Are Sony laptops purchased in Japan compatible with US voltage?

Are Sony laptops purchased in Japan compatible with US voltage?

If not, is it possible to buy one that works in America? Also, does anyone know how sales tax in Japan works? I tried googling it but there were so many varying answers :/

 

I'm also curious...

 

No, they aren't.

Like for any other product in Japan, you'd have to purchase an adaptor not only to get the AC plug to fit but also to convert the voltage.

 

Yes they are... the AC adapters (the boxes attached to your laptop cord) can take any input from 100v to 240v and output it to whatever your laptop needs (like 19.5 volts). They start at 100v because Japan's outlets are 100 while the US's are 120. This is why I could take my US-bought Toshiba to Japan and use it while my friend who bought a Sony in Japan could use it in the USA.

 

I see, I'll have to retract my statement than since you have first hand personal knowledge. I did a web search and was given the impression you can't.

 

It's funny, since when I went to Japan, I didn't need a single adapter. My camera is Sony, my laptop was Toshiba, my wireless router could take in 100 volts (like a lot of electronics), and my iPod could charge through my laptop. Most things that have AC adapters should work in both Japan and America as long as they can take in at least 100 volts and 50-60 Hz.

 

Cool, finally, first hand account knowledge!

How does sales tax work in Japan?

 

Yup, when I lived and worked in Japan, my company only bought US laptops (HP's and Dell's). Japanese keyboards can be a bit awkward. We never had to worry about converters. Most electronic products these days are sold with adapters that work from 100-240 volts and 50 or 60hz. Even the tiny little ipod adapters. The US is 120V 60Hz and Japan is 100V 50 or 60hz. Only thing you have to watch out for are the three prong and polarity plug US adapters, the ones where one prong is bigger than the other. All the Japan plugs I saw were two same size prong, sometimes with this wire type thing for grounding...

 

^ Yeah, that's another thing to mention - Japan's plugs are two-pronged, so you'll need to buy one of those three-to-two adapters if your devices have three prongs. I actually coincidentally bought two yesterday at Target for $1.50 for an old house here in the U.S.

 

Also it is probably worth mentioning that the company Dynamism runs a business selling hot Japanese laptops to people outside of Japan. Might be worth checking their website to see if they offer the machine you are thinking about buying in Japan.

http://www.dynamism.com

 

Sales tax is around 5% but if you travel there in person...as a tourist you can get tax redemption.

 

Oh nice, that is sweet!

Yea, I checked Dynamism.com before and they don't have the newest Z.