You mentioned you like compact cameras. That is great. Compact cameras are small, easy to use, not as conspicuous for theives, etc. The question is: How important is your trip to Japan? Do you want to have images that you can enlarge to make big prints? Are you going to be inside structures where you aren't allowed to use flash and you need high ISOs? Do you need a large zoom range?

You need to ask yourself these and other very important questions. Having just returned from a trip to Europe, I feel that I may be able to give you some decent advice.

I had the choice of bringing my compact Canon digicam, or my new EOS 20D. I waffled for a while because I didn't want my new EOS to get stolen, I didn't want to look like a "tourist" etc... But in the end, I decided to bring it anyway (actually, I brought both). I can't tell you how much better the images turned out with the big camera over the compact. High ISO performance alone made it worth lugging around the extra weight.

Now, I'm not saying you should go out and buy a new SLR for your trip, but I definitely would say to buy the best camera you can afford for a potentially once in a lifetime trip. The N1 is a good camera. But given it's limited zoom capability, very small sensor and questionable performance at high ISO equivalents, it may not be the best camera to take on vacation. At the very least, I would get one with a larger zoom range, such as the Canon S3 IS with it's 12x optical zoom or more expensively, the Sony R1. It has a larger APS size sensor and will give you better image quality than a compact. Particularly if there will be a need to enlarge the image in Photoshop to achieve the desired print size. Don't get too concerned about megapixel numbers. There are too many other factors involved that determine end image quality. Anything above 6MP should suit your needs.

These are just my recommendations. You must decide how big you may want to print your trip pictures, and how much digital noise you are willing to accept. Ken's advice to read the reviews posted here is excellent. There are many and you can wade through them to find what you need.

Good luck with your purchase.

Greg