| Rate comparison between Japan and Vancouver (as at Aug 16, 2005) |
| |
Cafe Latte
(Starbucks) |
Eye shadow
(Mac) |
Big Mac Meal
(McDonald) |
Movie |
Cigarette
(1 box) |
Toilet paper
(12 rolls) |
| Japan |
340 JPY |
2500 JPY |
550 JPY |
1800 JPY |
300 JPY |
250 JPY |
Canada
C$ = 92JPY |
C$ 3
(280 JPY) |
C$ 13
(1200 JPY) |
C$ 5
(460 JPY) |
C$ 13
(1200 JPY) |
C$ 8
(740 JPY) |
C$ 3
(280 JPY) |
|
| Temperature of major Canadian cities |
| |
Jan. |
Feb. |
Mar. |
Apr. |
May |
Jun. |
Jul. |
Aug. |
Sep. |
Oct. |
Nov. |
Dec. |
| |
L |
H |
L |
H |
L |
H |
L |
H |
L |
H |
L |
H |
L |
H |
L |
H |
L |
H |
L |
H |
L |
H |
L |
H |
| Vancouver |
0 |
5 |
1 |
8 |
2 |
9 |
5 |
13 |
8 |
17 |
11 |
19 |
13 |
22 |
13 |
22 |
10 |
18 |
6 |
14 |
3 |
9 |
1 |
7 |
| Toronto |
-8 |
-1 |
-7 |
-1 |
-3 |
4 |
3 |
12 |
9 |
18 |
14 |
24 |
17 |
27 |
16 |
26 |
13 |
21 |
7 |
15 |
2 |
8 |
-5 |
1 |
| Quebec City |
-17 |
-8 |
-16 |
-6 |
-9 |
0 |
-2 |
8 |
5 |
17 |
10 |
22 |
13 |
25 |
12 |
23 |
7 |
18 |
2 |
11 |
-4 |
3 |
-13 |
-5 |
| Time Change (summer-time from the 1st Sunday, Apr. to the last Sunday, Oct.[put the clock forward 1 hour]) |
| Time Zone |
Pacific Time |
Mountain Time |
Central Time |
Eastern Time |
Atlantic Time |
Newfoundland |
| Cities |
Vancouver
Victoria |
Banff
Jasper
Calgary |
Winnipeg |
Toronto
Montreal
Quebec city |
Prince Edward Island
Halifax |
St. Johns |
| Time (from Japan) |
-17 hours |
-16 hours |
-15 hours |
-14 hours |
-13 hours |
-12.5 hours |
|
| How to make an international phone call |
Phone card
Phone cards are the best way to call Japan.
You can buy them at station stores, convenience stores like 711.
The cards are $5, $10 and $20, and when you buy $5, you get about 5 to 6 hours if it has a good rate.
(The rate depends on the card.)
You can call Japan easily just dial the number on card and follow the directions.
However, you have to be careful about the rate to Japanese cellular phones.
Also when you choose a card, check if there is a connection fee.
How to dial to Japan
011 (international number) + 81 (Country Code of Japan) + area number without the first "0" + phone number
eg. : 011-81-3-XXXX-XXXX (Tokyo), 011-81-75-XXX-XXXX (Kyoto) |
| Bank |
Bank Account
There are 2 kinds of bank accounts - Chequing and Savings Accounts.
People usually use cheques for the payment of rent or tuition fees etc. so most people open Chequing Accounts.
At the same time, you can get an Access Card (Debit Card) and can pay with this.
It isn't necessary to carry around cash for everything.
There are many ATMs around, and you can withdraw money from them.
You can also use the online banking system for online payments of cell phone bills, credit card bills etc. |
| Insurance |
Each province has a different system for insurance.
Without insurance, a trip to the doctor can be expensive.
It is best to have insurance.
The cost is about $56 per month in BC and it covers almost everything except medicine and dental treatment.
Our health insurance policy can give you cover from only $1.80 per day. Ask us about our available insurance.
|
| Necessities for going abroad
|
| Electronic dictionary |
Useful to quickly look up a word when talking with your host-family. |
| Laptop PC |
It is convenient to connect to the Internet from your own room.
Students who go to public school must have the computer to write reports or to do research. |
| Medicine |
It is better to bring some Japanese medicine if you don't have confidence in ordering medicine in English or hesitate in using foreign medicine. |
| Portable umbrella |
It always rains in winter in Vancouver.
We recommend carrying a small umbrella. |
| Digital camera |
Electrical goods here are at the same level as those released in Japan 3 - 5 years ago.
