What kind of power plugs do they use in Japan? I'm trying to buy a travel adapter and trying to determine what kind I need. Is it the same type as the US?
Most outlets do not have a third (ground) hole, and most are 100v RMS rather than 120v, which can make a difference in some cases, but not most. A few systems are 50 Hz instead of 60, but I think they are rare.
The voltage is 100V in Japan, and the frequency differs depending on the area.
Japan can be devided into two, East and West. (Border is Itoigawa in Niigata and Fujigawa in Shizuoka.) In the East it is 50Hz, and 60Hz in the West.
This difference affects certain electric appliances (washing machine, microwave oven, fluorescent lamp for example) but you won't carrying around them when you are travelling, so I believe you should not worry about it.
But I always carry my washing machine around with me when I travel, how else can I wash my clothes! This is just so unreasonable, I'm going to sulk now.
But I always carry my washing machine around with me when I travel, how else can I wash my clothes! This is just so unreasonable, I'm going to sulk now.
Oh, sorry I did not know that... how about buying one while you are in Japan?
I recommend this one that will dry your clothes as well as wash them - must be very handy for a traveller! (Ryokans do not have enough space to hang out washings.)
Then you won't have to worry about washing during your trip, plus it'll make a nice souvenir when going back to UK!
an additional note. If you run appliances on 50Hz that normally run on 60Hz, they will tend to run a bit slower. Things like clocks, hair clippers, hair dryer, etc .... Charging times for things like cell phones, laptops will take a little longer as well, but many of the higher tech items like laptops are auto switching, so this is no longer a problem.
No damage should occur, but you may notice your alarm clock losing a few minutes during the day!
Oh, sorry I did not know that... how about buying one while you are in Japan?
I recommend this one that will dry your clothes as well as wash them - must be very handy for a traveller! (Ryokans do not have enough space to hang out washings.)
Then you won't have to worry about washing during your trip, plus it'll make a nice souvenir when going back to UK!
Okay question. Do Japanese washing machines have instructions that are very badly translated from English? I know a lot of English appliances have instructions that are poorly translated from Japanese, so just wondered if the converse was true.
One other note, Japan doesn't have a ground plug* (you often see this on say, computer or laptop power supplies, video game power supplies, etc etc), so if you have any appliances that require one, you need to get a three prong -> two prong adapter.
Okay question. Do Japanese washing machines have instructions that are very badly translated from English? I know a lot of English appliances have instructions that are poorly translated from Japanese, so just wondered if the converse was true.
Japanese washing machines have instructions that are written in Japanese... So, you might want to have someone show you how they work... I just let my girlfriend do the wash, as I didnt want to accidentally destroy my clothes---- and it was a good way of getting out of doing the laundry. ☝