Hi luckycat – I would find a friend who spoke Japanese and take him with me down to the Akihabara district 🙂
Failing that, look for a Panasonic FZ200 ($490 in the states at Amazon).
It has a mic input, a 24x zoom for wides and close-ups, and good performance indoors and outdoors. Sadly, it has no headphone out.
Here is what it can do:
http://vimeo.com/57346685
Plus slow motion and special effects (please watch at 720p):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp_pmgCsmco
The mic input is 2.5mm, so you'll need a $5 Hosa GPM-467 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter to use it with standard microphones.
Hope this is helpful and good luck!
Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution
