BlinkyKoala

Thanks for so much info. I am in the states actually. The idea to use Yahoo Japan to hunt for deals is really nteresting. Can you give any further advice or links to threads or articles regarding this? I have successfully used Chrome's built in translator with success before so reading it is not a issue.

I should have specified that the portable battery powered ones are what I'm interested in.

I am a musician looking to inject some spice into my music life and thought maybe It could be fun to use some Minidisc for playing backing tracks but I don't know anything so here are some questions: 1: whats the oldest year/model that would be safe and reliable to use? 2: is there any older models that are unreliable, any specific brand/model to avoid or to watch out for? 3: where are some good places to look and price ranges I should be aware of? 4: is it possible to repair broken ones?