Forgot or broke your phone charger in Japan? Where to get one today

Japan's convenience-store chains sell mobile accessories, so a konbini is usually the quickest place to try. In November 2022 FamilyMart relaunched its range of USB cables, charger plugs and earphones at about 16,500 stores across Japan, with colour-coded packaging: navy for iPhone cables, orange for Android cables and yellow for multi-cables and charger plugs. That colour code makes it easier to find the right box even if you can't read the Japanese on it.

7-Eleven Japan announced in July 2026 that a range of 14 charging products from a mobile-accessory brand (USB fast chargers, car chargers, cables and two power banks) would go on sale at its stores nationwide from 11 July, rolling out store by store. These are chain-wide announcements, not a promise for any single shop, so if the first konbini doesn't have your cable, try the next one.

Before you buy, check two things: the connector on your phone (see the USB-C and Lightning section below) and that you have both halves, a cable and a wall plug, unless you plan to charge from a laptop or a socket with a USB port.

For more choice, head to an electronics store. Japan's national tourism organisation (JNTO) says conversion plugs and transformers are easy to find in urban areas: in electronics districts such as Tokyo's Akihabara and Osaka's Nipponbashi, and at large appliance retailers such as Yodobashi Camera and Bic Camera. As an example of opening hours, Yodobashi Camera Multimedia Akiba, a minute's walk from JR Akihabara Station, lists 9:30–22:00 every day; check the store page for the branch near you.

To keep going in the meantime, JNTO notes that newer Shinkansen models have sockets next to the window seats (ask for one when you buy your ticket) and that some hamburger chains and family restaurants offer sockets.

Another stopgap is a shared power bank. CHARGESPOT rents batteries through its app: you find a stand on the app's map, take a battery and return it to any stand shown on the map. Its standard 5,000 mAh battery has three built-in cables that it says fit almost all smartphones, and a newer 8,000 mAh model with built-in USB-C and Lightning cables began rolling out in June 2026. You don't need a cable of your own.

Maybe you didn't lose the charger at all: it just doesn't fit. According to JNTO, Japan uses 100 volts AC everywhere, at 50 Hz in eastern Japan and 60 Hz in western Japan (including Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka). The Embassy of Japan's visitor information adds that two-pin flat plugs are generally used. Apple's travel adapter guide describes the plug for Japan and North America as flat, parallel blades.

So the question is the plug shape, not the charger. Apple says its USB power adapters are designed for power sources of 100–240 V AC at 50–60 Hz, and JNTO says dual-voltage appliances should work anywhere in Japan, while others need a step-down transformer. Look at the small print on your charger: if the input reads 100–240 V, a simple plug adapter for Japan's flat two-pin sockets is all you need. Electronics stores sell these, or you can order one online.

Apple says iPhone 15 and later models have a USB-C connector, and you can charge them with a USB-C cable and a power adapter that complies with the USB-C standard. Earlier iPhone models use Lightning, and Apple's fast-charging guide pairs those earlier models with a USB-C to Lightning cable. For fast charging, Apple lists an 18 W or higher USB-C power adapter, or a comparable third-party adapter that supports USB Power Delivery (USB-PD).

For other phones, check the port or the specification sheet before you buy. If you travel with several devices, a charger with two or more ports means one plug in the wall, which helps in rooms with few sockets (see the ryokan section below). Whatever you buy, Apple advises using cables and adapters that comply with applicable regulations and safety standards.

Amazon.co.jp offers several speeds. Same-day delivery is available in certain regions, depending on stock and cut-off times; in some areas there is a 3-hour delivery option for orders placed until 10 pm. Next-day delivery generally arrives between about 7:00 and 22:30, and standard shipping takes about 1–4 days after dispatch. Some places, such as remote islands, are not covered by expedited shipping, and the estimated delivery date is shown at checkout before you pay.

If you'd rather not depend on reception, use Amazon Pickup. You can choose Lawson, FamilyMart or MiniStop, Yamato Transport centres, Amazon Lockers and Amazon Counters, for items shipped by Amazon.co.jp (some items are excluded by type, size or weight). At checkout, click 'See nearby pickup location' and pick a store from the search results; don't type a store's address in by hand, or the order can't be delivered there. When the parcel arrives you receive a pickup code by email, or a barcode for Lawson and FamilyMart. You must collect within 4 days of delivery at Lawson, FamilyMart and MiniStop counters, 3 days at an Amazon Locker or FamiLocker, and 7 days at an Amazon Counter; after that the parcel goes back and the order is cancelled and refunded.

Rakuten Ichiba also offers konbini pickup at Lawson, FamilyMart and MiniStop, but which ones you can use depends on the shop you buy from. Choose 'コンビニ受取' (konbini pickup) under delivery method at checkout. The pickup window is 2–3 days from arrival depending on store and carrier, and the option is not available for parcels over 100 cm or 10 kg, hazardous goods, orders with a date or time slot, or cash on delivery.

If you have it delivered to your hotel or ryokan, ask first whether the front desk will accept parcels for guests. Amazon's same-day page says that if no one is available to receive the package, the order is cancelled and refunded, with no redelivery.

If you're already at your inn, start at the front desk: ask whether they have a charger you can borrow, whether there is a shop nearby, and whether they will take in a parcel for you. Mountain and valley inns can be a long way from the nearest konbini, so if you're heading somewhere remote, sort out a charger before you leave the city and order online a few days ahead.

Some ryokan also have few sockets. At Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, at the head of a mountain valley in Yamanashi, power outlets are few. Guests report the same at Yagyu no Sho in Shuzenji and at Ryotei Hanzuiryo in Unzen, and in the standard rooms at Misasakan in Tottori (though rooms refreshed in July 2026 have beds with built-in USB sockets). A multi-port charger or a short power strip helps here.

Lamp no Yado Aoni Onsen in Aomori is the extreme case. The inn says it has power only for emergency lights, part of the kitchen and the toilet seats, its rooms are lamp-lit, and there's no mobile signal. One 2026 guest in one of the other buildings did find an outlet, but plan to arrive with a fully charged phone and a charged power bank.

If you buy a power bank in Japan, check for the PSE mark. Kanagawa Prefecture's consumer advice notes that mobile batteries come under Japan's Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Act and, including second-hand ones, can't be sold without the PSE mark.

Then the flight rules. Japan's transport ministry (MLIT) applied new rules from 24 April 2026, following an emergency ICAO revision. Power banks must never go in checked baggage. You may carry at most two in the cabin, each 160 Wh or less. You must not charge a power bank on board, or charge other devices from it on board, and you're asked to keep it out of the overhead bin, at hand, for example in the seat pocket. Protect the terminals against short circuits (tape, a case or a separate pouch). To work out Wh, multiply the mAh rating by the voltage and divide by 1,000; MLIT's example is 27,000 mAh at 3.7 V = 99.9 Wh. Airlines may set stricter rules, so check yours; JAL notes that an IATA change may lower the limit to 100 Wh from January 2027.

To avoid a repeat, pack a spare cable in your day bag, use a charger with more than one port, and keep a small pouch for cables so they don't get left in a socket at the inn on checkout morning.