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Vancouver

on March 6th, 2026 (JST) current information

Immigration and Visa

Visa

Not required for tourist visits of 6 months or less. You must obtain an eTA through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization.

Passport

Your passport must be valid until at least one day following the scheduled date of departure from Canada.

Note for travel to Canada

eTA

From March, 2016, you are required to have an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) when traveling to Canada by plane. It costs $7 and is valid for up to five years. If your passport expires during that period, it is valid until the expiration date. You can apply for an eTA online, and you must give your passport and credit card information and e-mail address. You should apply as early as possible soon after your plans to travel to Canada have been fixed. The application procedure is only in English and French, but information is also available in Japanese. It is also required when stopping in Canada in transit on your way to another country by plane. Apply for an eTA（The official website of the Government of Canada）

Quarantine

When visiting from Japan, bringing the following items into Canada is prohibited or restricted.

a. Live or cooked meat, fruit, vegetables, milk, and other food products
b. Plants, processed products made from wood, woodchips, foliage plants, firewood, seeds, bulbs, and other plants
c. Soil or shoes covered in dirt
d. Live animals including pets
e: Fish bait

Customs

Bringing in e-cigarettes

Exemption for tobacco sticks is up to 200 sticks, same as regular cigarettes.

For bringing and possession of tax-free cigarettes

Alcohol: any one of the following: wine 1.5L, beer 8.5L or other 1.14L
Tobacco: any one of the following: 200 cigarettes, pipe tobacco 200g or 50 cigars
Gifts: $60 each

Alcohol and tobacco products may only brought in if you are 18 or 19 (varies by province) or older for alcohol products or 18 or older for tobacco products.

Time difference and Daylight Saving Time

Time difference

There are 6 time zones in Canada. There is a difference of 4.5 hours between the far-eastern Newfoundland Standard Time and far-western Pacific Standard Time. Newfoundland Standard Time is 3.5 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Vancouver is 12.5 hours behind Japan.The time difference will increase by one hour as you cross each time zone moving from east to west. (The time difference to Japan becomes larger.) Daylight saving takes place from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November, when clocks move forward by one hour.

Climate

Because of its expansive land area, Pacific coastal areas like Vancouver have a large volume of rain. The cold of the Canadian Rockies is very harsh and a jacket is required even in summer if the weather turns. There is a huge temperature difference between warm and cold in Calgary and other places in the prairies. The area around the Great Lakes has four distinct seasons. Areas further East have cool summers and relatively warmer winters. The Far North region around the Arctic Circle is very cold all year round.

Monthly average temperature and precipitation

The average maximum temperature in Tokyo and Vancouver, The average minimum temperature in Tokyo and Vancouver

Month	The average maximum temperature in Tokyo	The average mimimum temperature in Tokyo	The average maximum temperature in Vancouver	The average mimimum temperature in Vancouver
Jan.	10℃	2℃	6℃	1℃
Feb.	10℃	2℃	7℃	3℃
Mar.	13℃	5℃	8℃	4℃
Apr.	18℃	10℃	11℃	5℃
May	23℃	15℃	15℃	9℃
Jun.	25℃	18℃	18℃	11℃
Jul.	28℃	23℃	20℃	12℃
Aug.	31℃	24℃	20℃	13℃
Sep.	27℃	21℃	18℃	11℃
Oct.	23℃	15℃	13℃	8℃
Nov.	17℃	10℃	8℃	4℃
Dec.	13℃	5℃	7℃	1℃

The average precipitation in Tokyo and Vancouver

Month	The average precipitation in Tokyo	The average precipitation in Vancouver
Jan.	50mm	160mm
Feb.	60mm	140mm
Mar.	110mm	130mm
Apr.	130mm	80mm
May	130mm	70mm
Jun.	160mm	60mm
Jul.	160mm	40mm
Aug.	150mm	50mm
Sep.	210mm	60mm
Oct.	160mm	110mm
Nov.	90mm	200mm
Dec.	40mm	180mm

Currency and Exchange Rate, Tax, Currency exchange, Tip

Currency and Exchange Rate

The currency used is the Canadian Dollar; abbreviated as $ or C$ (CAD). Cents (￠) are used as fractional currency. $1 is￠115.16 yen (as of March 6, 2026). The five types of notes issued are $5, 10, 20, 50 and 100. Be aware that some smaller stores may not accept $50 or $100 bills. The five types of coins issued are 5, 10, 25 (quarter), $1 (loonie) and $2.

