buy Nintendo 3DS

hi, does anyone know where can I buy an english version of nintendo 3DS (and games) in Japan? I'm a beginner in Japanese so I will have a hard time with a Japanese version.

thanks.

you may be able to get it in Japan.
but you can't easily find it.
I think you should buy 3DS on Amazon.com.

Maybe one of those duty-free places in Akihabara? I didn't look at gaming devices when I was there, but was able to buy a foreign model AM/FM radio there.

Chances are that all 3DS can have their language selected within a menu. Might take a couple of mins to work out how (given it'd come in Japanese!) but should be possible.
The bigger issue, although it might not matter depending on where you live and where you want to buy games from, is that the 3DS is region locked. I.e. a Japanese 3DS will ONLY play Japanese games. Games bought in America, or England or wherever would not work on such a machine. This obviously also means that an American 3DS won't play games from Japan.
Chances are you knew this, but I thought I'd let you know anyway :-)

how much is the nintendo 3Ds cost in Japan?
is there lot of gaming devices and second hand games available at Akihabara?

I have a Japanese Nintendo DS. I managed to change the language menu from Japanese to English and my Japanese isn't all that great. This is do-able!

However, as someone else mentioned, the games are region locked. You'll have to buy all of your games on amazon jp or playasia. Also, if you live in the UK, you'll have to have an electric converter. (They don't cost much, only like ��6-��10.) If you live in the US, you can just simply plug in with no problems, not much of a difference in voltage (120v versus 110v).

hi, thank you for your replies!

it's good to know that you can change the DS menu language, BUT! I'm worried about not being able to understand the games. For example, as far as I know, the Pokemon game language cannot be changed and it depends of course on the region. So I wouldn't be able to play this game in English because the English version would belong to a locked zone for me, right?

I will stay in Japan but it is for sure that it is going to take quite a while before I can understand and fully enjoy a game in Japanese language. What would be my best option? Get an US version and keep buying US version games in Japan? How convenient would that be? (e.g. availability, price..)

This would be my 1st DS so I appreciate your comments!

Just stick with a US version of the DS.

Even you can change the language menu on the DS, that has nothing to do with the game software. There will not be English versions that you can "switch to". A game is either in one language or the other.

And I personally would not recommend the 3DS. It's a gimmick at best. The 3D field of view is extremely limited so you have to hold the game at a certain angle. It's not a good experience in my opinion.