Originally Posted by abmj-jr

This question has been dealt with several times in the Travel Photography Forum. Hopefully, it will be moved there or to the Japan Forum so the real experts will see it.

I am not a "Nikon guy," but in general:

1. No.
2. Yes.
3. Generally no.
4. The consensus seems to be that you can do just as well here, with less hassle and complete warranty service from Nikon USA.

As a side note, the "electronics district" the guidebook refers to is most likely Akihabara but many of the real camera stores are located elsewhere in Tokyo. If you want to check out the discussions in the Japan Forum, just do a search on "Tokyo" and "camera."

JR