TOKYO GAS - Choosing a Plan, Opening an Account, and Paying Your Bills

The majority of homes in Japan use gas to power appliances such as hot water heaters and stove-top burners (although unlike in many other countries, gas is not generally used to heat Japanese homes). For this reason, when you move into a new apartment or house, you will want to have your gas hooked up right away. If you will be living in the Kanto region of Japan, TOKYO GAS, the region’s major gas company, will be your most obvious (though possibly not cheapest) option. Here, we run through the different rate plans that TOKYO GAS offers and provide lists of their base rates and usage rates, along with an explanation of the gas connection procedure at your new home and instructions for paying your bills.

Where can I find gas rates cheaper than TOKYO GAS?

While TOKYO GAS is the main gas supplier in the Kanto region, there are plenty of other gas companies available, all of which offer cheaper rates than TOKYO GAS.

If you want to find gas rates cheaper than TOKYO GAS, call Selectra's Raku Raku Call Center ( 03-4520-8167). We can help you find the right gas plan for you and get you registered in just 5 minutes.

 03-4520-8167 (open Weekends/Holidays too)

TOKYO GAS rate plans

TOKYO GAS’s two most common gas rate plans are its General Contract Rate Plan and Zuttomo Gas Plan. Special tailor-made gas rate plans are available if your home has specialized gas equipment (ECO JOZU, Underfloor Gas Hot Water Heating, ECOWILL, ENE-FARM).

 Check TOKYO GAS General Contract Rate Plan Rates

There are many gas companies in the Kanto region with cheaper rates than TOKYO GAS’s General Contract Rate Plan or Zuttomo Gas Plan. If you want to save money on gas, please check out the link below for information on alternative providers.

Tailor-made gas plans for special gas equipment

Tokyo Gas has rate plans tailored to each particular type of specialized gas equipment. Check out a summary of these specialized gas plans (below).

TOKYO GAS General Contract Rate Plan

The TOKYO GAS General Contract Rate Plan is the default option for homes, stores and businesses not using specialized gas equipment such as underfloor heating or gas water heaters.

① Rate Differences by Region

Gas rates vary by region (3) both in terms of overall fee structure and unit price (region details below).

② Base Rates and Usage Rates

You will be charged by TOKYO GAS each month under the General Contract plan based on two rates: the base rate and your usage rate. The base rate is a flat rate for the amount used per month.

For example, if you use 35㎥ of gas in a month, your base rate charge would be 1056.00 yen.

Your usage charge is calculated according to the amount of gas actually used (per ㎥). For example, if you use 35㎥ in one month, your total usage charge will be 130.46 yen x 35 = 4566.10 yen for that month.

Does the unit price for my usage charge change month by month?

Yes, the unit price used to calculate your usage charge rate changes every month based on raw commodity prices.

Why do raw commodity prices change? The costs to the company of purchasing liquified natural gas, the raw material used to produce city gas, fluctuates day by day, so usage charge rates are adjusted to reflect these fluctuations.

This is why your metered rate has a fixed unit price (standard unit rate) but your actual monthly metered rate may be higher or lower.

This page lists fixed standard unit rates. If you wish to check monthly unit charges, please go to the TOKYO GAS website

TOKYO GAS lists of rates

Below you will find two lists of rates: one for the TOKYO GAS General Contract and one for the Zuttomo Gas Plan. Rates are listed across the 3 different regions where TOKYO GAS operates.

General Contract Rate Plan

Zuttomo Gas Plan

Checking your TOKYO GAS monthly charges

There are three options for checking your TOKYO GAS monthly charges:

1. TOKYO GAS member site (myTOKYOGAS)
2. Your monthly meter reading slip (sent via mail from TOKYO GAS)
3. TOKYO GAS Customer Center

TOKYO GAS Member Site (myTOKYOGAS)

If you get your gas and/or electricity from TOKYO GAS, you can access their member site (myTOKYOGAS).

To check your charges, log in to myTOKYOGAS and select List of Bills on the Charges and Usage page.

Monthly Meter Reading Slip

All TOKYO GAS users receive a meter reading slip for gas and/or electricity usage each month entitled Notice of Usage Amount (ご使用量のお知らせ).

On these slips, you can find your monthly gas usage amount, electricity usage amount, and monthly gas and electricity charges.

