How to call Japan

From the US, dial 011, then Japan's country code 81, then the number without its leading 0. From a mobile, dial +81 and the number without the 0.

Call Japan with Allo Format a number

Calling Japan from the US

011Exit code from the US or Canada
81Japan's country code
3Area code, Tokyo
1234 5678Local number

From a mobile: +81 3 1234 5678

Country code: +81
Dial from the US: 011 81 + number
Number length: 9 or 10 digits after the 0
Time zone: Japan Standard Time, UTC+9 everywhere

Paste a number, get the digits to dial

Copied a Japanese number from an email or a website? Paste it as it is. You'll get the exact digits to dial from where you are, whether it's a mobile or a landline, and where it rings.

Paste the number you want to call

Any format works: with or without the country code, spaces, dashes or brackets. It's read in your browser and never sent anywhere.

Example shown: a landline, 03 1234 5678. Paste your own number above.

From any mobile phone+81 3 1234 5678
From a US or Canadian landline011 81 3 1234 5678
From Europe and most other countries00 81 3 1234 5678
From an Australian landline0011 81 3 1234 5678
Inside Japan03 1234 5678

How to call Japan from the US, step by step

From the US, dial 011, then Japan's country code 81, then the number without its leading 0. From a mobile, dial +81 and the number without the 0.

Dial 011

The exit code for calls leaving the US or Canada. On a mobile, press and hold 0 to type + instead, which works from any country.

Dial 81

Japan's country code. Together with the exit code: 011 81 from a US landline, +81 from a mobile.

Drop the leading 0

Japanese numbers are written with a 0: 03 for Tokyo, 06 for Osaka, 090 for a mobile. From abroad, 03 becomes 3 and 090 becomes 90.

Dial the rest of the number

A Tokyo number is 3 and eight digits (3 1234 5678). A mobile is 70, 80 or 90 and eight digits (90 1234 5678).

Dial formats for Japan, landline and mobile

The same two example numbers, written the way you dial them from each place. Swap in the number you need, or paste it into the formatter above.

Calling fromTo a landlineTo a mobile

From a US or Canadian landline011 is the North American exit code.To a landline011 81 3 1234 5678To a mobile011 81 90 1234 5678

From any mobile phoneHold 0 to type the +.To a landline+81 3 1234 5678To a mobile+81 90 1234 5678

From Europe and most other countries00 is the international exit code in most of the world.To a landline00 81 3 1234 5678To a mobile00 81 90 1234 5678

From an Australian landlineAustralia uses 0011.To a landline0011 81 3 1234 5678To a mobile0011 81 90 1234 5678

Inside JapanWith the leading 0.To a landline03 1234 5678To a mobile090 1234 5678

Example numbers for illustration only.

Landline or mobile? How to tell in Japan

Japanese mobiles start with 070, 080 or 090. 050 numbers are internet (IP) phones. Landlines start with an area code: 03 Tokyo, 06 Osaka, 052 Nagoya, 045 Yokohama. 0120 and 0800 are free from inside Japan and usually can't be reached from abroad.

Main Japanese area codes

City or regionArea code (from abroad)

Tokyo3

Osaka6

Nagoya52

Yokohama45

Kawasaki44

Chiba43

Saitama48

Kyoto75

Kobe78

Fukuoka92

Sapporo11

Sendai22

Niigata25

Shizuoka54

Kanazawa76

Hiroshima82

Okayama86

Kumamoto96

Okinawa (Naha)98

Kagoshima99

Best time to call a business in Japan

Avoid noon to 1 pm, the lunch hour, which is taken by almost every office at once. Japan is 13 or 14 hours ahead of New York and 16 or 17 ahead of Los Angeles. A Japanese 9 am is 7 pm or 8 pm Eastern the day before. Offices close for Golden Week (late April to early May), Obon (mid August) and New Year (December 29 to January 3).

Working days: Monday to Friday
Typical office hours: 9 am to 6 pm local time
Time zone: Japan Standard Time, UTC+9 everywhere
From the US East Coast: 7 pm to 10 pm ET, their next morning

The time in Japan right now

Worked out from your own clock, daylight saving included.

Tokyo, Osaka --:--

How much does it cost to call Japan?

It depends on what you call from. A US mobile plan without an international add-on bills every minute abroad, often at a high rate. Calling apps are cheaper but show their own number. With Allo you call from the business number you already have, at a published per-minute rate, without buying a Japanese number.

Calling Japan with Allo

To landlines: $0.03; per minute
To mobiles: $0.07; per minute

No Japanese number to buy and no prepaid credit. The call goes out from your Allo number, from the desktop or mobile app, and the rate is public before you dial.

Call Japan with Allo See every Japan rate

Call Japan from your existing business number, no local number needed
Per-minute rates published for every destination, checked before you call
From the Allo desktop and mobile apps, over Wi-Fi or data
An AI summary and transcript after every call
7-day free trial

From a US Allo number. Averaged estimates published on rates.withallo.com, October 2026: the final rate can vary slightly with your number and the prefix dialed. Special and premium numbers are charged differently.

Can you call Japan for free?

LINE is the messaging app most people in Japan use, more than WhatsApp. A LINE call is free if both people have LINE and a data connection, and it won't reach a landline or a company's phone line.

LINE

Free over Wi-Fi or mobile data, as long as both people have the app installed and are online.

Not for landlines or businesses

An app call can't reach a landline, an office switchboard or anyone who isn't on the app. Most businesses still answer on their phone line.

A real call, at a fair rate

For everything else, call the number. With Allo, Japan landlines are from $0.03/min and mobiles from $0.07/min.

More calling guides

International calling with Allo

Calling Japan: your questions

Japan's country code is +81. From the US, dial 011 81 before the number. From a mobile anywhere, +81 does the same job.

From a US or Canadian landline, dial 011 (the exit code), 81 (the country code), then the number: 011 81 3 1234 5678. From most other countries, the exit code is 00 instead of 011.

Press and hold 0 to type +, then 81 and the number: +81 3 1234 5678. The + works from any country, so it's the safest way to save a Japanese number in your contacts.

Japanese mobiles start with 070, 080 or 090. A landline written 03 1234 5678 at home is dialed 011 81 3 1234 5678 from the US, or +81 3 1234 5678 from a mobile.

A mobile written 090 1234 5678 is dialed 011 81 90 1234 5678 from a US landline, or +81 90 1234 5678 from a mobile. Paste any number into the formatter to see which kind it is.

Offices are typically open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm local time. Avoid noon to 1 pm, the lunch hour, which is taken by almost every office at once. Japan is 13 or 14 hours ahead of New York and 16 or 17 ahead of Los Angeles. A Japanese 9 am is 7 pm or 8 pm Eastern the day before. Offices close for Golden Week (late April to early May), Obon (mid August) and New Year (December 29 to January 3).

It depends on what you call from. A US carrier without an international add-on can charge a high per-minute rate. With Allo, calls to Japan landlines are from $0.03/min and mobiles from $0.07/min from a US business number, and every rate is published before you call.

Yes, with an app: LINE is the messaging app most people in Japan use, more than WhatsApp. A LINE call is free if both people have LINE and a data connection, and it won't reach a landline or a company's phone line. To reach anyone else, place a regular call.