Time zone Tokyo (NRT) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Solar time-zone offsets from real longitudes, jet lag advice & daylight tips.
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Quick answer: NRT → LAX time difference at a glance
Solar offsets are NRT UTC+9 and LAX UTC-8 — Los Angeles is 17 hours behind Tokyo (-17h, 17 zones westward). Expect severe jet lag with about 15 days recovery; a noon departure from NRT lands around 05:53 local solar (night).
Solar approximation from longitude ÷15; check civil DST.
The solar time-zone offset at Tokyo (NRT, longitude 140.39°) is UTC+9, while at Los Angeles (LAX, longitude -118.41°) it is UTC-8. The destination is therefore 17 hours behind the origin — you cross 17 time zones flying westward on this route. This offset is computed directly from the airports' published longitudes using the relationship 15° of longitude = 1 hour of solar time (the Earth rotates 360° in 24 hours). It's a good approximation of civil time zones, but local clocks may differ by an hour when countries observe daylight saving time or shift their standard meridian — always check the live local time when booking flights.
Flying this ultra-long-haul international (5,439 miles, about 10h 53m in the air) from NRT to LAX, a traveller departing Tokyo at local noon (solar time) would land in Los Angeles around 05:53 local solar time — in the night. Because you travel westward, you'll gain time on the way there: try to stay awake until a normal local bedtime on arrival to lock in the new schedule faster. Expect severe jet lag from crossing 17 time zones; rule of thumb is to allow about 15 days for full circadian adjustment. The route's overall difficulty score is 9/10, factoring in distance and time-zone change.
Travelling west to Los Angeles, your body clock needs to delay — usually easier because it follows your natural circadian drift. Get bright light in the late afternoon and evening on arrival, and avoid bright morning light for the first few days. Stay awake until a normal local bedtime rather than napping on landing.
For the 17-hour shift on NRT→LAX: start adjusting sleep 5 days before departure — shift bedtime ~1 hour per day toward the destination's schedule. On the aircraft, switch your watch to LAX time as soon as you board and start eating and sleeping on destination time. Hydrate aggressively (cabin air at altitude is very dry — drink 250 ml of water per hour of flight). Avoid heavy meals and alcohol; caffeine is fine early in the flight but skip it within 6 hours of arrival local time.
How this time-zone offset is calculated
The Earth rotates 360° in 24 hours, so 15° of longitude equals one hour of solar time. TripRoute divides each airport's published longitude by 15 and rounds to the nearest whole hour to derive the solar time-zone offset — Tokyo at 140.39° → UTC+9; Los Angeles at -118.41° → UTC-8. The signed difference (destination − origin) gives the -17-hour shift you'll experience in your body clock. This is a longitude-based approximation; civil time zones at NRT or LAX may differ by ±1 hour when a country observes daylight saving time, or when the official time zone is centred on a meridian other than the airport's own. The jet-lag band (severe) and recovery estimate (15 days) follow the standard rule of thumb of about one recovery day per time zone crossed beyond the first two. Travel direction (east vs west) matters because eastward travel forces you to advance your circadian rhythm, which is harder than delaying it westward.
TRHandling the 17h shift NRT → LAX
Westward 17h shifts are usually easier — staying up until a normal Los Angeles bedtime on arrival works well; with a night landing at 05:53 solar, evening light will naturally delay your clock.
Guidance derived from the computed timezone shift and arrival phase.
Tokyo to Los Angeles — quick answers
What is the time difference between Tokyo and Los Angeles?
The solar time-zone offset at Tokyo (NRT) is UTC+9 and at Los Angeles (LAX) it is UTC-8, so Los Angeles is 17 hours behind Tokyo. This is derived from longitude (140° / -118°) at 15° = 1 hour.
Will I get jet lag flying from Tokyo to Los Angeles?
Expect severe jet lag — you cross 17 time zones westward. Rule of thumb: allow about 15 days for your body clock to adjust. Westward travel is usually easier because you gain time — staying awake on arrival helps you adapt faster.