Electric Converters in Japan
 

Am I correct that I do not need to buy a special adapter to charge my laptop, iPod, etc. when travelling from the US to Japan? The socket types look identical, but I can't tell. Thanks.

Japan uses the same AC plug as North America, so no blade adapter required, but they're at a lower 100 Volts compared to 120 Volts here in Canada & USA, plus half of the country is 50 Hz AC line frequency, the other half is 60 Hz. Check the label on your AC adapter to make sure it will work with only 100 Volts. The adapter for my PowerBook, for instance says "Input: AC 1.2A 100-240V 50/60Hz" so it will work in Japan. Check yours.

Most sockets in Japan are two-prong. Your 3-prong grounded US plut won't fit. My Igo needed a 3-prong-to-2-prong converter everywhere I went. This was in March of 2004.

Most modern office buildings and hotels are 3 prong now and have locking (i.e. you twist the plug to lock it in place) sockets. If you are traveling to a variety of types of offices, or not sure of the hotel's sockets, I recommend a three to two prong adapter be kept in your case as mentioned above. If you are travelling to Tokyo and its bigger complexes you will not need the adaptor. I would in any case treat it much as an umbrella being brough to prevent rain. :) Three to Two adaptors are widely available if you get here and ar stuck. Worst case post me a amil message and I will advise where to get the adaptor nearest where you will be.

Best,

Mike

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Every hotel I stayed in (from Westin Myako Kyoto to Ryokan) had 3-to-2 adaptors ready for Western tourists. I got one at the Kyoto train station to prepare for the UA RCC in NRT. Good thing I did. The Japanese hotels were far better prepared for my electronic confusion that I was.

If only I'd known about the email to mike! :-)

Ah yes, many outlets in Japan are only 2 prong ungrounded. I always travel with one of these adapters, as I have encountered several situations where I have an ungrounded outlet to plug my 3 prong computer power supply into. In addition to Japan, this is also very prevalent in Taiwan. Be very careful though, as you are defeating the safety ground of the device you're plugging in, and should it fail or become defective, *you* end up being the ground conductor (electrocution)! Have you ever felt an AC line voltage go through your body? Not nice, and for some it can be deadly! :p

Y'all are great. Thanks for the advice.

I'm pretty sure that any consumer electronics with a "puck" adapter will prevent you from becoming the ground conductor.

Well, it depends on the design of the power supply and the computer itself, and unless you know the condition of the equipment, it's best to be careful, that's all. The likelihood that your equipment develops a ground fault is extremely minimal at best, and having an external "puck" or wall wart supply can possibly make the risk even less, since it keeps the AC mains outside of the computer. No need to have a paranoia about it!

However, there's a good reason why some equipment is provided with a grounded plug. If one is provided, it is almost always (depending on the design) connected to the chassis of the equipment (per UL/CSA safety standards) for your protection. Lift the ground pin, and now this chassis is electrically "floating." In physics class we learned that electricity always follows the path of least resistance. For the 0.01% chance you touch a ground-faulted (or "live") "floating" chassis while simultaneously touching something that resembles a "ground," you will indeed become the path of least resistance! This is why the ground lift adapter is banned in some countries!

I use ground lift adapters quite often in troubleshooting ground loops in professional AV systems. I lift AC grounds of various pieces of equipment (including computers) with the full awareness of what I'm doing, and exercise a good measure of caution. Once I have isolated the problem, I will restore all grounds, and then proceed to fix the trouble. I'm pretty sure I exercise great care when I do my work, especially if human livelihood is at stake, but you can never be absolutely 100% sure, which is why I have insurance! ;)

Yes, it does depend on the power supply; linears being the obvious type without electrical isolation. I just checked every puck device I own. They are all 2-prong with the exception of the iGo Juice. The lack of a ground prong, coupled with UL approval, leads me to believe that there is in fact electrical isolation between the AC & DC sides of the puck. Granted it's been 20 yrs since I designed power supplies for a living and equally as long since I last looked at the relevant UL stds. Without dismantling the iGo, I would bet a 110v shock that the only reason it has a 3rd prong is that they cannot anticipate that every adapter they replace will be 2-prong (litigation prevention).

I'm well aware of the potential risks with floating ground. I just don't see it as a problem with a 2-prong puck.

For Japan I just cut off the ground prong from my laptop adapter...one less adapter to lost in a hotel somewhere.

Yes the ground will float, but for most stuff this isn't a problem.

I just returned from Japan and had -zero- problems with my chargers. All but one stated 100-240 on the wall-wart, but even the one that isnt multi-voltage (120v only) had no problems at 100v. 100-120 is so close, that I really dont think it makes much difference. I never had an issue with the ground prong, as all my adapters are two prong anyway. That being said I saw grounded outlets (and three prong adapters) everywhere.

My Japanese friend has many American appliances, and uses them all in Japan. He also did the same in the US with his Japanese stuff when he lived here for a few years with no issues.

The only potential problem is if you are bringing with you a motorized appliance (fan, blow dryer, bench grinder ;), etc) as the difference in frequency (50hz vs 60hz) will make it run slower and a little hotter.

sorry to revive an old thread, but i have a couple questions--i'm bringing a straightening iron and a charger for AA batteries (for my digital camera) and both say 120-220v on them. do you think these items will work in Japan or will i have to survive with curly hair and disposable batteries?? :eek: