Where are the best places to pick up voltage converter/adapters for USA made electronic products (i.e. shavers,alarm clock,etc.) in Japan? I will need to use these products the first night at the hotel (Mansions - Roppongi), however, I'm not sure where or when to grab it. The hotel doesn't seem to be sure whether it will have any available for me at check-in. Moreover, most airports do carry them, but sometimes it may not be for US made products. I'm just wondering how most US travelers deal with this when they crash at a Japanese hotel their first nite.

The actual plug is exactly the same in Japan as in the US. The voltage is only slightly different, slightly less juice. We've found that small appliances like coffee makers and hair dryers from the US work fine here with slightly less output...very slightly. The electric shavers I've seen all have internal voltage converters up to 220V. Laptop computers also have this. For an alarm clock, why don't you pick up an inexpensive battery operated one rather than worry about whether it wll run slow or not on slightly less voltage. I honestly don't think a voltage converter is necessary for travel, but if you planned on living here and bringing your own large electric appliances or high grade stereo you might need one.

I agree with above reply. Plugs are almost identical (except grounded appliances like a fridge and washing machine). Most small appliances work perfectly with Japanese voltage. In Eastern Japan the current is 50Hz, 60Hz in the West (as in US), so some appliances like tape machine may run more slowly.
Small stalls near Akihabara station sell various transformers, as do duty-free section of electrical stores (Laox, Hirose, Rocket etc).

Thanks for the feedback. I figured the hertz would vary... But wasn't sure about the plug configuration. I'll need to get/bring a clock/alarm radio for the first nite... I think I'll just bring some extra batteries for the initial nite and see how it works there after.

With all that said, then I'm assuming bringing back a Japanese electronic device would be an issue due to the slight voltage spike in the states right? Or is the difference so insignificant that the devices are practically interchangeable between the 2 (States vs Japan) outputs.

It depends what you bring back. Some products available in duty free shops and tourist frequented electric shops are multi-voltage equipped. Like I said, razors and computers are multi-voltage anyway. Small appliances are not very bothered by the slight step down in voltage, but may be by the step up...never tried it.

Something produced for the Japanese market probably wouldn't be a good buy for you, as the warranty is only valid in Japan and the instructions are only in Japanese. International market goods come with manuals in a variety of languages, and internationally valid warranty, and the price tag to match. We always buy Japanese market products, but we live here and I can read Japanese well enough to understand the instructions, and we always buy from a local, reputable shop so that if there is trouble, I can get help.

If you do think you might want to buy something in Japan, then research the product thoroughly before your trip. Know exactly what you want and how much it costs in the US.

The plug geometry is ALMOST the same but not exactly. The US plug is polarized (one prong is larger than other) while Japanese plugs are not (both prongs are the same).

Now depending on how "polarized" is the appliance, the larger US prong sometimes fits into Japanese outlets, while other times it is too large and needs an adaptor. I got mine for few dollars at Radio Shack.

Hmmm...we've had no trouble with that in our house, but have only tried small appliances like coffee makers. Good point to bring up, it didn't occur to me.

All electronic/electric products for the U.S. should work fine without any voltage conversion except the frequency dependent ones, and VERY voltage sensitive ones. I would expect your mansion room has a TV, radio, and alarm clock.

Two things to consider: one is the frequency as Alec pointed out. AC motors and clocks run slow by 17% in Tokyo. Another thing is that the FM radio frequency range used in Japan is different from the one in U.S. Your FM radio will not catch much of the Japanese broadcast. AM should be all right though. When you buy a radio, make sure it is either for international or for U.S. use.

As far as portable electronic products are concerned, you can expect them to work fine in U.S since most of them are designed for worldwide use (many Japanese travel abroad with these). Make sure to buy one with English manuals. And of cource, be careful with DVD players, check the regional code first.

FYI -

A good source for info on power (as well as phone plugs, cellular coverage, TV types) is at - http://kropla.com/electric2.htm

Z

I have a 1-bedroom executive room at the Mansions, but surprisingly enough the attendants told me that the rooms are not equipped with alarm clocks or radios. Just the DVD player and Flat screen TV.

Now I think about this I do have a Japanese product manufactured for the Japanese market. I bought a Japanese Playstation 2 about 3 months after it was initially released in Japan. The system was all Japanese, but there was a 'secret code' that unlocked the English menus. So that kinda rattled my thinking in realizing that Japanese manufacturers do keep the outside world in mine when they produced high demand products as that. I just plugged the system in and it worked. I still have the unit and when I recently checked the back of it the voltage/current readings looks slightly different from that of my US manufactured PS2 system.

It sounds like the Ikahabara would have a lot of bargains and deals, but I'm not sure if they cater to universal consumer needs (i.e. product compatibility and compliance w/ home market).

TravelMaster -

Great link!!! There's a wealth of info on there. This would have saved me tons of headaches if I had this info for the past few years.. I distroyed more shavers and small electronic appliances in Europe with bogus adapters/converters that promised to worked, but didn't... Thanks..

Hey BigFeat - I can't take credit for 'finding' the web site on power, phones, etc ... someone else posted the link a few months ago & since I travel a lot so I added it to my 'favourites' ... and just prior to seeing your posting I'd checked out the New Zealand forum, where someone had been asking about phone jacks in NZ for their laptop ... so my response to them effectively became your as well ... enjot the trip ... Z

I am traveling to Japan in October and wondered if I would need any type of converter/adapter for my laptop computer. I read somewhere that the electric outlets are 2 prong and that I would need an adapter to make the computer 2 prong. Do I need anything else?

If the laptop is 3-prong, you should get a plug adapter to make it 2-prong. Nothing else is needed.