Pay phones on Shinkansen trains

Hello,

Following a 2009 thread in this forum, I understood that the pay phones available in the Shinkansen trains were only able to call NTT mobile phones.

I was wondering if this restriction still apply as I'll have to call a non-NTT mobile and was thinking about using the pay phone inside the Shinkansen...

Thanks

Physicman,

Yes, that is still the case - although it is possible to call non-NTT mobile phones from trains on the Yamagata and Akita Shinkansen.

And just in case anyone is confused, it is of course possible to call regular landline phones from trains - it is just non-NTT mobile phones that are subject to this restriction.

Thanks a lot Dave!

BTW, do you know is the same apply to the Narita Express pay phones?

Thanks again.

So can I ring overseas landlines too from the Shinkansen?

physicman,

BTW, do you know is the same apply to the Narita Express pay phones?

Sorry, I really don't know the answer to that one. The JR Timetable provides information on shinkansen pay phones, but strangely does not mention the phones in many regular express trains, including the Narita Express.

Stewy63,

So can I ring overseas landlines too from the Shinkansen?

I'm not sure, but since the payphones are the green NTT phones, I don't think they will let you make international calls.