You can also confirm your customer number (お客様番号), supply point identification number (供給地点特定番号), and the meter numbers (メーター番号) for your gas and electricity meters.

TOKYO GAS Customer Center

If you are unable to check TOKYO GAS charges or payments via the member site or meter reading slip, you can call the TOKYO GAS Customer Center directly.

Getting your gas hooked up with TOKYO GAS

When you move into a new home in the Kanto region, a TOKYO GAS technician will need to visit your house or apartment to hook up the gas for you.

If you want to use the gas immediately after moving in, you should contact TOKYO GAS in advance.

Connecting to the gas supply with a TOKYO GAS technician

Before you can begin using gas at your new home, a Tokyo Gas technician must visit your home or apartment to connect the gas supply and conduct ignition checks. You should therefore contact TOKYO GAS up until one day prior to the day you want your gas connected.

This is not limited to TOKYO GAS customers; all use of gas, both city gas or propane gas, requires that a technician visit to ensure that the gas supply is connected safely and works properly. If you forget to register for your gas supply in advance, you will not have gas available for use in your home on the day you move in.

If you are moving to one of the regions where TOKYO GAS operates (see above), we recommend registering for gas supply as soon as possible.

You can open a new account for gas supply from TOKYO GAS via the online form on their website or by calling the TOKYO GAS Customer Center.

Information Required for Opening Your Account

1. Your new address (and your current address if you are moving within Kanto)
2. Your name (i.e. the name on the contract)
3. Your telephone number
4. Date and time for gas supply connection (you can apply for this up until one day before the technician visits your home)
5. Your method of payment

Meeting your TOKYO GAS technician

You must be present for the technician’s visit to your new home to connect you to the gas supply and check ignition. If you (the person making the new contract with TOKYO GAS) cannot be there personally, you can appoint another person to stand in for you, but when you book your technician’s visit with TOKYO GAS you must share the name of this person and their relationship to you (landlord, building manager, etc.) and the property.

You will need about 20-40 minutes with the technician as they connect your gas supply, during which the technician will explain important precautions involved with using gas as well as how to pay your gas charges and how to read your gas meter.

TOKYO GAS Setup Procedure

1. TOKYO GAS technician removes the cap from your gas meter to connect your gas supply.
2. Gas ignition testing.
3. For safety reasons, the technician will also check whether your gas appliances are all compatible with TOKYO GAS’s city gas, so please ensure all gas appliances (such as stoves and fan heaters) are in place. The technician will also measure the concentration of carbon monoxide produced in the exhaust from some equipment like water heaters and bath heaters.

Make sure your gas appliances are in place before the technician visits your home When the TOKYO GAS technician visits to connect your gas, ignition checks will also be conducted on your gas appliances, so please have all appliances in place. Also, be aware that LP gas (propane gas) appliances are not compatible with city gas, so ensure that all your appliances can function using city gas.

Get your electricity from TOKYO GAS too

TOKYO GAS has also become a leading electricity provider within the TEPCO region (Kanto) since the deregulation of the Japanese electric power market in 2016.

TOKYO GAS’s Zuttomo Denki electricity rate plan has both a lower monthly fixed base rate and metered usage rate than plans such as TEPCO’s standard plan or Juryo Dento plan. Combining a TOKYO GAS electricity plan (Zuttomo Denki) with your gas plan from TOKYO GAS can also save you 270 yen per month on electricity.

Paying Your TOKYO GAS Bills - Methods and Procedures

There are 3 ways to pay your TOKYO GAS bills: payment by credit card, payment by direct debit/withdrawal (口座振替), or payment using payment slips (払込書). Details of each payment method can be found below.

If you live in the Tosai Gas supply area, East Japan Gas supply area, or Nippon Gas (NichiGas) Moka supply area, you must pay either by credit card or direct debit/withdrawal. Until the payment procedure has been set up, please pay at your local convenience store using the paper slip sent in the mail.

Payment by Credit Card

If your gas contract with TOKYO GAS is one of the following contract types, you can pay by credit card: general gas supply contract, household option contract, Zuttomo Gas contract, small air conditioner contract, small air conditioner package contract. If you have a combined gas/electricity contract with TOKYO GAS, you will be billed the total for both utilities together. For standalone electricity bills, you can choose to pay by credit card for any electricity rate plan.

