Travel to Japan

[Jeffbx]

Hey everyone -

I'm going to Tokyo on a business trip Saturday, and I want to make sure I have everything I need...

- What sort of electrical plugs do they use? Are they the same flat, 2 blade ones as N. America?

- What about the telephone jack? I'm 99% sure that everywhere I go will have broadband, but in case of emergency I've got my trusty 56k dial up.

- Will I be able to get cash with my US ATM card? I can in Europe, but I've heard Japan may not be as flexible

- What's the weather like these days? Lots of rain still?

Thanks!

[AlpineJay]

- Standard ungrounded 110V plugs. If you have grounded plugs then make sure to bring an adaptor.

- SOME phone jacks in Japan are an old 4-prong kind with a square plug. However broadband is abundant and readily available (though at a cost) so modem usage should not have to occur.

- You're right - Japan and most of east Asia aren't flexible when it comes to getting money from a worldwide network like Cirrus, MAC, etc. If you look around though, you'll run across the ones that are US compatible.

- Don't know anything about the weather there right now. Ask revil!

[mwatson]

When we were there, I used my credit card at most Ryokans (Hotels) and exchanged dollars at the bank. The credit card worked out well, but the bank exchanges sucked. For spending money, a good option is to get Travelers checks. They give a better exchange rate there.
As far as ATMs are concerned. The Japan Post Office has ATM machines that work with most US cards. Other than that, it sort of depends on the area and such. Don't expect them to be on every corner.

Oh yeah, the best exchange rate was at the airport.

[avlena]

and you can prepare by reading this journal! http://outpostnine.com/editorials/teacher1.html

:heh:

have fun on your trip!

[RoniMan]

go meet up with revil and have a G|A get-together "Tokyo style"!!

[revil]

heh. if you need anything, lemme know.

The electrical is almost the same. in tokyo, the wattage is a little lower than the states, but still works with computers and other equipment. if you bring a clock that plugs in, i wouldn't trust it. Also, 2 prong plugs are predominant, if you need to use a 3 prong, bring an adapter.

the telephone jack is the same, but i don't know if the standard is the same. also it would be a hassle to use it and expensive. I would recommend going to a 'manga kissa' these are comic book cafes that offer you pretty much everything for about $5 an hour. you get comic books, a computer, internet, tv, usually a shower, and from what my friends tell me some of them you can hook up your own computer if you must (but don't count on it).

there are plenty of places to use your us atm card. usually banks will have atm outside their office which accepts pretty much everything. if you can't find one of those, go to a police box and ask them (granted if you don't know japanese, your miming skills must be decent). both the police box (koban) and bank (ginko) are located near most train stations.

Weather is a little warm. a little muggy. It doesn't rain much unless there is a typhoon (their rainy season is over rated). that being said if it does rain, it usually rains hard. everyplace sells umbrellas though. bring a hand towel or something to wipe yourself off (just in case)....

[Jeffbx]

Cool deal. Thanks everyone! My knowledge of the language is exactly zero, despite the number of times I've watched 'Ringu'. Fortunately, one of the guys in the office is from the States & has offered to take us around when we get in. After that, it's 10-12 hour meetings, dinner with the group, sleep & repeat. It's fun to travel on the company dime, but it sucks that I don't really have time to do too much.