If you're traveling in a major city, you should fairly easy to find an Internet café.  NTT (the government owned telecommunications giant) offers free Internet access in their main offices all over Japan. Unless you're carrying your own computer, the easiest way to send and receive email is by using a web-based mobile account such as Yahoo, Hotmail or Gmail.

Recently there are more and more wireless hotspots appearing, with many coffee shops, hotels and other public places offering wireless connections.

If you do have your own computer, you can set up a POP3 email account with your Internet Service Provider so that you can access your account from any computer on the Internet. Japanese phones use the standard plug, and many hotels allow you to access the Internet from your room. It's best to check with your server before you leave home and see if they have local numbers in Japan. People with American Online or CompuServe accounts can use local connection numbers in Japan. If you have your own computer, gray IDD public phones have both analog and ISDN jacks that allows users to plug in and log on (local access only). Cable access has recently been catching on, which provides fast, reliable service without the dreaded local phone charges here in Japan.

Fax and Telegraph
Although the postal system is user friendly, sending a fax can be different story. Most post offices do not offer fax services and major hotels are sometimes reluctant to let anyone other than guests use their facilities. That being said, hotels and youth hostels will allow you to send a fax for a small charge, and many convenience stores have fax services available. Telegraphs can be sent at the General Post Offices in major cities.

Newspapers
Japan has a huge newspaper industry. There are more than 50 million newspapers sold every day and the most popular paper, the Yomiuri Shimbun, has the largest circulation in the world. Not surprisingly, there are also several English Newspapers. If you're traveling in one of the major cities or tourist areas you can buy an English language paper in most train stations and convenience stores. However, in rural areas it is unlikely to find any and the only place that may have any would be the train station. The most popular newspapers are the Daily Yomiuri, which offers 'World Report" from the Los Angeles Times, 'View from Europe' from the Independent, a weekly report from the Washington Post and an excellent Sports page; The Japan Times, which is famous for it's Monday Employment Classifieds; The Mainichi Daily News (now only a web-based newspaper) and the Asahi Evening News are also available although not as comprehensive.

Magazines and Books
Popular English magazines, books and teaching materials can be found at large bookstores in the major cities, such as Maruzen and Kinokuniya.  Be aware they are much more expensive than at home so you might want to pack some reading material before you leave.  And there is always Amazon of course where you can order online.  Another good place to find local publications is at international centers located in various locations around the nation.

Television
Many major hotels chains especially in the cities have cable or satellite connections that offer CNN and BBC World along with several English programs and movie channels. The basic stations are all in Japanese, although they occasionally show foreign sports and TV programs. Satellite TV has become increasingly popular with Japanese and foreign residents alike (WOWOW and SkyPerfecTV), with a wide variety of channels to choose from. Japanese television features some wacky game shows and samurai dramas that may be hard for visitors to appreciate, not to mention understand.  Maybe worth at least one watch though.