Home Japan Tips Low-cost method to call to Japan by Skype: Step-by-Step Guide 

Low-cost method to call to Japan by Skype: Step-by-Step Guide 

by Ryu_C@RakuRakuJP

Skype works better than your average phone

Whether you are planning to leave for Japan or after arriving in Japan, there will always be opportunities to use voice calls to communicate with different people. Sometimes it may be necessary to book a restaurant or hotel room before departure, or encounter an emergency after arriving in Japan, and need to contact the hospital, insurance company, etc., and you need to call different companies, mobile phone numbers, etc.

Maybe you still think that you will need to use the long-distance telephone service of the telecommunications company, or you will need to pay expensive roaming charges to make and receive calls in Japan as before. In fact, you only need to have a mobile phone in your hand, coupled with the Skype service plan, you can receive and make any call at any time at a very low cost.

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How to call Japan using Skype

In the past, when smartphones were used and the mobile network was not so developed, it was very troublesome and expensive to call Japan from home or to a Japanese number in Japan. Not only is it difficult for ordinary overseas tourists to get a Japanese phone number, but also they need to apply for a designated telecommunications service to make a call home in Japan, or the long-distance phone charges of hotels are not very cheap. Even if you want to ask the front desk staff of the hotel to help you make an appointment, if the request is too complicated and frequent, you will be more or less embarrassed.

But now you only need to have a mobile phone in your hand and a relatively stable network environment, you can use Skype to solve the need to make calls to Japan before departure, to make calls to Japan in Japan, and to make calls in Japan Go home with these 3 questions.

The way to use Skype is very convenient. Whether you use a mobile app, a Mac computer, or just a web browser, you can use Skype's service to make calls to Japan or make phone calls. go home.

Step 1: Registration/Registration/Download

To use Skype services, you first need to be inSkype websiteSign up for a new account, then choose whether to use Skype on your browser, or use Skype's services through the computer/mobile version of the application.

Cheap Ways to Call Japan Using Skype
Using Skype is very simple, as long as you have any mobile phone, tablet computer, or personal computer, you can start talking

After registering a new account and completing the settings in the app, you will enter the page for using the call function normally.

The default function of Skype is just like the communication software Line/Whatsapp/Telegram you usually use. You can send text messages/picture messages to other friends who also use Skype, and you can also make free voice calls and video calls. to Skype users in any other region. If you want to keep in touch with your family after arriving in Japan, you only need to let them pre-install the Skype application on their mobile phones before departure, and you can share what you see and hear with them at any time.

Procedure for making calls to Japan using Skype
Skype is a software used in many business communications, and it is definitely more than capable for daily travel needs.

Step 2: Start using Skype to call Japan

The biggest difference between Skype and other social communication software is that it can break through the limitations of the application and transform itself into a telephone service that can call other mobile numbers and make restaurant reservations.

Top up your Skype account

The method is to recharge the Skype account first, that's because calls to users/phone numbers other than Skype in Skype require additional charges, but calls to the same Skype users are free. There are a total of 3 amounts to choose from on the recharge page. If you are using Skype for the first time and you only open a Skype account for traveling, if you don’t use Skype very often, basically choose the one with the lowest value. The amount is very sufficient.

Take the registration of a new account in Hong Kong as an example. If you recharge $30 Hong Kong dollars for the first time, based on the charge of $0.17 Hong Kong dollars per minute to call Japan, you can get about 160 minutes of talk time, which is usually for vacations. It is quite enough for Japan itinerary.

Cost of calling Japan via Skype
Calculated based on the call usage of general restaurant reservations, the minimum recharge amount is quite sufficient.

start calling japan

The operation process of Skype is to use the function of VoIP calls when the account has balance, and when the balance reaches $0, it will automatically stop, so you need to ensure that there is enough balance before preparing any new calls, so as to avoid the The call was disconnected midway.

After successfully recharging the account, select "Call" and then find the Skype keypad button, and now you can start making calls to any area you wish to contact. The method is to first select the country you need to call, if you want to call Japan, select "Japan". If you want to call home (Hong Kong/Taiwan), just select the region you want, then enter the phone number and it will be connected automatically.

Unlike long-distance calls/overseas roaming call services provided by general telecommunications companies, Skype call charges do not count your location, but the terminal area you dial. That is to say, no matter you call from Hong Kong/Taiwan/Japan to book a room at a hotel in Tokyo, the call charges are theoretically the same. It will also not be like the overseas roaming call service, which obviously calls the same phone number to the hotel, but the call bill will be more than ten times higher than that of ordinary long-distance calls.

Demonstration of making a call to Japan using Skype
Select the Japan region, enter the phone number and you can call the restaurant to reserve a seat

Step 3: End the call and check the balance

After completing each call, you need to check how much balance is left, so you can ensure that the next time you need to make a call, you will not be disconnected in the middle. In addition, because it takes a little time to recharge your Skype account every time, if you find yourself making more calls than expected during your trip, you can also consider adding more balance, or consider adding Skype's "monthly fee" Unlimited Airtime" plan.