If you want to take high-quality pictures, bring your Japanese digital camera.
(Be careful not to lose it!) |
| Clothes and shoes |
Japanese L size is about the same as the Canadian S size, so it is better to bring some clothes and shoes especially for people who wear Japanese S size. |
|
| New Year's Day |
Jan.1 |
New Year's holiday ends all too soon in Canada.
People celebrate with family and friends, and then work from Jan. 2. |
| Good Friday |
Last Friday before Easter |
This holiday celebrates the Friday that Christ was executed.
It starts the Easter Holiday. |
| Easter Monday |
The day after Easter Sunday |
It is the substitute holiday of Easter Sunday.
Canadians hide chocolate eggs for children to find at home.
We see many chocolates that are shaped like rabbits or eggs. |
| Victoria Day |
Last Monday before May 25 |
May 25 is the birthday of Queen Victoria.
It is also a holiday because Canada was a colony of the U.K. |
| Canada Day |
Jul. 1 |
The Commemoration of Founding of Nation.
There are parades in many places. |
| BC Day |
Aug. 1 |
The day when British Columbia is celebrated.
There is a parade downtown. |
| Labour Day |
The 1st Monday on Sep. |
Labour Day. |
| Thanksgiving Day |
The 2nd Monday on Oct. |
Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day by eating a banquet of turkey and mashed potatoes with pumpkin pie for dessert. |
| Remembrance Day |
Nov. 11 |
November 11, people pause in a silent moment of remembrance for the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace. |
| Christmas |
Dec. 25 |
Christmas Day is one of the most important day of the year for families.
People spend a day with their family and give presents and cards to each other, play games and have a great dinner.
It is a wonderful to experience a Canadian Christmas. |
| Boxing Day |
Dec. 26 |
The day after Christmas is Boxing Day.
All the presents that people don't want are put in boxes and left to give to someone else the next year. |
|
|
| The difference between TV programs in Japan and Canada. |
| Watching TV is a good way to improve listening skills.
Here are some differences between Japanese and Canadian TV. |
| 1 |
There are some programs that show uncensored scenes about operations or accidents. |
| 2 |
New drama series start in autumn each year. |
| 3 |
Highlights from the previous episode are shown before the next show in the series. |
| 4 |
There are some channels that broadcast programs about sex education. |
| 5 |
You can watch repeat episodes of popular programs like "The Simpsons". |
| Caution |
No smoking inside
Restaurants and cafes are NON-SMOKNG! Be careful not to light up inside! |
Alcohol
It is illegal to drink ALCOHOL outside! We can NOT drink when we go out to see the cherry blossoms. |
| Transport |
| Translink is the main communication system in Vancouver.
Drivers don't always announce stops, so if you are unsure where to get off, ask the driver. |
Skytrain
The sky train is the quickest method of transportation around Vancouver. |
Sea Bus
The sea bus connects Vancouver and North Vancouver and leaves every 15 - 20 minutes. |
West Coast Express
This is the limited express train connecting Vancouver and the outskirts and it takes about 45 minutes.
It is a different line to the Skytrain or bus, so you can not use the Translink pass. |
| Information on Canada |
Capital
Ottawa (Ontario) |
Total Area
About 9,971,000 km2
(It is secondly large country in the world.) |
Population
About 30 million |
3 Big Cities
1. Toronto
2. Montreal
3. Vancouver |
Official Language
1. English
2. French |
National Sports
Ice Hockey, Lacrosse |
| Food |
| It is difficult to say that there is traditional Canadian food because Canada is a multinational country.
However, we can show some food that is only found in Canada. |
Tim Hortons
Tim Horton's is the coffee and doughnut shop that is located throughout Canada.
Canadians like to drink coffee.
You can see people eating muffins, bagels or doughnuts and drinking coffee on their way to the office.
The price is lower and the taste milder than Star Bucks.
There are muffins, croissants, sandwiches, soups, doughnuts, etc. |
Poutine
It is originally from Quebec but we can eat everywhere in Canada.
Poutine is a French-Canadian concoction comprised of french fries, gravy, and cheese curds.
We recommend you try it if you really like to eat french fries.
You can buy it at most of shops that have french fries like New York Fries. |
Nanaimo Bar
Nanaimo Bars are a traditional Canadian bar whose origins are in Nanaimo, British Columbia.
Chocolate, cookie, and cream are layered in a bar.
It is extremely sweet!
You can buy it at cafes or cake section at supermarket. |
|
