Japan’s green public phones are payphones that let people make calls using coins or prepaid telephone cards. The familiar card-operated system arrived in December 1982. A caller lifted the receiver, inserted payment, and dialed a number. Green public phones are not only historical objects: NTT still provides instructions for using them.
This guide explains the phones, how Japanese telephone cards worked, and which details matter when looking at a street scene from the 1980s or 1990s. The historical dates come from NTT EAST’s public-phone timeline; current operating instructions are available from NTT WEST.
What are the green public phones in Japan?
A public phone is called kōshū denwa (公衆電話) in Japanese. Green is a recognizable public-phone color, but Japan has used several colors and models. A green case alone does not identify a phone’s exact year or features.
NTT EAST dates the introduction of card-operated public phones to December 1982. The system allowed callers to pay without finding loose change. A card could also avoid repeated coin insertion during a longer call. Card-only machines followed in 1984. These dates place the technology before the 1990s, even though the phones also belong in discussions of that decade. Source: NTT EAST’s public-phone history.
How did people make a call?
For an ordinary paid call, the basic sequence was simple:
- Lift the receiver.
- Insert a telephone card or accepted coins.
- Enter the telephone number using the buttons.
- Talk, then return the receiver to its cradle.
The timing of the dial tone differs between models. NTT WEST separates phones with a red emergency-call button from phones without that button. The same green color can appear in both groups. Its guide also warns that a 100-yen coin does not produce change when the call costs less than 100 yen. For actual use, follow the instructions on the machine and the operator’s guide. Source: NTT WEST’s illustrated operating guide.
How did Japanese telephone cards work?
A telephone card, or terehon kādo (テレホンカード), stored prepaid call units. The caller inserted the card into the phone. A front display showed the remaining units and decreased during use. A card with units left could be used again. This was an inserted card system, not a smartphone tap-payment system. Source: NTT EAST.
The printed surface also gave the card a visual identity. NTT EAST documents designs using company messages, photographs, and other customized artwork. The payment function and the printed image were separate parts of the object. For a fictional scene, an original card design can suggest that function without reproducing an existing advertisement. Source: NTT EAST’s telephone-card overview.
What do 50 and 105 mean on a telephone card?
NTT EAST shows magnetic telephone cards with 50 or 105 call units. These numbers describe the card’s units, not a guaranteed number of minutes. Call duration depends on the applicable charge. For a period scene, avoid treating a 50-unit card as a “50-minute card.” See NTT EAST’s magnetic cards and its call-charge information.
Are Japanese public phones still used?
Public phones remain part of Japan’s communications infrastructure. NTT EAST provides a phone-location search and encourages people to know the locations near home, school, or work. A surviving green phone should not automatically be described as abandoned or decorative. See NTT EAST’s public-phone information.
Where did the phone fit into everyday life?
A public phone made the place of the call part of the task. Consider an illustrative scene: a person arrives near a station and needs to call home. The person must find a phone, have a number to dial, and arrange payment. Unlike sending a message while walking, the call keeps the person beside the machine. This example explains the practical constraints; it does not describe every person’s routine.
A 2022 photographic series by Tokyo Times documents green phones in Tokyo and reflects on their nostalgic appearance. The photographs are useful for observing surroundings and placement. They are contemporary observations, not proof that a particular installation existed in the 1990s. See the Tokyo Times photo essay.
Why can they feel nostalgic today?
For someone who used these phones, the physical sequence may be memorable: finding the machine, holding the receiver, and entering a number. Nostalgia is personal. A green phone does not carry the same memory for every age group or visitor.
Nor did Japan move directly from public phones to smartphones. NTT’s history records handheld mobile service in 1987, PHS service in 1995, and i-mode mobile internet in 1999. A 1990s scene can contain overlapping communication technologies. Source: NTT’s communications timeline.
Related objects and details for a scene
For an illustration or game background, start with the receiver, keypad, payment slots, and display. Then decide whether the scene needs coins, a telephone card, or a written telephone number. These are suggested storytelling details, not a required historical set.
Choose a dated reference before reproducing an exact model. Check the emergency button and the surroundings separately. A photograph taken today can help with shape and wear, but it cannot establish when the phone or booth was installed.
Explore more at HIKARI STUDIO
Preparing your own reference photographs for a scene? The published aspect-ratio and cropping guide explains how to calculate the pixels left after cropping. The guide is in Japanese and can be read with browser translation.
