Some cling to landlines, but cell-only homes now dominate

When I first came to Japan, I was required to get a cell phone for work and I found out that a landline would cost over 20,000 yen to install so I didn't bother since I didn't know how long I would stay and it seemed like a waste. I'm glade because I ended up moving a year later which means I would have lost that money. I found I didn't miss it since I had a keitai. Now, with my smartphone, I text just about everyone and can talk through LINE for free since I have WIFI. I find that no one wants to talk over the phone anymore, so I didn't bother getting proper phone service. My bills are low and I find that I don't miss it at all.

I have a landline and I prefer it. The cell reception in my concrete condo isn't great, and the calling rate is a fraction of a mobile phone's. Also, long distance calls on landlines are actually cheaper than for local calls.

But, don't forget, this is Japan! The land afraid of change. Just last week I had a Japanese company ask me to send them a fax. I said, "A what?!?!" I have a SoftBank Air router in my home that Wifis my iPhone, Ipad, computers and printer. Why in the heck would I need a landline and a fax? I used to have a landline (ten years ago) and always made a point of answering it in English. 99.9% of the calls were from sellers scanning the phonebook. It was actually pretty funny. There'd be a three second pause and they would just hang up. I used to tell all my J-friends to answer their landline in English. It works every time!

I have not had a landline since 1997. Crazy, isn't it! I don't know about the U.S., but in Japan even back then I could use my cell phone practically anywhere - and I did a lot of traveling back then from southern Kyushu to northern Hokkaido.

Like it or not, the phone is more or less dead. Most communication is done by IP "phone" or texting, IM, anyway. I visited a friend's house the other day and it was like at technology museum -- he still has a fax machine that he actually uses! He also has a pager (poketto beru) that he cannot, but wishes he could. I honestly respect people who have no cell phone, but for most it is just not practical, whereas having a landline is what has become impractical in most cases. I had one for about a year here, soon after arriving, and I'll never go back to having one, even if a landline is included in a cable fee. It's almost the same with owning a television in this day and age -- more or less unnecessary. That's why NHK is panicking and thinking of new ways to charge you for the services you don't want... but I digress.

The phone is dead! Long live the smart phone!

IP-Phones are great, IP- Phone to IP-Phone is free.

My family(europe) are using it as family is spread across countries and continents.

That is when we don't video-chat(also free).

Of course free package usage deals/fiber connections help.

One reason why I dropped mine 10yrs ago.

"We never use the landline, and the only calls I get on it are from someone looking to sell me something,"

That sounds like the perfect case to get rid of your landline.