Pay phones have been disappearing as mobile phone use spreads.
People with cell phones, who now account for nearly 70 percent of the population, might not be concerned by their disappearance, but have-nots are.
"I have a hard time finding a roadside public phone out in the country when I drive to the golf course and need to contact my fellow golfers," said Makoto Yoshitake, a 33-year-old company employee.