Shipping Time from Japan to Canada - How Long
Container shipping from Japan to Canada
How long does it take for international shipping from Japan to Canada using the services of an freight shipping company or an international moving company in Japan? (What is the average shipping/delivery time from Japan to Canada by surface?)
If you are shipping from Japan to Canada by ocean using the services of an international freight shipping company like us, services are available to the bonded terminals located in cities of Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Halifax. Freights to Toronto or Montreal will all be transported via port of Vancouver, British Columbia by rail. Shipments to cities other than Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal are first transported to the CFS’s (container freight stations) in one of these three cities first and them make connecting trucking services.
Average/ Estimated port-to-port shipping times from Tokyo or Yokohama, Japan to Canadian cities once the vessels leave are as follows:
- Vancouver: 21 days
- Toronto: 25 days
- Montreal: 26 days
- Halifax (via Montreal): 40days
- Ottawa (via Toronto): 30 days
For example, if there is a ship to Vancouver, BC leaving Tokyo port on August 5, the estimated date of arrival in Vancouver will be August 26. This makes the actual port-to-port sailing time from Tokyo to Vancouver 21 days.
Besides the actual shipping times from port to port, the following points would need to be taken into consideration to have a better idea on how long shipping from Japan to Canada takes:
- Shipments need be loaded into containers usually 8 or 9 days prior to the actual departure date of each ship if they are shipped in consolidation.
- Shipments must be cleared through Japanese customs to get a permission for shipping/export at least a few days before they are loaded into shipping containers.
- There is usually one ship a week for Canada. (LCL/Consolidation)
- It normally takes at least a few days for the containers unloaded from vessels and are moved to the bonded warehouses of carrier’s destination agent once they arrive at the destination port.
Considering these factors, the total shipping time from Japan to Canada will be about 15 to 24 days longer than the actual port-to-port sailing times. Also, it is important to note that especially during the winter time, when the weather is severe in Canada, there is often long delay for transporting by rail from Vancouver to Toronto or Montreal. Consolidation services to Canada are available from Tokyo and Osaka. If you are moving from Osaka, it will take a few more days.
Delays caused by congestion at Vancouver port and the flood:
As you may have heard, there is excessively high demand shipping containers worldwide causing container shortage and also there is delay in shipping caused by the congestions and labor shortage at major ports in North America. There was already a long delay in shipping to Canadian destinations as of November, 2021, however, the flood in Vancouver area last December made the situation even worse paralyzing the transportation system for sea cargo in Canada. Container ships sailing North Asia and Canada are experiencing delays of over one month due to the congestions at ports of Vancouver and Tacoma (USA) and also even after the containers are unloaded at Vancouver port it is taking over two months to move the containers within the same area because of congestion at the port.