Electronics in Japan...

BoomAM · 5 Oct 2006 at 05:51

Hi.
Ive spent the better part of the last 6 days visiting the major 'centers' of Tokyo looking for things to buy.
Ive visited Akihabara, the electronics center, and i was impressed at first, but then i realised that almost everywhere sold the same stuff! lol.
Ive been to Shinjuku and wasnt impressed. Its all arcades & department stores that sell fancy clothes & goods.
& ive seen something in Ikebukuro that im thinking of buying (a digital photo frame). And ive seen a amazing sports shop that do billions of footy items, for almost every european team.
Asakusa was a good place to get some cheap gifts for people.
Shibuya was a bit rubbish tbh.
And im failing to see the point in Ginza tbh. lol.

What is it with Japanese 'shopping malls/deparment stores/shopping districts'? Everything is fancy clothes shops!

But what im wondering is:
-Why are there no pdas in Japan? Everything i see seems to be either really elaborate calculators that look like laptops, or a single PDA phone, a Willcom W-Zero3.
-Are any of the Japanese DS games gonna have an English option on them?
-Are PSPs now starting to become more 'dead pixel free', or is it still hit & miss?
-A bit of a daft question as i already know the answer(best to check), but asuming that a devices power block reads 110/240 & 50/60hz, i should be able to just buy a Jap->UK adaptor plug and have the device work over in the UK fine shouldnt i?

Oh a side note, can someone tell me how to say the following in Japanese:
-Can the language be switched to English?
-How much is it?
-Can it be bought on its own, without a contract?

Thanks in advance all.

Wyvern971 · 5 Oct 2006 at 08:50

BoomAM said:
Ive visited Akihabara, the electronics center, and i was impressed at first, but then i realised that almost everywhere sold the same stuff! lol.

Yes, a lot of the places do sell pretty much the same stuff, but some of the smaller shops are more specialised and stock wide ranges of items for modding and such that I always find harder to find over here

BoomAM said:
Ive been to Shinjuku and wasnt impressed. Its all arcades & department stores that sell fancy clothes & goods.

If you look about you'll find that american brands are vastly cheaper there than here (Carhart, Vans etc), may be stating the obvious but dept. stores aren't the best places for bargains. One thing you should notice that is different though is the level of service, most clothes shops there will make alterations for you free of charge, as well as gift wrap presents free of charge

FYI

Omiyage-nanode maite itadake-masu deshouka
(It is a present, can you please wrap it for me)

BoomAM said:
But what im wondering is:
-Why are there no pdas in Japan? Everything i see seems to be either really elaborate calculators that look like laptops, or a single PDA phone, a Willcom W-Zero3.

PDAs never took off, most of the features can be found in most mobile phones.

BoomAM said:
-Are any of the Japanese DS games gonna have an English option on them?

-Are PSPs now starting to become more 'dead pixel free', or is it still hit & miss?

Can't really help you there, it is cheaper over there than here though

BoomAM said:
-A bit of a daft question as i already know the answer(best to check), but asuming that a devices power block reads 110/240 & 50/60hz, i should be able to just buy a Jap->UK adaptor plug and have the device work over in the UK fine shouldnt i?

Yes if it says that it will be universal

BoomAM said:
Oh a side note, can someone tell me how to say the following in Japanese:
-Can the language be switched to English?

ken-go wa eigoni henkou dekimasuka

BoomAM said:
-How much is it?

kore-wa ikuradesuka (how much is this?)

BoomAM said:
-Can it be bought on its own, without a contract?

keiyaku nashide kaemasuka?

Although if this in reference to mobile handsets (as I suspect it is) then you should be able to purchase them but they will be locked to the operator (I work at the UK office of NTT DoCoMo) and I doubt you can unlock it.

BoomAM said:
Thanks in advance all.

You're welcome, hope you're having fun out there, Tokyo isn't the only place though

Kyoto should be a really nice place to go to

Tesla · 5 Oct 2006 at 09:02

If you ask about them questions in Japanese they will probably answer in Japanese and you may then have difficulty if you are not familiar with the language,

Greenlizard0 · 5 Oct 2006 at 10:50

Tesla said:
If you ask about them questions in Japanese they will probably answer in Japanese and you may then have difficulty if you are not familiar with the language,

Roffles?

No Wai?!??!?!

BoomAM · 5 Oct 2006 at 11:16

Wyvern971 said:
Yes, a lot of the places do sell pretty much the same stuff, but some of the smaller shops are more specialised and stock wide ranges of items for modding and such that I always find harder to find over here

Ive noticed that the computer shops do sell a lot of hard to find parts at good prices.
For example, i can get a AOpen ITX base unit & a s479 CoreDuo 1.83Ghz Processor for £300.