And there is no need to worry about the unused balance disappearing, because the balance in the Skype account has no expiration date, even if it is saved for the next time you go to Japan, you can use it. Of course, Skype’s call service is not limited to Japan. If you need to make calls to other overseas regions, or use it as a daily call, you can use the balance.

Ways to Call Home Using Skype

As I said just now, because Skype call charges are calculated based on the country of the other party, it has nothing to do with where you are. So as long as you select Taiwan/Hong Kong on the "Country and Region" side, you can enter the phone number to start the call as usual.

Whether you call home to ask your relatives and friends what gifts they want to receive, or you need to contact the insurance company because of an accident, you only need to use your mobile phone to call home directly, and the cost of the call will definitely be higher than that of the insurance company. It is cheaper to use local long-distance calls, or use overseas roaming calling services.

Process of using Skype to call home
You only need to change the country or region, and it can be instantly turned into a mobile phone plan for calling home.

Use Skype "Individual Number Service" to receive incoming calls

Sometimes when traveling abroad, some phone calls from work cannot be avoided. If you are busy with business and cannot miss every incoming call, maybe Skype's "independent number service" can help you solve this problem.

The biggest difference between Skype and other social communication software is that it can be turned into an independent mobile phone number, so that other people can use their fixed phone numbers to make calls through Skype. The method is to subscribe a fixed phone number for your Skype account, and other work partners can call you directly from this phone number when you travel, without having to open a Skype account to contact you.

Another use of the "independent number service" is to allow you to forward your original mobile phone calls and office calls to this independent Skype number, so that you will not miss any incoming calls and will not let others Find out you're already on vacation.

The charges for "Individual Number Service" are basically divided into three types: monthly charge/quarterly charge/annual charge. If you are traveling for a short period of time, you can already receive calls from other people without the upper limit of minutes by using the monthly charge plan . If it is coupled with the "Global Unlimited Calls" monthly phone fee plan, such as unlimited calls to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, basically you can remotely control the original phone no matter how long you are on vacation. Work progress, at the same time, you can call Japan to book different services without restriction.

How to get a second number on Skype
You only need to register a fixed Skype number service, and you can transfer all your daily calls to this fixed Skype number

Conditions for using Skype in Japan

In general, Skype calls can be used anywhere there is an Internet connection. However, in actual experience, the speed of the network connection will affect the quality of the call. If the network delay is serious, there may be intermittent situations during the call. This is not only because video calls have requirements on network speed, but in fact, voice calls have certain requirements on network speed.

If you travel to Japan, generally speaking, an ordinary Internet card is actually enough to find information, view maps, etc., for light use of text and pictures. But if you expect to use the Skype call service (whether it is a voice call or a video call), in fact, the data allowance and network speed requirements during travel will be slightly higher, which is probably the same as if you play a video for a long time.

To put it simply, if you use some relatively stable travel WiFi sharer during the trip, especially in some outdoor environments without WiFi, it will be more stable than other price-winning phone cards when using Skype calls. Generally speaking, as long as the download speed is relatively fast and the delay value (ping) is relatively low, the quality of Skype calls is similar to that of ordinary mobile phone calls.

Among the many WiFi sharers for travel in Japan, the WiFi sharer solution received locally in Japan is the best. That is not because it is the cheapest one in terms of price, but because the data cards included in the WiFi sharers provided by those Japanese Internet companies are only provided for local applications in Japan, and the speed is relatively fast and relatively stable. network data card.
This is very important for Skype Internet calls, not only because Skype calls require a stable, high-speed network environment, but more importantly, each Skype Internet call will consume a lot of data allowance. 500MB and 1GB network data cards are actually not enough. Just like when I needed to book a restaurant temporarily in the past, I used up my daily data allowance several times in one go, and I had to rely on my memory to find the JR train to return to the hotel.

So if you tell me that you need to choose a reliable network plan, especially if you will use Skype calls for important things,Japan 4G WiFi Sharer – Unlimited Data (Japan Pick Up)I believe this plan will be very suitable.
Although this solution is not the cheapest one, there are no restrictions on traffic and speed every day. According to experience, even high-volume users can use it smoothly without disconnection or speed lock. And so on.

If you need to make a reservation, you can check the limited-time reservation offer below, and then use the promotion code "BetterOnApp"Get an extra 5% off, I believe your next trip to Japan will be easier!

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Summarize

I believe that when you realize the powerful functions of Skype, it will be easier for you to book more different restaurants and different types of experience classrooms.

On the other hand, in addition to Skype, there are other mobile apps that you will definitely use when you leave for Japan. In addition to getting more discounts, the most important thing is to ensure safety and make going out more convenient. .

Further reading: APPs commonly used by local Japanese 》A list of mobile applications necessary for short-term travel and long-term life

Further reading:
APPs commonly used by local Japanese 》A list of mobile applications necessary for short-term travel and long-term life

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