Internet service providers

Many types of internet services are available in Japan. The following ISPs each provide several types and have detailed information in English. You should be able to get high-speed internet access with no download limits for ¥4000/month or less.

• SpinNet
• au one net
• @nifty
• Fusion GOL

Optical fiber (also known as FLET's Hikari, cable modem, FTTH, or FTTN)

This is the fastest type of connection, with speeds of up to 100MB/s in both directions. The area where it is available has been expanding fast. Connection is through fiber-optic cables, not telephone lines. The same fiber-optic cables can also be used to receive TV signals and for cheap phone calls. Optical fiber connections are normally provided by two companies together, NTT and the internet service provider. You sign the contract with the provider, but you will probably need to register and rent the “modem” from NTT. If an engineer has to come to your apartment to set it up, they will be from a different company again, commissioned by the provider. See http://flets.com/english/?link_id=head03.

ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line)

ADSL gives download speeds of up to 50MB/s, but upload is much slower. It uses a special modem, which you normally rent from the internet service provider, and a regular telephone line. In some cases an engineer will need to visit you at home and do some work on your phone socket. With some providers you do not need to subscribe to NTT phone services, and you get an IP phone (a kind of landline with cheap phone calls) for free.

Dial-up

With dial-up you use your computer’s modem and connect through a regular phone line with an analogue signal. This is slow, but still the only option in some rural areas. You have to subscribe to an internet service provider and also pay the cost of the telephone calls while you are connected.

Wireless LAN

Free wireless LAN connections are available in many cafes and other shops, train stations, and airports. If you can read some Japanese, you can check Free Spot to find free wifi hotspots in Japan.

There are some wireless networks within RIKEN—if you are in Wako, see http://ccr.riken.jp/index_e/wlan_e.html.

Using mobile phone frequencies