If you look about you'll find that american brands are vastly cheaper there than here (Carhart, Vans etc), may be stating the obvious but dept. stores aren't the best places for bargains. One thing you should notice that is different though is the level of service, most clothes shops there will make alterations for you free of charge, as well as gift wrap presents free of charge

Tbh, ive looked in a lot of the independant shoe shops in Shinjuku, and ive only seen one pair of Vans (I like those style of shoes. lol.).
The only decent shopping center ive found is at Sunshine City.

Omiyage-nanode maite itadake-masu deshouka
(It is a present, can you please wrap it for me)...

...ken-go wa eigoni henkou dekimasuka...
...kore-wa ikuradesuka (how much is this?)...
...keiyaku nashide kaemasuka?

Although if this in reference to mobile handsets (as I suspect it is) then you should be able to purchase them but they will be locked to the operator (I work at the UK office of NTT DoCoMo) and I doubt you can unlock it.

Thanks for the translations.
I was looking at the Willcom/Sharp W-Zero3. (PDA Phone).
You say it'll be operator locked, the network im using at the moment through my Orange phone/Sim Card, is NTT DoCoMo, so would an Orange SimCard not work in it?

You're welcome, hope you're having fun out there, Tokyo isn't the only place though Kyoto should be a really nice place to go to

I was thinking of going Kyoto next week. Not sure though.
Probably Nikko and prehaps Mt.Fuji though.

Wyvern971 · 5 Oct 2006 at 11:29

BoomAM said:
I was looking at the Willcom/Sharp W-Zero3. (PDA Phone).
You say it'll be operator locked, the network im using at the moment through my Orange phone/Sim Card, is NTT DoCoMo, so would an Orange SimCard not work in it?

I very much doubt it would, and I'm not sure where you could get it unlocked (I say this as I have several roaming handsets sent over from Japan and they are all locked to NTT DoCoMo SIMs (not going to even try go get the unlocked as that aren't mine)

BoomAM said:
I was thinking of going Kyoto next week. Not sure though.
Probably Nikko and prehaps Mt.Fuji though.

Mount Fuji is cold up top so take a Jacket. Also if you get light headed easily, you can buy bottled oxygen (as the air does get thinner) i did without, but something to be aware of.

Most people go up in 1 day and down the next, I did it in 1 day and really do NOT reccomend it. Also there are 10 stages, most people go by car / bus to stage 4 (I think) and then climb the rest of the way, there are shacks to stop off in at each stage along the way. (where you can stay the night, which is what i advise you to do at the top)

And finally if you are planning on taking your camera (on a clear day you can get ome fantastic shots from up there) get a weather proof case (or purchase a sealed disposable) as it gets very damp

BoomAM · 5 Oct 2006 at 11:41

Wyvern971 said:
I very much doubt it would, and I'm not sure where you could get it unlocked (I say this as I have several roaming handsets sent over from Japan and they are all locked to NTT DoCoMo SIMs (not going to even try go get the unlocked as that aren't mine)

Thats a shame.
I really wanted to get myself a PDA, and that Willcom/Sharp one seemed ideal.

.

Mount Fuji is cold up top so take a Jacket. Also if you get light headed easily, you can buy bottled oxygen (as the air does get thinner) i did without, but something to be aware of.

Most people go up in 1 day and down the next, I did it in 1 day and really do NOT reccomend it. Also there are 10 stages, most people go by car / bus to stage 4 (I think) and then climb the rest of the way, there are shacks to stop off in at each stage along the way. (where you can stay the night, which is what i advise you to do at the top)

And finally if you are planning on taking your camera (on a clear day you can get ome fantastic shots from up there) get a weather proof case (or purchase a sealed disposable) as it gets very damp

lol.
I dont mean literally climbing Mt.Fuji! lol.
I mean goto the base of it.
Although looking at a few guides, I think i could settle with Nikko and/or Hakone.
I'll probably research the two and see which i'd prefer.

shimy182 · 5 Oct 2006 at 11:48

doh beaten,

anyway i will my fav places of tokyo,

ikebukuro is my fav, the toyota showroom is real fun! i think its called amlux. its more of an amusement park, they also have the sunshine 60 buiding. its got 60 floors and the elevator to the top costs but its amazing. all the UV light effects it makes you feel high.

next is the kourakuen or ko-rakuen. its a kind of a these park with a few rides.

thunder dolphin is really good, but i was really impressed with the big wheel without the middle structure. will try to get some photos..

edit

http://www.rcdb.com/ig1845.htm more here

BoomAM · 5 Oct 2006 at 11:52

shimy182 said:
doh beaten,

anyway i will my fav places of tokyo,

ikebukuro is my fav, the toyota showroom is real fun! i think its called amlux. its more of an amusement park, they also have the sunshine 60 buiding. its got 60 floors and the elevator to the top costs but its amazing. all the UV light effects it makes you feel high.

next is the kourakuen or ko-rakuen. its a kind of a these park with a few rides.

thunder dolphin is really good, but i was really impressed with the big wheel without the middle structure. will try to get some photos..

