Laptop Computers in Japan

Thinking about buying a laptop before my trip to Japan - would be good to look up train schedules etc and of course communicate with home. Journal on, store photos etc. Wonder if wireless is common in Japan. Or would I be better off in internet cafe??What about prices - might even consider purchase there.
Thanks

Murchie,

Free wi-fi is not at all common in Japan, although many hotels offer free LAN connections in their rooms.

I wouldn't buy any electronics in Japan, if you plan to take it back to the states. Some items don't covert well and it's not always cheaper. We got a camera in Korea and had to pay more for it to be in English.

When you buy a laptop in Japan you will get a laptop with a Japanese Windows Vista (or XP), a Japanese power adapter and a Japanese keyboard. If you wanna have a English Windows Vista (or XP) or English keyboard, you have to pay a lot more, so I think it's cheaper to buy one in your own country

FREESPOT is worth considering.
http://www.freespot.com/users/map_e.html

I bought a Sony laptop over a year ago in the US, and it works on Japanese power just fine. I also got a Netgear travel router that also works on US, and Japanese power. I plug the travel router into the lan and I have my own WIFI. In fact I am in Japan now, in a small town writing this. They have WIFI here, the first I have found.