In search of Japan’s hidden double pay phones

And you’ll need to find them all for 100-percent completion of Japan.

With the near total dominance of smartphones in Japan, like in many societies, the noble pay phone has become a dying breed. Although still used by ghosts and obsessive retirees, their numbers have been rapidly dwindling, making them rarer and rarer.

And among these increasingly scarce beasts are the legendary double pay phones or “Duet Phones” as they’re called. These phones are so rare that most Japanese people aren’t aware of their existence and usually take to social media after stumbling upon one.

To find out, J-Town Net asked NTT about the existence and use of Duet Phones. A rep for the company said that an undisclosed number of these phones had been set up to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their use in Japan. Since they are managed regionally, the rep could only vouch for the existence of one at the Nakahara Ward Office in Kawasaki City shown in the tweet above.