Ive been Ikebukuro, & Sunshine City. The lift is well cool.

Im planning on visiting Sunshine City again before i leave, and go to the top again, but at night.

shimy182 · 5 Oct 2006 at 11:54

BoomAM said:
Ive been Ikebukuro, & Sunshine City. The lift is well cool.
Im planning on visiting Sunshine City again before i leave, and go to the top again, but at night.

im glad you liked it

my dad used to have exhibitions around chrismass every year. he stopped doing them about 4 years ago.

also you might want to check the nynja town out, plus the aquarium. its all withing the same building, impressive eh?

BoomAM · 5 Oct 2006 at 12:14

V.Cool.
The phone/PDA i was looking at, i did some searching, and:

It is in Japanese OS, but can be switched to english menus if desired via registry edits found on the internet. You can install English software if desired and it runs with no problem. It looks and works like new. The VGA screen is unbelievable. This type of screen quality is well known to Sharp PDA's.

Note-this PDA/phone uses W-SIMS only used in Japan. If you want to use in another country as a phone you will be out of luck. However, the PDA functions are unbelieveable and function without a SIM. Again, you will not be able to use it as a telephone in the US or other countries - except Japan.

So i can put it in English, and still use it as a PDA. Very cool. As it is a bit cumbersome for usage as a phone anyway.

Chaos · 5 Oct 2006 at 13:51

BoomAM said:
-Are any of the Japanese DS games gonna have an English option on them?
.

The new jap Phoenix Wright 2 ds game comes with english to I think not sure when its released in Japan.

Ev0 · 6 Oct 2006 at 11:39

mt fuji was cool, climbed up overnight, then back down when the sun came up.

We went grossly underprepared and dressed totally wrong, plus it was v windy with no visibility. It was awesome though.

Bus up to the fifth station then walk the rest.

BoomAM · 8 Oct 2006 at 13:28

Wyvern971 said:
keiyaku nashide kaemasuka?

Although if this in reference to mobile handsets (as I suspect it is) then you should be able to purchase them but they will be locked to the operator (I work at the UK office of NTT DoCoMo) and I doubt you can unlock it.

Are you sure that translates correctly?
I wrote it down on a bit of paper, and when i showed it to a shop assistant in a BIC Camera, he spent 5mins staring at it, and then proceeded to waffle on about PCMCIA Cards!?

The rest work fine though.

Thanks.

Wyvern971 · 8 Oct 2006 at 17:03

BoomAM said:
Are you sure that translates correctly?
I wrote it down on a bit of paper, and when i showed it to a shop assistant in a BIC Camera, he spent 5mins staring at it, and then proceeded to waffle on about PCMCIA Cards!?

The rest work fine though. Thanks.

Should be kei-yaku is contract
nashi means without
kaemasuka means can be purchased

shimy182 · 8 Oct 2006 at 18:23

kEi yaku contract
kAi yaku stop contract

BoomAM · 11 Oct 2006 at 01:14

Is there a way to tell if a a phone from over here can be used with sim cards over here/unlocked?

Ive seen a phone that i think is amazing. A Casio W42CA.

Christo · 11 Oct 2006 at 01:24

Sorry no its CDMA so cant be used here - http://www.slashphone.com/111/4374.html

Just a guide, if a phone is GSM, then those phones fit a sim card.

You could sell it to the US tho, maybe on ebay.com?

BoomAM · 11 Oct 2006 at 08:30

Chrisp7 said:
Sorry no its CDMA so cant be used here - http://www.slashphone.com/111/4374.html

Just a guide, if a phone is GSM, then those phones fit a sim card.

You could sell it to the US tho, maybe on ebay.com?

Shame. I was just getting ready to sell my K800i to get that phone as well.

Is there a way for me to find out what phones are GSM compatible without me having to trawl the web for each ones specs?

Wyvern971 · 12 Oct 2006 at 11:55

O/T, but Boom AM, you're a canon man aren't you?

Only asking as when looking at a Japanese price comparrison site the 70-200 F2.8L IS cost the equivalent of £877 as opposed to the £1300+ it does over here so you might want to look at lenses while you are there (I will be some time next year

)