A Geek’s Guide to Kyoto (5)
Things You may want to Buy (Historical)
• Pocot Pocket Cable: This was a retractable Ethernet cable with a twist: slide the white sleeve back and the plug becomes an RJ-11 connector instead of a RJ-45 connector. In other words, this cable could be used for both phone and Ethernet applications. [No longer available, nor particularly useful.] But Elecom makes a really nice Ethernet-only retractable cable, slightly smaller, and available in several bright colors.
• Sascom: This is the original (and sadly no longer available) universal “purple” plug adapter that allows any US or Japanese plug to connect to European, Australian, or British sockets. The Sascom now has a competitor in a product called Road Warrior RWG101 which is actually available on Amazon.
You’ll also find a very large array of USB hubs, flat Ethernet cables, small portable Ethernet hubs, and cases and sleeves in all shapes and sizes. The Japanese love items which are small and portable, so if you travel Japan is a great place to shop. There are several so-called “Tax-free” shops that allegedly sell “international” models, but in reality there is very little to choose from, at least in the computer department. I should mention that the Japanese FM radio band starts down at 76 Mhz and ends at 90 Mhz in contrast to the 87.5 - 108 Mhz range in the rest of the world, just in case you are considering a radio purchase. Watch out for “domestic only” models. Note that this page was written in 2007 and may not reflect current availability of products.
This is only a small sample of what awaits you in Japan. Feel free to contact me (olejacobsen@me.com) with questions.
Sascom
RWG101
Elecom
Pocot
