> >The apartment is about 10yrs old.
> 
> It should have a phone line, if not an actual phone service contract.
> You can get a Type 1 (is that it?) connection which is data only for a
> low cost. Also, if your friend is in a big city, phone contracts can
> be bought for less than 20,000 yen, if not 10,000 yen these days.

Type 1 shares a line for voice phone and ADSL.
        If you choose KANYUU DENWA LIGHT instead of ordinary KANYUU DENWA,
        No contract money is needed in expence of higher monthly cost.
        (672yen/month in biggest cities)

Type 2 uses a line for ADSL only.
        No contract money is needed and you'll pay monthly base cost
        which is as high as phone+Type 1.

> Finally, one of the mobile phone companies do an all-you-can-eat
> PC-Card wireless adapter for about 4000 yen a month if 28,000 bps is
> acceptable, but you still need an ISP contract on top.

There are 128kbps service in DDI Pocket's Air H" service or 64kbps in
NTT DoCoMo's @FreeD service.

USB-plugged adaptors are available for desktop PCs, and some PHS phones
(called 'Air-H" Phone' ones) can be used for both internet and voice phones
by one contract.

For detailed information about Air H" or @FreeD, ask your local PC shops.

========================================================================
(Mr.) IIJIMA Hiromitsu,                  mailto:delmonta@ht.sakura.ne.jp
           aka Delmonta            http://www.ht.sakura.ne.jp/~delmonta/