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Time difference between Tokyo and San Francisco

Updated live in your browser · IANA time zone database (Asia/Tokyo, America/Los_Angeles)

San Francisco is 16 hours behind Tokyo. Right now it is in Tokyo and in San Francisco. When it is 12:00 noon in Tokyo, it is 8:00 PM in San Francisco.
Tokyo GMT+9 · UTC+9
San Francisco PDT · UTC-7
Difference 16 hours — San Francisco is behind Tokyo

Best time to call

Both in office hours (9–17) Both awake (7–22) One side asleep

Hours shown in Tokyo time. The two working days never overlap: when Tokyo is at its desk, San Francisco is asleep. Schedule at the edge of one side's day.

Hour-by-hour conversion

Tokyo (GMT+9) San Francisco (PDT) Call quality
12:00 AM 8:00 AM−1 day Off hours
1:00 AM 9:00 AM−1 day Off hours
2:00 AM 10:00 AM−1 day Off hours
3:00 AM 11:00 AM−1 day Off hours
4:00 AM 12:00 PM−1 day Off hours
5:00 AM 1:00 PM−1 day Off hours
6:00 AM 2:00 PM−1 day Off hours
7:00 AM 3:00 PM−1 day OK
8:00 AM 4:00 PM−1 day OK
9:00 AM 5:00 PM−1 day OK
10:00 AM 6:00 PM−1 day OK
11:00 AM 7:00 PM−1 day OK
12:00 PM 8:00 PM−1 day OK
1:00 PM 9:00 PM−1 day OK
2:00 PM 10:00 PM−1 day Off hours
3:00 PM 11:00 PM−1 day Off hours
4:00 PM 12:00 AM Off hours
5:00 PM 1:00 AM Off hours
6:00 PM 2:00 AM Off hours
7:00 PM 3:00 AM Off hours
8:00 PM 4:00 AM Off hours
9:00 PM 5:00 AM Off hours
10:00 PM 6:00 AM Off hours
11:00 PM 7:00 AM Off hours

Daylight saving time note

Tokyo and San Francisco do not change their clocks on the same date. Between November 1, 2026 and March 14, 2027 the difference is 17 hours ahead of San Francisco — because San Francisco changes its clocks for daylight saving time while Tokyo keeps the same time all year.

For the rest of the year the difference holds steady at 16 hours. Every time on this page is computed from the IANA database at the moment you load it, so the tables above already account for whichever side has switched.

Why the time difference exists

Tokyo keeps standard time at UTC+9, while San Francisco runs on UTC-8. San Francisco moves its clocks for daylight saving time while Tokyo keeps the same time all year, so the gap widens and narrows by an hour with the seasons. Geographically the two lie about 8,300 km apart, with San Francisco to the northeast of Tokyo.

Flying from Tokyo to San Francisco, your body clock shifts about 7 hours forward. In flying terms that's roughly 10½ hours in the air, give or take. A quick look at each side's working hours keeps meetings out of the middle of the night.

Related comparisons

Tokyo compared with other major cities

Time difference from Tokyo to other major cities
CityLocal timeDifference from Tokyo
Shanghai 1 hour behind Tokyo
Beijing 1 hour behind Tokyo
Shenzhen 1 hour behind Tokyo
Guangzhou 1 hour behind Tokyo
Kinshasa 8 hours behind Tokyo
Istanbul 6 hours behind Tokyo
Lagos 8 hours behind Tokyo
Ho Chi Minh City 2 hours behind Tokyo
Chengdu 1 hour behind Tokyo
Lahore 4 hours behind Tokyo
Mumbai 3 hours and 30 minutes behind Tokyo
São Paulo 12 hours behind Tokyo

Related pages

Frequently asked questions

What is the time difference between Tokyo and San Francisco?
Tokyo is 16 hours ahead of San Francisco right now. The figure is computed live and accounts for daylight saving time on both sides.
Does the difference between Tokyo and San Francisco change during the year?
Yes. From November 1, 2026 to March 14, 2027 the difference is 17 hours ahead of San Francisco, because San Francisco changes its clocks for daylight saving time while Tokyo keeps the same time all year.
What is the best time to call between Tokyo and San Francisco?
Their 9 AM–5 PM business hours never overlap — schedule at the edge of one side's day.