Pay phones in Japan

I'm travelling in Japan for two weeks, and from what I've read, it doesn't seem like cell phones are very affordable for international calling. My current plan is to get a phone card and rely on pay phones to call home, but I can't find any current information on how widespread pay phones are (or how easy they are to use). Can anyone help me out with this?
Thanks!

Pay phones are readily found in hotels and train stations. I use the ones in hotels even if I am not staying, and you can always place a call at train stations while waiting for your ride. Not all pay phones are set up for international calls but it's easly to tell which are and which are not.

In addition to payphones, use SKYPE, if you have a notebook computer to take with you. It is really the cheapest way.

Most hotels will have an internet connection.