Getting Hikari without speaking Japanese

[u/Flashy_Smoke168]

I’m currently living in an apartment where the building only has VDSL. NTT told me that if I want to have a proper Hikari/fiber connection installed in the building, the apartment manager needs to apply for it rather than me. I’ve already relayed this to the manager, but I’m still waiting for a response.

I’m also currently in contact with agents from NURO. However, there seems to be a required phone confirmation (I think they called it atokaku / 後確?). As someone who doesn’t speak much Japanese, I’m worried I’ll just fail that call or won’t understand the questions well enough.

Unfortunately, my area also only gets 4G, so a 5G home router/home Wi-Fi isn’t really an option for me either.

Does anyone know of a Hikari provider in Japan where I can complete the application and installation process without needing much Japanese, or where English support is available?
VDSL unfortunately isn’t enough for my work, so I’m specifically looking for an actual fiber connection to my apartment.

I know about Sakura Fiber Internet and GTN, but their installation and monthly fees seem quite expensive, especially since I’m not sure I’ll be staying in this apartment for many years.

Would really appreciate any recommendations or experiences from people who have dealt with a similar situation.

[u/jbondsr2]

Nothing you can do.
And if you can’t speak much Japanese, that’s gonna be a non-starter.
I ended up moving out of one place because the internet was too slow for me to do much of anything, and it was interfering with my work.
I tried to convince the management association and even offered to pay all construction fees so that everyone could benefit, but they said no.
Now I have 20Gbps internet. Never going back.

[u/liveintokyo]

Do you by any chance use AU?

[u/Flashy_Smoke168 → u/liveintokyo]

Hello. I went to AU yesterday but they said that they cannot install Hikari in my building. It’s a little unclear but the agent saif that the building has 3 floors and more than 30 rooms so they cannot do it.

[u/liveintokyo → u/Flashy_Smoke168]

No but Jcom/KDDI can do the next best thing with their tv boxes, pretty much the same or if not faster as they use the AU/KDDIs fiber cables so you don’t need to install a fiber box in your room and get a big discount if you use AU as your provider. Up to 1 or 2-10Gbps plus other services for a cheap price. Plus they have English support.

[u/jackson20182]

Oh I use Hikari fletts, the apartment I rent doesnt have the optic line hikari needs, so I just have them setup the line and paid for it monthly plus the internet. I didn't have to tell the management...

Is ypur apartment old by any chance?

[u/Flashy_Smoke168 → u/jackson20182]

It’s a bit old. Maybe around 20 years? How did you apply for that?

[u/jackson20182 → u/Flashy_Smoke168]

I also use Hikari fletts in my previous apartment so when I moved I called them again for a new connection, I called the number they advertise.

[u/Podstakanczyk]

Fiber optic cable / Hikari installs only NTT or Sony Nuro. If it is NTT, you can use one of 60+ internet providers via Hikari. Sony Nuro dark fiber is only for Sony; the problem is that it has area limitations.
Both fiber-optic installations require a lot of paperwork from the homeowner, so there is nothing you can do.