- Toyonaka 6
- Kagoshima 99
- Naha 98
- Toyota 565
- Kanazawa 76
- Nara 742
- Utsunomiya 28
- Kashiwa 4
- Niigata 25
- Wakayama 73
- Kasugai 568
- Nishinomiya 798
- Yokkaichi 59
- Kawagoe 49
- Oita 97
- Yokohama 45
- Kawaguchi 48
- Okayama 86
- Yokosuka 46
- Kawasaki 44
- Okazaki 564
- Amagasaki 6
- Kitakyushu 93
- Osaka 6
- Asahikawa 166
- Kobe 78
- Otsu 77
- Chiba 43
- Kochi 88
- Sagamihara 42
- Fujisawa 466
- Kofu 55
- Saitama 48
- Fukuoka 92
- Koriyama 24
- Sakai 72
- Fukuyama 84
- Kumamoto 96
- Sapporo 11
- Funabashi 47
- Koshigaya 48
- Sendai 22
- Gifu 58
- Kurashiki 86
- Shizuoka 54
- Hachioji 42
- Kyoto 75
- Suita 6
- Hamamatsu 53
- Machida 42
- Takamatsu 87
- Higashiosaka 6
- Maebashi 27
- Takasaki 27
- Himeji 79
- Matsudo 47
- Takatsuki 72
- Hirakata 72
- Matsuyama 89
- Tokorozawa 4
- Hiroshima 82
- Miyazaki 985
- Tokyo 3
- Ichikawa 47
- Nagano 26
- Toyama 76
- Ichinomiya 586
- Nagasaki 95
- Toyohashi 532
- Iwaki 246
- Nagoya 52
- Toyonaka 6
- Kagoshima 99
- Naha 98
- Toyota 565
- Kanazawa 76
- Nara 742
- Utsunomiya 28
- Kashiwa 4
- Niigata 25
- Wakayama 73
- Kasugai 568
- Nishinomiya 798
- Yokkaichi 59
- Kawagoe 49
- Oita 97
- Yokohama 45
- Kawaguchi 48
- Okayama 86
- Yokosuka 46
- The area codes are as follows:
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Enter the remaining digits of the phone number. This is the number of the person, business, or cell phone that you are trying to reach. Landline phone numbers are generally nine digits long, including the area code, while mobile phone numbers are 10 digits or more.
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Place your call. Tap your phone's Call or Send button to call Japan. To demonstrate, let us say that you are trying to call your friend who lives Fukuyama, Japan and you live in San Francisco, CA, USA. You would dial:
- The United States exit code: 011 (if using a landline) or + (if using a cell phone).
- Then the country code for Japan: 81
- Then the area code for Fukuyama: 84
- Then the seven digit local phone number: XXX-XXXX
- The full number would be 011-81-84-XXX-XXXX.
- If someone answers by saying “もしもし” (Moshimoshi), congratulations! You have successfully called Japan.
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do you make this call on an Android?Community AnswerYou would enter all the numbers all at once; however, it may get confused due to the numbers not being spaced.
Tips
- It is important to remember that it is most likely not the same time in Japan as it is in the place you are making the call from. Japan’s time zone is Japan Standard Time, which is nine hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.Thanks
- Keep in mind that you may be charged for your international call even if no one picks up on the other end. This should serve as an incentive to make sure that you are calling the person you are trying to reach in Japan at a time that he or she will actually be awake.Thanks
- Options for saving money when calling Japan include: International calling cards, signing up for a discount international-calling program with a phone provider, voice-over-Internet programs like Skype, or callback services.Thanks
About This Article
If you want to call Japan from another country, first dial your country’s exit code. If you’re not sure what that is, do a search online for your country’s name plus the exit code. Next, dial 81, which is the country code for Japan. You will also need to know the area code for the region of Japan you’re trying to call, which can be anywhere from 1 to 5 digits. After the area code, dial your party’s personal phone number. The area code and personal phone number are usually 9 digits long. For a list of the area codes in Japan, read on!