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Conor_Ire
Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Posts: 34
Location: Tokyo
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 Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 12:24 pm Post subject: Bringing a laptop to JP. Or buy one there? |
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| Is there any hassle with bringing my own (i haven't bought one yet) laptop from europe to Japan. I can get a very decent one for 450EUR, but is there any complications with adaptors or internt settings that i should know about? Or is it better to buy one there? |
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wayne432
Joined: 05 Jun 2008
Posts: 255
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| Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:13 pm Post subject: |
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Bring it.
No complications at all. |
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markle
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 1316
Location: Out of Japan
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| Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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| There are pros and cons both ways. I bought mine here and done regret it but then I bought a Mac so there are issues that you may have getting a PC. First and foremost for the best deals you will most likely have to buy your English OS seperately rather than have it as part of the package. Warranties may also be invalid outside Japan. On balance, although it might feel like you're bringing ice to the Eskimos, it might be a good idea getting one at home, clear the power issues with the guys at the shop, though. |
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fhsieh
Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Posts: 29
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| Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:56 pm Post subject: |
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Most power adapters from brand-name laptops will work fine, so you should have no issues other than finding the correct plug adapter.
Internet connections are mostly ADSL (with increasing FTTH/fiber optic options). Most ISPs provide rental modems with your service subscription. From the modem it's just a standard ethernet connection (RJ45), or wifi if you add a wireless router.
In places like LeoPalace that use shared internet, the modem may be stored in the service closet, so you may simply have an ethernet receptacle sticking out of the wall somewhere in your apartment and not have to worry about the modem or router.
But for those who sweat the technical stuff, I stayed in a LeoPalace-type apartment with shared internet when I studied abroad in Kyoto. The router (which I could not access) was configured to block traffic on all ports except port 80 (HTTP), meaning nearly all programs simply would not connect (including many IM clients). This is not to say that all places do this, but if this is going to be a big problem you may end up getting your own ADSL line. You'll have to cross this bridge regardless of if you bring a laptop from home or buy one in Japan. |
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wayne432
Joined: 05 Jun 2008
Posts: 255
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| Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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| fhsieh wrote: |
| The router (which I could not access) was configured to block traffic on all ports except port 80 (HTTP), meaning nearly all programs simply would not connect (including many IM clients). This is not to say that all places do this, but if this is going to be a big problem you may end up getting your own ADSL line. You'll have to cross this bridge regardless of if you bring a laptop from home or buy one in Japan. |
Just set programs to run through port 80 |
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fhsieh
Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Posts: 29
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| Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 5:56 am Post subject: |
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| wayne432 wrote: |
| Just set programs to run through port 80 |
Some programs have that option, but they don't always work. The router in particular that I had to deal with not only filtered the ports but also read the packet headers. If a packet did not have the proper HTTP-request/response headers identifying it as web traffic, the packet was rejected. Even FTP would not work because the packet headers are different. I was able to create a workaround by using HTTP tunnelling (remasking all nonstandard packets as HTTP "webpage requests"), but it was excruciatingly slow.
Of course I believe it's quite unlikely that very many people will ever encounter this. But it just goes to show that you can't really know for sure what you're getting with shared internet options. Then again, it gave me more reason to get out and explore Kansai instead of sitting at home catching up on the TV shows I missed back home, so maybe it was a good thing.  |
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mintxleaf
Joined: 11 May 2009
Posts: 47
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| Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 9:18 am Post subject: |
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| Just a note, I think the keyboards on japanese computers are slightly different from what we are used to. ex- the @ sign was not on the number 2 key, but was on the right side near the delete and enter keys... there were probably other differences as well, I just can't remember what exactly. It took me a minute to figure out why I had so many misspells when typing on that computer! lol |
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