Jet lag from London to Tokyo: what to expect

How long does jet lag last from London to Tokyo?

Unaided, eastward shifts settle at around a day per time zone: about 9 days for this one. S6 S7

This plan targets 8 days.

That's what the plan aims at, not a promise — bodies vary.

For this trip that's 1 day sooner than the unaided estimate, on the effort level that fits around a working day.

On night one the plan has you sleep 09:00–14:25, a daytime sleep in Tokyo; for your body it's midnight in London. From there the bedtime pulls earlier night by night, reaching 23:00 by night 10.

Studies of aircrew point the same way: after large shifts, westward adaptation runs roughly 50% faster than eastward S6 S8. This trip is on the slow side of that.

What does the plan say for a typical London to Tokyo flight?

Departs

10:20 London time

Lands

07:30 Tokyo time +1 day

In the air

about 12h 10m (estimate)

Light, landing day

14:25–15:25 Get outside into bright light

Keep it dim, landing day

22:25–00:25 Avoid bright light before bed

Last caffeine, landing day

17:30

First night's sleep

09:00–14:25 the morning you land

Eastbound long-hauls tend to land in the morning, so this example lands in Tokyo at 07:30, leaving London at 10:20 the day before, after about 12h 10m in the air.

The flight time is our estimate for a nonstop from the distance, and the trip is set in January. It's the default traveler from the calculator: usually asleep 23:00 to 07:00, no melatonin, Real Life effort.

In July the gap is 8 hours, not 9, because London moves its clocks for summer and Tokyo doesn't.

On board, the plan keeps you awake apart from a short nap at 21:10 Tokyo time, saving the real sleep for the night in Tokyo.

The day before you fly, the plan starts with light at 07:00–08:00 London time. London's sunrise, about 07:57 in January, comes partway through, so finish it outside.

January days are short in Tokyo: about 10 hours of daylight. In January the sun is up in Tokyo from about 06:45 to 16:52, so the 14:25 light step on landing day is daylight. Outside is the easy way to get it.

What helps after flying east to Tokyo?

Going east, you want light after your body's low point and darkness before it S1. In the first days after a big shift that often means sunglasses in the morning and the early afternoon outside. Why flying east is harder goes through the mechanism.

Melatonin has its best trial results on eastward flights across five or more time zones S5. It's a timing signal, not a sleeping pill: melatonin for jet lag covers when to take it. Check with your doctor first.

And the flight home from Tokyo?

Tokyo to London is the same 9 hours the other way, westward. It's the easier direction: about 6 days unaided, and the plan targets 5. Jet lag from Tokyo to London has the details.

More routes from London

• London to New York
• London to Boston
• London to Miami
• London to Chicago
• London to Los Angeles