# Sending email from Japan question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489 "2011-02-15T19:37:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/1 "2011-02-15T19:37:10Z")
Googling did not seem to help, so assume many Dopers her will know. My wife’s nephew in Tokyo only recently got into email. He may be the only Japanese guy who is not computer literate. Talking with him on the phone, we finally got him to give us his email address. The domain was .xx.xxxx, so tried sending him an email, but it bounced back. I suddenly realized that had to add an .JP to the end, and then sure enough it went through. He tried to email us, but we never got it, so I am now thinking he probably has to put a .US on the end of our address. Correct? It would then be [xxx@cox.net.US](mailto:xxx@cox.net.US), right? As it is still night there, if this correct will send him another email telling him about that, and he should have the info by the time he gets up today (tomorrow?). ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/2 "2011-02-15T19:49:32Z")
Darn, missed the Edit deadline. Meant to ask another question. If he wants to do a Reply to my email, will it go through automatically, or would he have to add the .US himself? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/3 "2011-02-15T20:18:47Z")
The US is not needed for US addresses. They don’t usually use a country code like that. If he hits reply, it will go to him, and if you get further e-mails from him, it will have the .jp when you hit reply. ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/4 "2011-02-15T20:23:24Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > He tried to email us, but we never got it, so I am now thinking he probably has to put a .US on the end of our address. Correct? It would then be [xxx@cox.net.US](mailto:xxx@cox.net.US), right? No. The US is kind of an exception, in that other countries suffix their domain names with a geographic top level domain, while the US uses generic top level domains. (Not that other countries can’t use the generic TLDs as well; and there are “.us” addresses but they’re not widely used.) It’s the electronic-age equivalent of Britain being the only country that doesn’t have to put its name on its stamps. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/5 "2011-02-15T20:45:07Z")
> [@ctnguy](#): > > It’s the electronic-age equivalent of Britain being the only country that doesn’t have to put its name on its stamps. 😃 Thanks guys, that makes it a lot easier. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/6 "2011-02-15T20:50:45Z")
Also, the top level domain (e.g. “.jp”) is not optional; you have to enter it even when sending an e-mail to someone in the same domain. Just like in the US, where you can’t leave off the .com even if your e-mail address and the recipient’s are both .com addresses. So it’s a bit surprising that someone left it off when they told you their e-mail address… ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/7 "2011-02-16T01:18:33Z")
Just to clarify, we’re talking about freemail email addresses right? (eg, hotmail, yahoo, gmail). Cell phone “email”, on the other hand, works a bit differently in Japan. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/8 "2011-02-16T02:19:22Z")
I believe gmail doesn’t require the .jp on the end. Mine is just [XXX@gmail.com](mailto:XXX@gmail.com) Hotmail doesn’t seem to, but yahoo does. My cell phone email is XXX@softbank.ne.jp ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/9 "2011-02-16T02:30:27Z")
When we lived in Japan, we used our [gmail.com](http://gmail.com) addresses with no problems. Strange. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/10 "2011-02-16T02:49:41Z")
Stranger and stranger. Our last email to Japan had the .jp at the end, and it did not bouch back, so have to assume it went through. We called tonight, and he never got it. Likewise, he had sent three emails to us, none of which we received. I am getting the usual number of emails, as is our nephew in Tokyo, so both email providers seem to be working alright. They just don’t seem to be able to receive international emails. I am using .att.net. I don’t understand what his provider is, but the domain is: .r5.bion.jp. Does that ring any bells with you Dopers in Japan? Any bright ideas as to what may be going amiss? I guess we will have to just continue making phone calls, but as my wife has become quite adept at writing Hiragana on the computer, and we would like to exchange photos, would much prefer to be able to email each other. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/11 "2011-02-16T03:17:31Z")
