Notes on traveling in India 5 (Means to contact Japan)

This is a detailed explanation of things you should be aware of when traveling to India (means of contacting Japan).

How to contact Japan

To call Japan, call "0081" + the phone number of the other party (take the 0 at the beginning of the area code). When calling from India to Japan, international phone number + 010 + 91 (India country code) + recipient's phone number (take the leading 0 of the area code). In urban hotels, you can make international calls from your room phone.

Usage varies depending on the hotel and may be dialed after pressing "0" or connected through the operator. In rural areas, some hotels can only use the reception phone or none at all. In addition, there are telephone shops with yellow signboards such as STD, ISD, and PSO in tourist spots, towns, and villages. To pay the fee, the staff will present a statement printed out from the meter after the call, so please pay carefully after confirming the destination number, time and amount.

If you do not have time or are late at night, please use the telephone in your hotel room. Although it is more expensive than STD, it is not safe to go out after dark. When using the international roaming service for Japanese mobile phones, radio waves are connected in almost all areas of India. Before departure, check with your mobile phone company about the necessity of pre-procedures and calling charges. There are internet cafes in tourist areas. Recently, the number of computers with Japanese fonts is increasing, and in high-end hotels in urban areas, there are cases where the Internet can be connected from each room.

Postal circumstances

When sending mail from India, postcards and letters are sent from the central post office GPO, and parcels are sent from the foreign post office FPO. There are post offices in various places, so you can send postcards and letters in each city. Parcels can only be sent from large cities. It takes about one week by air mail to Japan. However, it will take longer if sent from a local city. The fastest way to get there is to ship in places where there are flights from Japan, such as Delhi and Mumbai. Sometimes the contents may be pulled out or not delivered, so it is better not to send expensive or important items. The postage is 8 rupees for postcards and 15 rupees for sealed letters (up to 20 g). At intermediate and higher hotels, there are posts in the lobby and there are places where you can send them at the reception. However, in that case, it may take much longer than planned, depending on whether the mail is sent to the post office frequently by the hotel. The most reliable way would be to ask the staff at the central post office and press the postmark.