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In September of the thirty-third year of the Meiji Period (1900), public telephones, which had until then been set up only within telegraph branch offices and post offices, appeared for the first time in main thoroughfares, transforming the appearance of cities. First, they were set up at Ueno and Shinbashi train stations. The following month, the first outdoor public telephone box was set up near Kyobashi. In those days, they were called 'Jido Denwa', a literal translation of 'Automatic Telephone' displayed on street telephones in America. Public telephones increased and in 1901, male operators, unpopular because of their rough reception, were abolished. Since then, telephone operators became a standard job for young women. | |