TOKYO GAS accepts the following credit cards.

How do credit card payments work?

Your credit card will be billed for your monthly gas and electricity charges in one combined payment, which your credit card company will pay and then charge to your card at a later date. The date paid will be either the meter reading date or billing date from TOKYO GAS. You may be billed for two months depending on when the date falls.

If you want to pay by credit card, be aware that…

Credit card payment is only available with the following TOKYO GAS contracts: general gas supply contract, household option contract (Hot Water Eco-Plan, Dan-Ran Plan, ECOWILL, ENE-FARM), Zuttomo Gas contract, small air conditioner contract, small air conditioner package contract.

Also, when your registered credit card expires or you change companies or card numbers, automatic renewal will stop and you will need to re-register with your new card.

If using a credit card, keep the following points in mind:

• payments will not be made if the credit card limit has been exceeded
• TOKYO GAS direct debit/withdrawal discount will not apply
• TOKYO GAS will not issue an invoice/receipt (estimated billed amount can be found on the “Notice of Usage Amount” meter reading slip)
• setting up credit card payment can take 1-2 months before payments start going through

Payment by Direct Debit/Withdrawal

All TOKYO GAS city gas and electricity plans can be paid by direct debit/withdrawal (口座振替). If you use this payment method, you will receive the direct debit/withdrawal discount (55 yen including tax) from your gas plan charges (excluding some optional contract fees).

If you live in the Tosai Gas supply area, East Japan Gas supply area, and Nippon Gas (NichiGas) Moka supply area, pay electricity bills separately, or have optional contract charges, you will not be eligible for the direct debit/withdrawal discount.

How does direct debit/withdrawal work?

Direct debit/withdrawal involves registering your account at a financial institution (bank, etc.) so that your gas/electricity charges can be automatically debited/withdrawn from your account each month. You can even specify the date for direct debit/withdrawal each month. You must have a Japanese bank account to select this option.

If you want to pay by direct debit/withdrawal, be aware that…

While this method of payment is very convenient, you must be sure that there are adequate funds in your account (automatic debit/withdrawal will fail if you have insufficient funds). If automatic debit/withdrawal fails, you will need to pay at a convenience store using the payment slip (meter reading slip) sent to you in the mail.

If using direct debit/withdrawal, please keep the following in mind:

• if used to pay TOKYO GAS electricity bills separately, you will not receive the direct debit/withdrawal discount
• setting up direct debit/withdrawal can take 1-2 months before payments start going through

Payment Using Payment Slips (払込書)

You can also simply pay your TOKYO GAS bills at your local convenience store (or financial institution) using the payment slip sent to you in the mail by TOKYO GAS. It is now also possible to make payments by scanning the barcode on the payment slip with certain apps on your smartphone.

• How to pay using a smartphone app
• Choose the smartphone app you want to use for payment (apps accepted: FamiPay, au PAY, Rakuten Bank, PayPay, LINE Pay, PayB)
• Enter your customer information
• Scan the barcode on the payment slip

If using payment slips, please keep the following in mind:

• if your gas bill is less than 1500 yen, it will be included in your next month’s bill instead
• if paying your electricity bill separately, you generally must pay by credit card or direct debit/withdrawal
• if you lose your payment slip, you must contact the TOKYO GAS Customer Center and ask for it to be reissued
• the deadline for payment of your TOKYO GAS gas bill is 30 days from the day after the meter reading date (overdue penalty fees will apply if you miss the deadline)
• the deadline for payment of your TOKYO GAS electricity bill is 30 days from the billing date (overdue penalty fees will apply if you miss the deadline)

Which Payment Method is Best?

Of the 3 TOKYO GAS payment methods listed above, we recommend either payment by credit card or direct debit/withdrawal so that you do not forget to pay your bills on time.

If you use a credit card, you can also potentially accumulate points depending on which credit card company you use. It is well worth your time to look into the point accumulation deals offered by different credit card companies as this can save you money (you can build up a lot of points thanks to utility bills!). Please note that some Japanese credit cards can be difficult for foreign residents to obtain.

Direct debit/withdrawal has the advantage of carrying a monthly discount from TOKYO GAS of 55 yen including tax. This discount applies no matter what your monthly gas charges are, so it is a good deal if your monthly charges are relatively low.

In the table below, we have compared credit card point accumulation to the direct debit/withdrawal discount to discover which offers you the better deal. Because points accumulated vary based on which credit card you have, we have used a general 0.5% accumulation rate to simplify comparisons.

Essentially, unless your monthly gas bill is 11000 yen or more, it is more cost effective to pay by direct debit/withdrawal. However, if you also subscribe to TOKYO GAS for electricity, credit card payment might be better, as you will accumulate points based on both gas and electric bills, whereas the direct debit/withdrawal discount will remain at 55 yen regardless.

Changing your gas/electric provider can save you more money than changing payment methods

Changing your payment method with TOKYO GAS could save you a little bit of money, but wouldn’t it be better to save more? If you are using TOKYO GAS now and want to reduce your utility bills, we recommend switching to another gas/electric provider within the Kanto region.

For example, HINATAO Energy also operates in the Kanto region, but its electricity and gas are cheaper than TEPCO and TOKYO GAS.

Setting Up Credit Card Payments

You can set up credit card payments online or via paper application form submitted by mail.

Online

Setting up payments online is smooth, convenient, and usually complete after just a few business days. Make sure to have your meter reading slip (Notice of Usage Amount) and Notice of Initial Reading (from when your gas was first connected) handy, as well as your customer number (お客様番号, can be found on the meter reading slip). Online Reception Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. the following day (every day, year round).

However, you will not be able to set this up right after moving into a new home. You must wait approximately 3 days (generally) excluding holidays/weekends for your gas usage to appear on the system.

If you have a standalone electricity plan or heating charge plan (customer numbers beginning with 5), you cannot set up payments online. You must submit a paper application via mail.

• Procedure: online credit card payment setup
• Input gas contract information (name on contract, customer number)
• Input credit card information (payment information)
• Confirm your input information
• Setup complete

By Application Form (Mail)

Fill out the application form and send in the mail to set up your credit card payments. You can obtain the application form for gas contracts online. It takes about a week for the application form to be delivered to your home and about 10 days for your application to be completed after arriving at TOKYO GAS via mail. For obtaining the credit card payment application form online, reception is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. the following day (every day, year round).

 Click here to learn how to order the application form on the telephone

Setting Up Direct Debit/Withdrawal

There are three ways to set up direct debit/withdrawal: online, by application form (mail), and via Internet banking. Make sure to have your meter reading slip (Notice of Usage Amount) and Notice of Initial Reading (from when your gas was first connected) handy, as well as your customer number (お客様番号, can be found on the meter reading slip). Online Reception Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. the following day (every day, year round).

If you have a standalone electricity plan or heating charge plan (customer numbers beginning with 5), you cannot set up direct debit/withdrawal online. You must submit a paper application via mail.

Online

Usually takes 2-5 business days. Make sure to have your meter reading slip (Notice of Usage Amount) and Notice of Initial Reading (from when your gas was first connected) handy, as well as your customer number (お客様番号, can be found on the meter reading slip). Online Reception Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. the following day (every day, year round). If you have a standalone electricity plan or heating charge plan (customer numbers beginning with 5), you cannot set up payments online. You must submit a paper application via mail.

• Procedure: online direct debit/withdrawal setup
• Enter the name of your financial institution
• Input gas contract information (name on contract, customer number)
• Input account transfer information (all payment information such as your account number, etc.)
• Confirm your input information
• Setup complete

You can apply for direct debit/withdrawal online from the following financial institutions:

By Application Form (Mail)

Fill out the application form and send in the mail to set up direct debit/withdrawal. You can obtain the application form for gas contracts online or via the phone for electricity-only contracts. This process can take much longer than applying online, up to 1-2 months from submitting the application form to completion. Your application form must possess a delivery stamp from your financial institution.

Via Internet Banking

If you use Internet banking through one of the following financial institutions, you can apply for direct debit/withdrawal using their Internet banking system. This takes approximately one month, which is longer than applying via the TOKYO GAS website.

Financial institutions where applications can be made via Internet banking Mizuho Bank, SMBC, Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Resona Bank, Saitama Resona Bank, Bank of Yokohama, Chiba Bank, Suruga Bank, Joyo Bank, Gunma Bank, Yamanashi Chuo Bank, PayPay Bank

FAQ

TOKYO GAS Rates and Charges - FAQ

TOKYO GAS Payments - FAQ