Foreign plugs in Japan


Coming from abroad with a laptop (or another electric appliance) you may need an adaptor so that the plug you have fits into a Japanese electrical socket- to check, see below.

If your plug cannot be used in a Japanese socket and you do not have a travel adaptor, we offer for sale two types of adaptors -
- an A-A + C-A adaptor for European two-pin, Danish three-pin, and North American plugs that need an adaptor. Yen 300
- a multi-type adaptor for others (British three-pin, Australian two-pin and three-pin, etc). You can use this in any country you go to. Yen 1000
(Note that for laptops there should be no need for a voltage converter, as almost all laptops are multi-voltage and will operate on voltages ranging from 100 to 240 volts and also 50Hz to 60Hz - this may not be the case with other appliances you have).

Japan uses type A North American flat-blade two-pin plugs, unpolarized (the two blades are the same size and can be inserted either way round).




The sockets are almost always two-holed - most have holes of different sizes so they can take US plugs, the left-side hole being smaller, but some have holes of the same size. Occasionally 3-hole type B sockets are encountered - they take type A plugs without problem.



If you have a two-pin plug :
- North American (type A) -  if the blades are the same size, you have no problem ; if one blade is larger than the other (polarized plug), you are most unlikely to have a problem in a western-style hotel, otherwise it would be best to have an A-A adaptor just in case, as some Japanese sockets have holes of the same (smaller) size.
- European two-pin plug (types C/E/F) - you will need a C-A adaptor.
- Oceania (type I two-pin) - you will need an adaptor - for example a multi-type adaptor.

If you have a three-pin plug :
- North American (type B) - the vast majority of sockets in Japan are two-hole, so you will need an adaptor : an A-A adaptor will work (leaving the round earth pin uncovered).
- Danish (type K ), you will need an adaptor : a C-A adaptor will work (leaving the round earth pin uncovered).
- Three-pin plug (ex. North America/Denmark) -
India (type D)
United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Malta, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong (type G)
Israel (type H)
Australia, New Zealand (type I)
Switzerland (type J)
Italy (type L)
South Africa (type M)
- you will need an adaptor - for example a multi-type adaptor.

For further information about electricity around the world, see http://users.telenet.be/worldstandards/electricity.htm

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