[quote name='Drakken']Thanks, myke. What about the ~$20 fliptop that seems to be more popular lately? I'd need to get the $20 swap magic discs as well, right?
As for Extreme JP, I'm just gonna have to pay about $70 for it and get it from Play-Asia/Lik-sang?

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[quote name='evilmax17']Have you considdered stepmania?[/quote]
I've tried it; I'd much rather just get Extreme JP. Thanks, though.[/quote]
I used to lurk around the GameFaqs King of Colosseum boards (imageine typical GF types, with some sort of indie-rock like pretensions of knowing Japanese wrestler's movesets and finishers. Bowling shoe ugly, Good ol' JR might say), and those guys *swore* by the flip-tops. You do need the boot discs, though.
Hell, if you have an extra IDE cable, you can just plug your HDD in there; I have a laptop, and thus no such luxury. I still think this is your best bet because:
(1) You can preserve your discs; since you'll be paying a premium for importing, you'll want to take extra care of these (not to mention, at the moment, older DDR titles are worth *at least* MSRP, so they're a good investment if you aren't into buying IRAs).
(2) Supa' fast loading times. No explanation needed; PS2's greatest hindrance minimized!
(3) Keep your warranty. Even the flip-top involves taking the top off your PS2, which, IIRC, will void your warranty (there may be some 'tell-tale sticker' on the back that may keep you from removing it easily).
I'm afraid that you have few options other than importing from the typical places. You may try doing an eBay search for "DDR import," though I'm not sure what that would turn up.
myke.