Is it true that camera in Japan is better than thr US?

So i plan to get a DSLR camera before visit Japan for vacation. My friend told me if i wanna buy a camera, i should buy it in Japan. She said, even the same brand, say, a Nikon D810, the ones that sold in Japan are "first class". For the rest in the world are just "second class". Is it true?

I don't think so! There can't be a second class if they want to become number 1 worldwide, that ofcourse the reason why they sell outside Japan! I bilieve they are trying to sell their best product everywhere! Better customer service in japan? Yes! Better repairing skills? Yes! Better product? No!

That is totally funny.

They are all made in the same factory and Nikon could never afford to sell ANY second class cameras or lenses to ANYONE.

I doubt it. Maybe it's coming from the Grey market prespective. Meaning cameras that you buy from other countries instead of your home country. I know Nikon does not honour warranty on grey market gear. This could be because of pricing, and they want to discourage people getting cheaper cameras from a different country and protect their share in that domestic market.

All in all, their cameras are lenses are usually made in thailand or some south east asian country. Nothing bad about that, it's just cheaper for them to make it there instead of japan.

No that s not true - the concept is ridiculous!

Furthermore, if you buy a camera in Japan, and you have any problems with the camera once you are back in the US, then you would have to ship it to Japan (at your cost) for repairs. US service centres won't touch it.

That sounds like a total load of carp to me.
Japan accounts for a small percentage of the world market. It would make far better sense to sell your grade 2 at home where you can count on national loyalty and sell your grade 1 overseas where you have barriers to break down.
But that is academic because they don't do it!

None of the menus & instructions will be in english if you do this.

I read a thesis a few years ago about how Japan releases 'beta' products to it's own population to learn what the defects are, then fixes the issues before shipping to outside markets. They probably 'spin' this practice by calling it 'first class' while we would call it 'beta' or 'experimental' release.

One example was a recently released sony device that would run about $180 in Japan, but the exact same model was selling for $70 in a NYC newspaper.

So the local products are not only 'beta' but extra expensive in terms of electronics.

I've found in the past that there are camera models available in Japan that are not sold in the US, some of which might be considered better than comparable models here but for cameras of the same make and model, they are the same here and in Japan. If you buy a non-US model you'll have warranty issues, unless you want to ship it back to Japan. You may also have to pay customs duty when you bring it back into the States.

Sounds like your friend is stupid and unknowledgeable. In addition, if you buy a camera in Japan the warranty will be no good in the US.

Your friend seems to be --- to put it nicely --- misinformed.

All samples of the same model should be the same, period.

I think most all cameras are now made in Thailand / China. Except maybe for the high end models you won't need.Always best to buy in your own country. You'll get a warranty that way and a owners manual you can read.