Talking about adding a “.jp” to the end is simply confusing the issue. A [yahoo.com](http://yahoo.com) email account is different from a yahoo.co.jp account. You send the email to whatever his address is, period. I don’t know if the emails are not getting through at all, or if he is merely receiving gibberish (writing in hiragana from an account outside Japan can sometimes be scrambled into gibberish (bakemoji) when it is received in Japan. Maybe that’s the problem? N.B. Gmail handles this issue better than others in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/12 "2011-02-16T03:33:19Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > I am getting the usual number of emails, as is our nephew in Tokyo, so both email providers seem to be working alright. They just don’t seem to be able to receive international emails. Have you checked your spam/junk folder? There is a good chance that international mail is getting filtered. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/13 "2011-02-16T03:38:36Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Talking about adding a “.jp” to the end is simply confusing the issue. A [yahoo.com](http://yahoo.com) email account is different from a yahoo.co.jp account. > > You send the email to whatever his address is, period. This. The e-mail address does not change depending on where you’re sending it from. It is what it is; there are no optional suffixes. Have you checked the the spam folder? Many spam filters tag foreign language e-mail as spam. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/14 "2011-02-16T03:58:15Z")
I’m pretty sure “r5.bion.jp” is wrong. It doesn’t look like a email address domain at all - if anything it should be xxx@bion.jp. However, bion.jp doesn’t seem to exist. Something went wrong somewhere! ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/15 "2011-02-16T03:58:28Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > I am using .att.net. I don’t understand what his provider is, but the domain is: .r5.bion.jp. Does that ring any bells with you Dopers in Japan? Not familiar with the .r5.bion.jp domain, and googling it or even bio.jp doesn’t show up. Are you sure it’s not r5.dion.ne.jp ? Note the “d” and the “ne” That’s a valid domain for email addresses from KDDI, a telecommunications provider. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/16 "2011-02-16T04:03:01Z")
After doing some hunting, I suspect the correct email might be xxxx@bion.co.jp, which does resolve to a proper company website (and with a contact email with the correct domain). ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/17 "2011-02-16T04:15:59Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > After doing some hunting, I suspect the correct email might be xxxx@bion.co.jp, which does resolve to a proper company website (and with a contact email with the correct domain). It doesn’t address the r5 part, though, which is a feature of the KDDI system. It should be easy for **KlondikeGeoff** to clarify the address. I think that is the problem on why his email isn’t getting through. Not sure why **KlondikeGeoff** isn’t getting them. I’ve just sent a test message to the hotmail email address in **KlondikeGeoff** ’s profile. Please check and see if you can get it. Cheers, TP ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/18 "2011-02-16T04:52:38Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > After doing some hunting, I suspect the correct email might be xxxx@bion.co.jp, which does resolve to a proper company website (and with a contact email with the correct domain). bion.co.jp appears to belong to a small company in Hiroshima that manufactures weed killers. I’m more inclined to believe **TokyoPlayer** ’s guess. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/19 "2011-02-16T05:00:40Z")
> [@TokyoPlayer](#): > > Not familiar with the .r5.bion.jp domain, and googling it or even bio.jp doesn’t show up. > > Are you sure it’s not r5.dion.ne.jp ? Note the “d” and the “ne” > > That’s a valid domain for email addresses from KDDI, a telecommunications provider. TokyoPlayer is correct. KDDI’s internet provider service is DION. Email addresses of their customers follow the pattern: [accountname]@[alpha][number].dion.ne.jp So, it seems like “r5.dion.ne.jp” would be correct, assuming the nephew is using an account from that provider. I have a list of clients with Dion addresses using the same pattern right here on my desk. As a side note, I’m not sure the nephew’s age, but a lot of younger Japanese confuse the “b” and d" when writing or pronouncing words. So he may have had a typo. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489/20 "2011-02-16T16:01:50Z")
Thanks again, guys. **TokyoPlayer** , I did get your test sent to my hotmail address, and replied. I think y’all may be right about it being dion instead of bion, so sent some mail again this morning with both the .me in and one with just .r5.dion.jp. Will see if he gets any of them. I always check my spam/junk folders, but nothing came there. It does seem likely now that KDDI is the provider. I wonder if there is some glitch with their servers. Maybe they just don’t like me? We will see if he got my mail tonight. Thanks again. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-email-from-japan-question/571489.md?page=2)