Vancouver

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

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

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.

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.

Products, accommodation fees, meals, and services etc. are subject to 5% federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) as well as Provincial Sales Taxes, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut have only GST. Ontario has only 13% Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) and Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Labrador, and Nova Scotia have only 15% HST. In Canada, prices for commodities and accommodation are not shown with tax included. Some cities and towns in the different provinces and territories have a separate3.5-8% accommodation tax or additional fee of about $3. These taxes and fees are higher in large cities and tourist areas.

It is customary to leave a tip of approximately 10 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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Smoking and alcohol consumption in public places are fully prohibited, with a few exceptions. Restaurant and bars are all non-smoking.