GMO Tokutoku BB Hikari for foreign residents: documents, language support and costs when you leave

Which languages you can use

The application pages, the member area (BBnavi My Page) and the help centre are all in Japanese. We searched the help centre for "英語" (eigo, English) and found nothing about support in other languages.^[6]

Questions go first to an AI chat, which is open 24 hours a day. You can reach a human operator on weekdays from 10:00 to 19:00. Nothing on the site says they can help in another language.^[2]

GMO confirms your installation date by email, not by phone. When you cancel, it also tells you by email how the line will be disconnected. You can paste an email into a translator, which is much easier than a phone call in Japanese. Give them an email address you check every day.^[1][2]

What you need to apply

You can only pay by credit card. Direct debit from a bank account (口座振替, kōza furikae) is not available. The help centre says the card must be issued in Japan, and debit cards are not accepted. So if you do not have a Japanese credit card yet, you cannot sign up.^[1][3]

The ID check is done online (eKYC), and your residence card (在留カード, zairyū card) is one of the accepted documents. You take photos of the front, the card at an angle and the back, and then a photo of your face. After you move, the city office writes your new address on the back of the card. If you have moved, report the new address at the city office before you apply.^[4]

An administration fee of ¥3,300 is added to your first bill.^[1]

Before you apply: residence card address, payment methods and the confirmation call →

Installation and how long it takes

For a new line, the earliest you can be online is two to three weeks after applying. Depending on the area, the building and the season, it can take one to two months or more. GMO says installation dates are especially hard to get from the end of the year to April. That is exactly when many people arrive in Japan for school or a new job.^[1]

You pick a preferred installation date in the application form, and a confirmation email arrives within two or three days. If you change the date after that, the next free date may be much later.^[1]

The work takes about one to two hours. Depending on the building, you may or may not need to be home. Normally no new holes are drilled in the wall: the fibre comes in through an existing opening, such as a phone-line conduit or an air-conditioner duct. Say this first when you ask the management company (管理会社, kanri-gaisha) for permission.^[1][2]

Installation costs ¥26,400 for a house or ¥25,300 for an apartment when a technician installs indoor wiring, or ¥3,300 when no visit is needed. It is split into 36 monthly instalments (35 without a visit), and each month GMO takes the same amount off your bill. A weekend or holiday visit costs an extra ¥3,300, and there is no discount on that.^[1]

Moving or leaving Japan: what it costs and what to do

The contract term is 36 months, but there is no cancellation fee if you leave before it ends.^[1]

What you do pay is the rest of the installation fee. If a technician came and you cancel before all the instalments are paid, the remaining amount is added to the bill for the month you cancel. For example, after 12 payments (the month your line started counts as the first), a house has ¥726 × 24 = ¥17,424 left to pay, and an apartment ¥693 × 24 = ¥16,632.^[1]

You cancel from BBnavi My Page. If you apply by the 20th, the contract ends at the end of that month. You pay the full monthly charge for the last month, even if you leave partway through it. So if you fly out at the end of a month, send the request by the 20th of that month.^[5]

The free Wi-Fi router must reach GMO by the 20th of the month after you cancel, and you pay the postage. If it arrives late, you are charged ¥11,000 (1 Gbps router) on the bill two months after the month you cancel, and you get no refund if you send it back later. If you have used it for 37 months or more, you do not need to return it.^[1]

The NTT equipment goes back in a return kit that NTT sends you by post. In rare cases a technician has to visit to disconnect the line, and then someone must be home. GMO tells you by email which applies, about three days after you apply to cancel. If you apply just before your flight, you may already be gone when the email or the kit arrives.^[1][5]

Leaving Japan: when to cancel and how to deal with the final bill →