Electrical outlets in Hong Kong, China and Japan (cost, hotel, hotels)

[Roadking2003]

Do the 4 and 5 star big city hotels have US style outlets or should we plan to take converters?

[Greysholic]

I'm pretty sure that Japan has the same plugs as the States so you wouldn't need converters there at all.

[rational1]

> Do the 4 and 5 star big city hotels have US style outlets or should we plan to take converters?

In China a better hotel may have one US outlet (often in the bathroom). A converter is highly advisable.

You will NOT be able to use hair dryers, etc. although virtually all electronics is OK with the different voltage and frequency.

[Chava61]

Originally Posted by rational1

> Do the 4 and 5 star big city hotels have US style outlets or should we plan to take converters?

In China a better hotel may have one US outlet (often in the bathroom). A converter is highly advisable.

You will NOT be able to use hair dryers, etc. although virtually all electronics is OK with the different voltage and frequency.

In China even in 3 star hotels one can find an American outlet in the bathroom.

[lieqiang]

Just bring a travel converter, they aren't expensive and they are small.

[prospectheightsresident]

Originally Posted by lieqiang

Just bring a travel converter, they aren't expensive and they are small.

I've found that you'll save a lot of money if you buy the converters stateside. Converters that I pay a few dollars for (at most) in NYC cost $15-$25 overseas I've found.

[mikeyyc]

Take an adapter. Anything that uses a wall wart, like your phone, doesn't need to have a converter, just the different prongs, as the wart is a converter in and of itself.

[Ottawa2011]

To heck with all that... save your brain all this pain, and invest in a universal adapter. They exist, and once you have it, you can take it anywhere.

[mikeyyc]

Originally Posted by Ottawa2011

To heck with all that... save your brain all this pain, and invest in a universal adapter. They exist, and once you have it, you can take it anywhere.

Truer words have never been spoken.

[Ottawa2011]

I've never really looked into the reasons behind the requirement for different electrical outlet configurations by country. But.... Is there a global conspiracy to force this on the world? What is going on? I'm looking at the image posted by Mikeyyc and it's hilarious.

Switzerland and Brazil are on the same electrical outlet system? What the what??