This is my intensive study of the cultural and societal differences between Canada and Japan during my three months here so far:
| Canada | Japan | |
| Land Area: | 9,984,670 sq. km | 377,873 sq. km |
| Population: | 33 million | 127 million |
| Language: | English, French | Japanese, Engrish |
| Cellphone features: | Calling, texting, internet, camera | Calling, e-mail, hi-speed internet, camera, videophone, TV, GPS tracking, Japanese-English dictionary, infrared/bluetooth, FM radio, SD slot |
| Gifts I've received from gas stations: | Nothing | Two kleenex boxes, a bag of onions, a wash cloth (although I realized afterwards that it was for washing the inside of my windows...) |
| Highway speed limits: | 110 km/hr | 80 km/hr |
| Cars drive on the | ...right | ...left |
| Average number of vending machines you see a day: | 4 | 63 |
| Price of gas: | ~$0.90/L | ~$1.30/L |
| Eating on the go | ...is a convenient way to save time | ...will get you dirty looks from strangers |
| Drinking in public will get you | ...a ticket for public intoxication | ...drunk quicker |
| Wearing running shoes with a business suit: | Not OK | OK |
| Time it takes to throw out garbage: | 2 seconds | At least 2 minutes just to sort it... on every second Saturday for plastics and non-burnables and every Thursday for burnables |
| Wearing shoes in the house will get | ...the house all dirty | ...you a "Dame! X" |
| Slurping soup | ...is rude and annoying | ...is an easy way to get your shirt dirty |
| Washing machines | ...wash your clothes | ...eat your clothes |
| How to find an address: | Go to the street address and look for the building number | Find the general area you want to be in, find the block, go to the correct side of the street and then circle the block for a while to try and find the correct building |
| How to take a hot shower: | Turn the hot water tap | Turn a knob to turn on the gas, turn another knob onto "high", push in to turn another knob and hold it down, then crank a little handle a few times and look for the little blue flame in the window. (Don't forget to turn the gas off afterwards) |
| To use a toilet you | ...sit | ...squat |
| Schools are kept clean | ...by janitors because they are paid for it | ...by students because it is their duty! |
| How to stay warm in the Winter: | Central heating | Electric heaters, gas heaters, kotatsu (an electric blanket table thing), slippers, sweaters, wearing layers, spooning |
| For an $18.25 restaurant bill you pay | ...$21.00 | ...$18.25 |
Canada
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