Iwakuni MCAS » Phone Calls
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Phone Calls
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Calling from your TLF Room:
To call a phone on base from your TLF room, simply pick up the phone and dial 253-XXXX where XXXX is the extension of the number you are calling. Most people simply state the last four digits of their phone number when asked, since the prefix 253 is the same basewide.
To call long distance or back home to the States from TLF, you will need to purchase a prepaid card. If you are staying at Monzen Lodge, you will need the blue Military Access Prepaid Card, available for purchase from machines located in the Crossroads Mall and 7-Day Store. It is the only calling card that works from the Monzen TLF rooms. The other TLF lodges may use other cards; please check with the desk clerk upon arrival for specific information for the lodge where you are staying.
While you are in temporary lodging, you will not be able to place calls to Japanese cell phones from the phones in the rooms, because these calls are not free. Ask at the front desk for assistance in placing these calls.
Calling from within Japan:
Emergency
From ON BASE: 119 or 911
From OFF BASE: 119
Ambulance
From ON BASE: 116
From OFF BASE: 21-7700
Information/Base Telephone Operator
If you know the last name of the person you are trying to reach, the operator can connect you
From ON BASE: 113
From OFF BASE within Local Iwakuni Area: 21-4171
From OFF BASE elsewhere: 0827-21-4171
Calling Home TO the United States FROM Japan:
96 – 001 – Country Code – Area Code – Number Calling
Example: 96 – 001 – 1 – 606 – 555 – 1212
Placing Calls From On Base to Another Phone On Base:
253-XXXX
Placing Calls From On Base to Within Japan:
To the local Iwakuni Area (city of Iwakuni off base):
99 or 98-0827 and 6-Digit Local Number
Example: 98-0827-22-0297 (TnT Car Sales)
To anywhere outside the local Iwakuni area (including
Tokyo, Hiroshima, Okinawa)
99 + Area Code + Number
To a Japanese cell phone
98 and the 11-digit cell number
Example: 98-080-XXXX-XXXX
Placing Calls From a Japanese Cell Phone to a Number on Base:
08-2779-XXXX
To call On Base from Off Base within Japan:
From within local Iwakuni area
79-XXXX
From elsewhere in Japan
0827-79-XXXX
Access Numbers for Calling from On Base:
Long Distance Access Numbers For making long distance calls from on base, dial the sequence given below, then the number. To call home to the US, dial the code for NTT (International) then the international access code and the phone number (For Example, 96-001-1-Area Code-Number).
KDDI (International) 96 – 001
NTT (Long Dist. In Japan) 96 – 0033
MCI (Long Dist. In Japan) 96 – 0071
Calling Card Access Numbers For making long distance calls from on base using a calling card instead of the above phone companies, dial the sequence below, then follow the instructions on your card.
AT&T 98 – 00539 – 111
MCI 98 – 00539 – 121
Sprint 98 – 00539 – 131
MCC 98 – 00539 – 124 – 194
KDDI SWC 98 – 0055
Calling from Other Countries to MCAS Iwakuni:
Calling from the US to a Base Number
Drop the 253 from the original number as shown below.
If the Number (DSN) Format is: 253-XXXX
Then You Dial: 011-81-827-79-XXXX
Calling from the US to Japanese Cell Phone
Drop the leading zero from the cell phone number as shown below.
If the Cell Phone Number Format is: 080-XXXX-XXXX or 090-XXXX-XXXX
Then You Dial: 011-81-80-XXXX-XXXX or 011-81-90-XXXX-XXXX
Some Calling Cards (For Calling From the US to Japan):
OneSuite – 3.5 cents per minute flat rate to call from anywhere in the US to Japan, any time of day (19 cents per minute to call cellular phones in Japan). No monthly fee, no connection charges. All PINs are rechargeable online and over the phone. Prices stated are for calling from a regular landline telephone; calls from cell phones will be charged according to your cellular agreement (typically, package minutes are deducted at the rate for local minutes while a calling card is used). Calls from pay phones will be charged an additional 55 cents per call due to FCC regulations.
The following two calling cards do not seem to give you the rates they advertise, especially if you don’t use up the whole card with one phone call. However, they’re still cheaper than paying several dollars a minute with the phone companies, so I am continuing to provide the information here for your convenience.
Fee Free – 1.5 cents/minute (11.99 cents/minute to Cell Phone in Japan). No Connection Fee, 12% Tax Deducted After Each Call, No Maintenance Fee, 1 Minute Billing Increments, Pay Phone Call Fee: $0.69 per call, Card Expires 90 Days After First Use, Rechargeable Online.
WPC Classic – 4 cents/minute (20 cents/minute to Cell Phone in Japan). No Connection Fee, LOW Taxes, No Maintenance Fee, 1 Minute Billing Increments, Pay Phone Calls: $0.99, Card Does Not Expire, Rechargeable Online. $20 for 500 minutes, $30 for 750 minutes, $40 for 1000 minutes, $100 for 2500 minutes.
Sending and Receiving Faxes:
The capability to send and receive faxes is a very handy service to have if you live aboard MCAS Iwakuni, because it enables you to conduct business in a matter of hours or days, instead of waiting weeks on postal mail. However, for some reason, fax services are difficult to find when you need them here, and the situation is complicated by the time difference, since it often means you will be at home asleep when the fax reply comes through.
Enter the new world of technology…electronic faxing has arrived! There are several online companies which provide this service, which basically allows you to send and receive faxes through your existing email account. You will need a scanner to scan hard copies of documents and save them as files to be attached to emails, if you don’t already have an electronic version of the file you wish to fax.
I have listed the two below that I like best. If you find others, please send me a message and let me know so I can include them here.
MessageOne by OneSuite – For only $1.00 per month, OneSuite’s MessageOne instantly turns your email account into your own virtual fax and answering machine.
eFax – eFax provides different plans to meet your needs. You can try their service for free to see how it works. After you see what eFax Free can do, upgrade to eFax Plus or eFax Pro and you’ll get a local or toll-free fax number that’s tied to your email, so you can send and receive faxes as email attachments. Voicemail services are available in addition to the regular email faxing service, with eFax Pro. See the price list for details.
Vonage – If you use Vonage (or if you get DSL here or live off base in Iwakuni and sign up for Vonage; it might not work well with the wireless internet), you can add a fax line to your account for $9.99 a month plus a one-time $9.99 activation fee. You get 250 minutes of outgoing fax service plus unlimited incoming faxes. You can also use an alpha service called v-fax if you simply need to send an occasional simple fax document from your computer.
DSN Line Calls
DSN from CONUS: 315-253-XXXX
DSN from within Japan: 253-XXXX
Important Notes:
011 is the international access code for dialing from the U.S. Consult your local telephone directory or phone company to obtain your international access code for calls placed from countries other than the U.S.
XXXX is the last four digits of the telephone number you are trying to reach.
Do not dial the 253 unless you are on base or using a DSN line to place the call.
Useful Links:
List of International Dialing Codes
FCC Tips on International Long Distance Calling
AT&T’s World Traveler Site: Choose the country you wish to call, and there is detailed information for calls to and from that country.
How Phone Calls Travel Over the Sea and Through the Sky: Do you ever wonder how it all works when you pick up the phone and call someone across the ocean? How does the call go so far, and how is the call quality kept so consistent? This site answers those, and other interesting questions!
