How Dial Toll-Free (005) in Japan

Hi, my boyfriend is currently visiting Japan and was trying to call home to US using an international calling service (Pingo). The local ''toll free access number'' they listed for Japan was 005-311-21-746, but my boyfriend emailed saying the number doesn't work. I would appreciate any guidance as to whether there are any restrictions or exceptions to dialing a 005 number in japan. Is 005 even a valid toll free number and can he just pick up any non-pay phone in Japan and dial this number?
Thanks so much for any help.

I have a different phone card - MCI - but each phone company in Japan appears to have a different access number - KDDI, NTT, Softbank. With my card, the one that starts with 005 is for a KDDI phone.

I have no idea if that will help with his card though....

I don't have any experience with that particular service provider, but do you happen to know from what kind of phone your boyfriend tried to dial that number? Some toll-free numbers cannot be dialed from cellphones.

Do they have any call center/service desk where he or you could ask for assistance?

Thanks so much for your responses. I continued my research after posting and came to realize about the different providers (e.g. KDDI, Softbank, etc) like Maranyc had mentioned, and how certain numbers were used for diff phones/carriers. I know he didn't try calling from a cell phone, but perhaps the phone he used wasn't KDDI and that's why it didn't work? I called the Pingo support line but they didn't see any reason why the number wouldn't work, and couldn't provide any other access number either.
I am now seeing about buying an AT&T prepaid card or something similar that offers multiple access number options depending on the carrier. Others on the forum have mentioned OneSuite, but when I called their support, they said their access number would only work from Green/Gray payphones.
Thanks again for your time and help. This is a very helpful forum and community.

That access number sounds to be correct, according to this website where that number is expressed without hyphens.
http://www.pingo.com/

Presumably that number is one of international toll free numbers with a prefix 00531.
It seems that phone calls from Japan at these numbers are made by way of KDDI World Free Phone service's network.
I suppose that his phone line has been in a situation where accesses are not available to this KDDI network.

How about consulting KDDI ?
http://www.001.kddi.com/en/faq-inquiry/index.html
He is currently in Japan, so probably he can make a phone call at one of the three numbers to this inquiry desk.

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Thanks for the additional info.. what you explained makes sense, that the phone he is using isn't "kddi-enabled" so to speak.
I was looking more into the different carriers to see if each one serves a different area. Since he is in Kyoto, I searched and NTT/Docomo seemed to come up the most. I'm not sure if this assumption is correct though. I found one calling card that has the most diff access numbers:
* Call using KDDI -00539-121
* Call using NTT - 0034-811-811
* Call using IDC - 0066-55-121
* Call using JT - 0044-11-121

Do you know if one of these will definitely work as a toll free access number from a landline in Kyoto? Thanks again...

Almost all the landline in Japan is NTT, but by dialling certain numbers people can access to other phone services (such as KDDI).



* Call using KDDI -00539-121
* Call using NTT - 0034-811-811
* Call using IDC - 0066-55-121
* Call using JT - 0044-11-121

For example, 00539 is KDDI's special number for the international call with collect call services.
Unless he's try to call from payphone, any of the above number should work.

I just signed up for net2phone, and they gave me this "international free access #" 010-800-8728-3525, but in reading the "How to Dial in Japan" article here on japan-guide, isn't this a "direct international" number that would cost his family some money if dialed from their landline?

i just want to make sure as we don't want it to cost his family any money on their phone bill. thanks again!