Japan plugs and voltage: what UK and European visitors need to pack

Label says INPUT 100–240V ~ 50/60Hz (phone, laptop, tablet, camera and e-reader chargers, most electric toothbrush and shaver chargers): plug adapter only, UK or EU to Type A.

A switch marked 110/120 and 220/240, or "dual voltage" (travel hair dryers, straighteners and irons): set the switch to 110/120 before plugging in, then use an adapter.

220–240V only, with no 100 or 110 in the range (most full-size UK and European hair dryers, straighteners, curling tongs and kettles): leave at home and use the hotel's dryer or buy a dual-voltage travel model.

220–240V only and low wattage, under about 50 W (some older beard trimmers and UK-only chargers): a small step-up converter works, but a replacement 100–240V charger is usually simpler. 50Hz-only items such as mains-powered clocks: expect wrong timekeeping or poor running in western Japan, so leave them at home.

Our judgement: for a two-week trip, a UK or European visitor needs one or two plug adapters and nothing else, provided they swap a single-voltage hair tool for the hotel's dryer.

Sources for this section: JNTO: plug and electricity

Inputs: Japan's legal household supply is 101 V, kept within 6 V either side, so 95–107 V (METI ordinance). A standard two-socket wall outlet takes 1,500 W in total (NITE, Japan's product safety agency). The bag holds a 65 W USB-C laptop charger labelled 100–240V, a phone charger labelled 100–240V and a 2,000 W UK hair dryer labelled 220–240V.

Laptop and phone: both labels include 100 V, so both work as they are, with one Type A adapter or one adapter feeding a multi-port USB charger.

Hair dryer with only an adapter: a heating element's output falls with the square of the voltage, so at 100–107 V instead of 230 V a 2,000 W dryer gives about a fifth of its rated heat, roughly 400 W: a lukewarm breeze. Through a converter, you would need one rated above 2,000 W, which is more than the 1,500 W a Japanese wall outlet is rated for.

Result: pack two adapters, one of them in your hand luggage so you can charge your phone on the first night, and leave the dryer at home.

Sources for this section: Ordinance for Enforcement of the Electricity Business Act, Article 38, via e-Gov (Japanese) · NITE: PS Magazine Vol. 466 on outlet and power-strip capacity (10 December 2024, PDF, Japanese)

Japan's standard plug has two flat, parallel pins; the Embassy of Japan's visitor guide describes it simply as "2-pin plugs (flat)". This is Type A, the same shape as a North American plug. Some sockets add a round hole below for an earth pin (Type B), and a two-pin plug fits both.

UK three-pin (Type G) and European round-pin (Type C, E and F) plugs don't fit either, so you need an adapter that takes your home plug and ends in two flat pins. Some older Japanese sockets may not take a wider polarised pin, so an adapter with two equal-width pins fits everywhere. In a two-pin socket your plug's earth isn't connected: adapters change the shape of the plug, not the voltage or the wiring.

If you forget, JNTO says conversion plugs and transformers are sold in electronics districts such as Akihabara in Tokyo and at large electronics chains such as Yodobashi Camera and Bic Camera.

Sources for this section: Embassy of Japan in Singapore: Japan info, electricity · JNTO: plug and electricity

JNTO says the voltage used throughout Japan is uniformly 100 volts, A.C. The legal target is 101 V, which power companies must keep within 6 V either side (Ordinance for Enforcement of the Electricity Business Act, Article 38): under half the 230 V you're used to.

Chargers labelled 100–240V switch automatically. Single-voltage 230 V devices with a heating element get much weaker, and those with a motor or electronics may not start or may behave unpredictably, so don't test them on hotel wiring.

Look for the line that starts INPUT, often in tiny grey text. "INPUT: 100-240V ~ 50/60Hz 1.5A" works in Japan with an adapter. "INPUT: AC 220-240V 50Hz" doesn't belong in your Japan bag. "INPUT: 110-120V / 220-240V" with a switch works once you set it to 110–120. The OUTPUT line, such as 5V 3A, is the same in every country and doesn't matter here.

