Purchasing a GPS for Japanese Relatives

[+Hey Cat]

My husband and I are going to Osaka to visit relatives. We'd like to introduce them to geocaching and are wondering if we can buy a GPS unit that is in Japanese instead of English. We'd like to buy it while still here in the states and take it with us.

 

Any suggestions?

[+budd-rdc]

The Japanese language version (which cost at least twice as much as the equivalent U.S. or Canadian version) GPSr's are not available outside Japan, as far as I know. I'm assuming the reason you want to buy one in the States is to save costs?

 

The only major handicap for an English GPSr is using maps that require Japanese. Many Geocachers in Japan use English GPSr's without problems. When they need to navigate, they rely on their cars' GPS Navigation ("Car Navi") which, in my opinion, are quite superb, even the ones available without additional charge at rental car agencies.

 

I'm thinking too far ahead here, but it IS important to have a PDA that supports Japanese for paperless caching.

[eriksenfamily]

Most japanese cell phone have the capability to act as a GPSr. That option just needs to be activated. For my phone it is only 300yen/month for the service. The cell phone GPSr is only in Japanese (which I don't read so I've never used it).