Yahoo! Broadband (Yahoo!BB)

Recently, most Toyama JETs have been using Yahoo!BB to restore their (Internet) connection to the rest of the world. This section will help you through the (sometimes complex) application and connection process.

First off, why choose Yahoo!BB? Well, why not? Give in to the peer pressure because everyone’s buying it, man! Actually, it comes down to price, availability and the amazing BB Phone Internet phone service. Yahoo!BB is one of the most popular Internet service providers out there and offers a great all-around communications package. With the correct options, you can get blazing Internet speeds along with super-cheap international calls (particularly to the United States) for a decent monthly rate. To give you an idea, per-minute rates as I write this are: 2.5 yen to the U.S., 12 yen to Canada, 23 yen to the UK, France, Germany, and Australia, and 28 yen to New Zealand.

There are currently two options for purchasing Yahoo!BB: (1) BB Apply or (2) the do-it-yourself method. BB Apply is by far the easier method of getting connected. Most people receive a form for BB Apply at Tokyo Orientation. If you need one, go to the website, www.bbapply.com, to read about how to apply and to download the right forms. The service is run by someone named Jimmie, and he is happy to help with anything you need related to Yahoo!BB. The directions on bbapply.com are quite good, so go there for more detailed instructions. If you're still looking for more information, check out the forums on www.eikaiwa.net, also run by Jimmie for Yahoo!BB and a ton of other topics. Now, let’s talk about the do-it-yourself method.

Purchase

Yahoo!BB booths can be found at most large electronics stores in the Toyama area, although I have found more success with people at Yamada-denki. No matter where you go, the experience will be the same: staff member will give a set sales pitch and ask you a bunch of questions involving Internet speeds and so on. Unless your Japanese is quite good, bring your supervisor or another Japanese speaker with you for this. You should also bring your alien registration card with you. If you are still waiting to receive your alien registration card, then bring along your passport and the pink temporary alien registration paper handed to you when you first registered your residence at Toyama’s city/government office. They might not seem acceptable when you pass them over, but your passport and the temporary paper will work!

There are many Internet options available to you. First, you will be given a chance to select your maximum connection speed. Your speed requirements come down to what you intend on doing. If you are a person that has never heard of file-sharing, then the slower Internet connection speeds will be fine for you. However, those who love file-sharing and online gaming will need a faster connection. Remember that life may be slow for some of you during school holiday months; you many find yourselves downloading a lot of things that remind you of home or playing on-line games when you would have never touched them before in your native land. Keep that in mind when you decide on a speed.

Usually, you will be given a Yahoo!BB connection kit that includes a modem and cables to connect your computer and a telephone to the modem and a modem to the wall. Please note that a physical phone will never be included with any Yahoo!BB kit, so make sure you buy one at the electronics store if you are currently phone-less. If you don’t get it when you fill out the application form, the kit will be mailed to you.

The trick part of the do-it-yourself method is that Yahoo!BB cannot provide the actual phone line you will need to use. You can either buy an NTT phone line (ownership is called kenri in Japanese) or you can rent a phone line (called “Analog Lite”) from NTT. You have the option of getting the NTT rental line through the Yahoo!BB sales rep. The rental fee is about 2000 yen per month. If you bought your phone line from your predecessor, then you need to provide your phone information to Yahoo!BB at the time of sign-up. No matter what course you choose, you will receive two (2) bills each month: NTT for the line rental and Yahoo!BB for the Internet and phone calls.

Mailings

If you didn’t pick up a modem kit when you registered for Yahoo!BB, expect it to come in the mail in about three weeks. A week after signing up, you will receive a starter pack that will give you a lot of information about your Yahoo!BB account, along with the delivery date for your modem. Don’t lose this information because you will need it when you set up your connection. Also, you will eventually receive a postcard that will ask you to select a payment method for your Yahoo!BB account. You can choose automatic bank withdrawals or you can choose to pay the monthly bill yourself, at a combini. You will probably need your advisor’s help in filling this out. Just send it back by normal post. You should also receive a third and final mailing that will provide a contract outline and the start date for your Yahoo!BB connection. A courier typically delivers the modem on the date designated in your first mailing, so you need to be home to sign for the delivery. (NOTE: They will NOT leave the package at your door; you must sign for it.)

Installation

Upon delivery, setup is fairly straightforward and a great pictorial guide is included. BE SURE TO KEEP THE BOX INCLUDED WITH YOUR MODEM AND/OR LAN KIT! Most of you will probably be renting your modem from Yahoo!BB and will have to send all of your equipment back at the end of your contract.

The next part of setup involves making sure that your computer’s ethernet card is properly configured. It must have the TCP/IP protocol installed and must have DHCP enabled. If you are not sure how to go about doing this, it might be good to search around for a tech geek JET friend to help you out. If you don’t have one available (many of us are creatures of the night and tend to shun social interaction), there are many great on-line tutorials available that you can grab while at school.

Although you’ve plugged in all the equipment properly and your Ethernet card is happily configured, you still may find yourself without a working Internet connection. There could be many reasons for this, but most likely, your apartment is a few days delayed in getting connected to Yahoo’s servers. Wait a couple of days for the connection to magically work. If you are still having problems, you and/or advisor should call Yahoo!BB tech support. There is an English customer support line (080.0111.1130), but it’s only intended for Yahoo!BB account help and will not provide any technical support. A Japanese-speaker will need to call the Japanese support number (012.091.9820) to resolve any technical or connections issues. As with most Internet service providers, most people will find their setup process smooth and uneventful. However, for those who do have problems getting connected to the Yahoo!BB network or getting your Internet phone to work properly, teamwork with your supervisor is key. With patience, everything will eventually work out and you will be surfing the ‘net in no time! *Remember that even though your supervisor may be busy at school, part of his/her job is to help you get settled. Don’t be rude, but if you need help, you should feel comfortable asking them.

Usage

Finally, I offer you a bit of information about your Yahoo!BB phone. You will have two phone numbers assigned to your phone; one from NTT and one from Yahoo!BB (check your NTT invoice to find your NTT phone number and your Yahoo!BB mailings to find out the internet phone number). Your number from Yahoo will always start with ‘050’ and is useful for cheap calls to and from your phone. For instance, calls from one Yahoo!BB phone to another Yahoo!BB phone are always free. However, there may be times when your Yahoo!BB number will not work properly when receiving international calls. In this case, provide your international friend or family member your NTT number.

Calls to your Yahoo!BB phone number are usually cheaper for your friends in Japan, but there are a few exceptions: 1) calls from NTT phone numbers in the local area (the area is local if your friend doesn’t need to dial the area code prefix to reach your phone), 2) calls from PHS phones, and 3) calls from many keitai (cell phones). Check eikaiwa.net or bbapply.com for more information.

This guide is only meant to serve as a basic introduction to Yahoo!BB. Additional great information – such as international and domestic phone call rates, what the blinking lights mean on your modem, and how to switch from other Internet service providers – can be found at eikaiwa.net. Good luck, and enjoy paying mere yennies (those annoying little aluminum one yen coins) for your international calls!

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