Sources for this section: JNTO: plug and electricity · Ordinance for Enforcement of the Electricity Business Act, Article 38, via e-Gov (Japanese)

TEPCO, Tokyo's power company, says electricity is supplied at 50Hz in the eastern part of Japan and at 60Hz in the west, and JNTO places Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka in the 60 Hz area. METI's teaching materials say the two grids meet at frequency converter stations in Shizuoka and Nagano prefectures.

East, 50 Hz: Tokyo, Yokohama, Hakone, Nikko, Kawaguchiko, Sendai and Hokkaido. West, 60 Hz: Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Okinawa. The UK and continental Europe run at 50 Hz, and chargers marked 50/60Hz don't care which side of the line you're on.

Sources for this section: TEPCO: transformation and distribution · JNTO: plug and electricity · METI: energy education material on the 50 Hz and 60 Hz grids (PDF, Japanese)

Our judgement: most hotel rooms in Japan, from business hotels up, have a hair dryer, and many ryokan have one at the washbasin area. If yours matters, check the room's amenity list when you book.

Dual-voltage travel dryers and straighteners are the only hair tools worth packing; JNTO says dual-voltage hair dryers, travel irons and shavers should work wherever you are in Japan. Set the switch before plugging in: on the 220–240 setting at 100 V you get the same weak result as a single-voltage tool.

The Embassy of Japan's guide says major hotels install outlets for both 110 and 220 volts for shavers and hair dryers, so read the label next to the socket, and if it says shavers only, don't plug a dryer in. A dryer sold for use in Japan is usually built for 100 V only, so look for one labelled for overseas use with a 100–240V range if you buy one.

Sources for this section: JNTO: plug and electricity · Embassy of Japan in Singapore: Japan info, electricity

Hotel rooms often have few spare outlets, so one adapter feeding a multi-port USB charger beats three adapters. If you carry a power bank on any flight to, from or within Japan, the airline rules are stricter than the socket rules, so check them before you pack it. Pocket Wi-Fi routers also need a daily charge.

1. Find the INPUT line on every charger and appliance you plan to pack.

2. 100–240V: pack it with one UK or EU to Type A adapter; one with two equal-width flat pins fits every socket.

3. A 110/120 and 220/240 switch: set it to 110/120 before you plug in, then use the adapter.

4. 220–240V only (most full-size hair dryers, straighteners and kettles): leave it at home and use the hotel's dryer.

5. Pack one adapter feeding a multi-port USB charger rather than several adapters; a standard two-socket wall outlet takes 1,500 W in total.

Sources for this section: JNTO: plug and electricity

Household voltage: 100 V AC throughout Japan (JNTO); legal range 101 V ± 6 V, so 95–107 V (Article 38).

Frequency: 50 Hz in the east, including Tokyo; 60 Hz in the west, including Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka.

Plug: flat two-pin Type A; some sockets also take a round earth pin (Type B).

Standard two-socket wall outlet: 1,500 W total across both sockets (NITE).

Sources for this section: JNTO: plug and electricity · Ordinance for Enforcement of the Electricity Business Act, Article 38, via e-Gov (Japanese) · TEPCO: transformation and distribution · Embassy of Japan in Singapore: Japan info, electricity · NITE: PS Magazine Vol. 466 on outlet and power-strip capacity (10 December 2024, PDF, Japanese)

The rules in this guide come from the official pages below. Japan, Booked. does not book or submit requests on your behalf.

• JNTO: plug and electricity
• Ordinance for Enforcement of the Electricity Business Act, Article 38, via e-Gov (Japanese)
• METI: energy education material on the 50 Hz and 60 Hz grids (PDF, Japanese)
• TEPCO: transformation and distribution
• Embassy of Japan in Singapore: Japan info, electricity
• NITE: PS Magazine Vol. 466 on outlet and power-strip capacity (10 December 2024, PDF, Japanese)