How to read it
Tokyo and San Francisco, side by side
Each row is one city's day, half an hour to a square, lined up by the hours along the bottom.
- 1Filled: at the desk, 9:00 to 18:00 where that city is.
- 2Grey: up early, up late, or the weekend.
- 3Outline: asleep.
- 4Red band: your slot. Read straight down to see the same moment in every city.
- 5A marks the best time for everyone; B, when there is one, the next best.
The red band is the best time to call on Wed, 21 Oct 2026: 09:00–10:00 in Tokyo, which is 17:00–18:00 in San Francisco.
Through the year
How the gap between Tokyo and San Francisco moves
San Francisco is 16h behind Tokyo today. Daylight saving moves it:
- San Francisco 16h behind Tokyo
- San Francisco 17h behind Tokyo
- Sun, 1 Nov 2026 San Francisco's clocks go back an hour. San Francisco is then 17h behind Tokyo.
- Sun, 14 Mar 2027 San Francisco's clocks go forward an hour. San Francisco is then 16h behind Tokyo.
Hour by hour
Tokyo to San Francisco time, hour by hour
On a working day (Wed, 21 Oct 2026), with working hours of 9:00 to 18:00 in both cities.
- Tokyo starts work 09:00 17:00 Tue in San Francisco At desk
- San Francisco starts work 09:00 01:00 Wed in Tokyo Asleep
- Tokyo finishes work 18:00 02:00 in San Francisco Asleep
- San Francisco finishes work 18:00 10:00 Wed in Tokyo At desk
Show all 24 hours
| Tokyo | San Francisco |
|---|---|
| 00:00 Asleep | 08:00 Tue Early |
| 01:00 Asleep | 09:00 Tue At desk |
| 02:00 Asleep | 10:00 Tue At desk |
| 03:00 Asleep | 11:00 Tue At desk |
| 04:00 Asleep | 12:00 Tue At desk |
| 05:00 Asleep | 13:00 Tue At desk |
| 06:00 Asleep | 14:00 Tue At desk |
| 07:00 Early | 15:00 Tue At desk |
| 08:00 Early | 16:00 Tue At desk |
| 09:00 At desk | 17:00 Tue At desk |
| 10:00 At desk | 18:00 Tue Late |
| 11:00 At desk | 19:00 Tue Late |
| 12:00 At desk | 20:00 Tue Late |
| 13:00 At desk | 21:00 Tue Late |
| 14:00 At desk | 22:00 Tue Asleep |
| 15:00 At desk | 23:00 Tue Asleep |
| 16:00 At desk | 00:00 Asleep |
| 17:00 At desk | 01:00 Asleep |
| 18:00 Late | 02:00 Asleep |
| 19:00 Late | 03:00 Asleep |
| 20:00 Late | 04:00 Asleep |
| 21:00 Late | 05:00 Asleep |
| 22:00 Asleep | 06:00 Asleep |
| 23:00 Asleep | 07:00 Early |
Questions
Questions people ask
What is the time difference between Tokyo and San Francisco?
San Francisco is 16h behind Tokyo (as of Wed, 21 Oct 2026). That changes on Sun, 1 Nov 2026, when San Francisco's clocks go back: then San Francisco is 17h behind Tokyo.
What is the best time for a call between Tokyo and San Francisco?
On a working day, the best time for a call is 09:00–10:00 in Tokyo (17:00–18:00 in San Francisco) until 31 Oct 2026 and from 14 Mar 2027, and 09:00–10:00 in Tokyo (16:00–17:00 in San Francisco) from 1 Nov 2026 to 13 Mar 2027.
Does Tokyo change its clocks?
No. Tokyo stays on UTC+9 all year.
Does San Francisco change its clocks?
Yes. San Francisco moves its clocks back an hour on Sun, 1 Nov 2026, and forward an hour on Sun, 14 Mar 2027.
More city pairs
Compare more cities
Tokyo and…
- Tokyo and Mumbai
- Tokyo and Delhi
- Tokyo and Bengaluru
- Tokyo and Dubai
- Tokyo and Abu Dhabi
- Tokyo and Riyadh
- Tokyo and Doha
- Tokyo and Singapore
- Tokyo and Hong Kong
- Tokyo and Sydney
- Tokyo and London
- Tokyo and Paris
- Tokyo and Berlin
- Tokyo and Amsterdam
- Tokyo and New York
- Tokyo and Toronto
- Tokyo and Chicago
- Tokyo and Los Angeles
San Francisco and…
- San Francisco and Mumbai
- San Francisco and Delhi
- San Francisco and Bengaluru
- San Francisco and Dubai
- San Francisco and Abu Dhabi
- San Francisco and Riyadh
- San Francisco and Doha
- San Francisco and Singapore
- San Francisco and Hong Kong
- San Francisco and Sydney
- San Francisco and London
- San Francisco and Paris
- San Francisco and Berlin
- San Francisco and Amsterdam
- San Francisco and New York
- San Francisco and Toronto
- San Francisco and Chicago
- San Francisco and Los Angeles
From the team behind 10:10
Running an event across time zones?
C4E has spent twenty years running conferences, dealer meets and offsites in more than 40 countries, with clients, speakers and crews in different time zones. 10:10 is one of the tools we built for our own shows. It is free, with no account and nothing upsold.