Tax

A 5% Goods and Services Tax (GST) and a Provincial Sales Tax (PST, rate varies by province) are levied on goods, accommodation, meals, and services. PST in British Columbia where Vancouver is located is 7%. The Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut have only GST, Ontario has only a 13% Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador have only a 15% HST, and Nova Scotia has only a 14% HST. Goods and accommodation prices shown do not include tax in Canada. There is a separate 3.5 to 8% lodging tax or additional $3 lodging fee in some towns and cities in certain provinces. The tax is higher in large cities and tourist areas.

Tip

It is customary to leave a tip of approximately 15 to 20% when paying for food at a restaurant or for a taxi. A tip is not required when a service charge is included as part of the bill.

Voltage and plug

Voltage

110 to 120 V, 60Hz. Power sockets are almost equivalent to Japan's and uses type A. Since the difference in voltage compared with Japan is only 10 to 20V, most electronic appliances from Japan such as hair dryers and shavers can be plugged in and used as is. Computer related devices can be used without any issues.

Video and DVD

Canada, like Japan, uses the NTSC standard. Video software brought from Japan can be played smoothly. However, DVDs cannot be played due to the difference in region code (Japan: Region 2, Canada: Region 1).

Blu-ray system

The Blu-ray Disc region code is A in both Japan and Canada, so Canadian media can be played normally on Japanese media players and vice versa.

Mail

Postal Charge

When mailing to Japan, airmails including postcards and standard size mails up to 30g are all $3.65. Stamps can be purchased at the post office, as well as at a hotel's front desk and kiosks at a train station, airport or bus depot. The number of days it takes before arrival in Japan differs depending on from where it was mailed, but airmails generally take one to three weeks.

Business Hours

Most post offices are what is called the Postal Outlet inside places such as drugstores, and generally operate from Monday to Friday, between 9:00 to 17:00, Saturday 10:00 to 14:00, and are closed on Sundays. Some places are closed on Saturdays.

Phone Call

How to phone

Telephoning Japan from Canada

When calling Tokyo (03) 1234-5678

STEP1

dial 011 (International telephone identification number)

STEP2

81 (Country Code, Japan )

STEP3

3 (Remove the first 0 for area codes)

STEP4

1234-5678(Other parties telephone number)

Telephoning Vancouver from Japan

When calling Vancouver (604) 123-4567

STEP1

010 (International Identification No.)

STEP2

1 (Country Code, Canada)

STEP3

604(Area code)

STEP4

123-4567 (Other parties telephone number)

Holiday / National holiday

In addition to national holidays, there are also state established holidays.

2026

January 1: New Year's Day
April 4: Good Friday*1
April 6: Easter Monday*1
May 18: Queen Victoria's Birthday*1
July 1: National Foundation Day (Canada Day)
September 7: Labor Day*1
September 30: Truth and Reconciliation Day
October 12: Thanksgiving Day*1
November 11: Remembrance Day
December 25: Christmas Day
December 26: Boxing Day

*1.Movable holidays

Language

The two official languages established by Canada are English and French. English and French are spoken as first languages by approximately 50% and 20% of the population respectively. Some states establish different official languages. Aboriginal languages are established as the official languages in the Far North.

Business hours, etc

Business hours

General business hours are as below. There may be a difference of roughly 30 minutes to 1 hour by store.

Banks

Normally from Monday to Friday, between 9:30 to 16:00. Closed on Saturday, Sunday and holidays.

Department Stores and Shops

Monday to Friday between 10:00 to 18:00 (many places are open until 20:00 on Thursdays and Fridays). Open during evenings in areas such as Banff. Shopping centers in suburbs may be open on Sundays.

Liquor Stores

Monday to Saturday, between 9:00 to 18:00. May be open on Sundays in urban areas or during the summer season, and some may be open until around 21:00.

Age Limit

Smoking by persons under 18 years of age, as well as alcohol consumption and casino gambling by persons under 19 years of age (18 for Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec) are prohibited.
In general, rental cars are allowed for persons 25 years of age or over. If under 25 years of age, rent may be denied or may be charged a separate fee.