- Flight
- about 14 to 14.5 hours westbound
- Departs
- Haneda
- Lands at
- Heathrow
- Time difference
- London is 8 to 9 hours behind
- Currency
- Pounds sterling, in cash
Tokyo to London is about fourteen hours westbound, and London is eight or nine hours behind Tokyo. Every London nonstop now leaves from Haneda, which is much closer to the city than Narita, so the journey starts later than it once did.
Haneda, not Narita
This is worth knowing if you last flew to Europe some years ago. Japan Airlines, ANA, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic all use Haneda for London, and Narita has no scheduled service. Haneda is about half an hour from central Tokyo rather than the best part of two, which takes a real bite out of the door to door time.
A kind arrival
The usual departures leave Tokyo mid morning and reach Heathrow in the middle of the afternoon the same day. That is the gentlest kind of long haul arrival. Your room will be ready, you can go straight to it, and a short rest leaves you with a usable evening rather than a lost one.
It is the opposite of the North American pattern, where everyone lands at dawn and has nowhere to go.
Nine hours, and the quiet hour
London’s working day is the small hours in Tokyo, which sounds unhelpful and is not. Your late evening, say ten or eleven at night, is early afternoon in London. That is a sensible time to be writing to anyone, and you are not keeping odd hours to do it.
Longer than the map says
Fourteen hours for this distance surprises people who remember twelve. The routing south of Russian airspace is the reason, and it applies to the Japanese carriers as much as the European ones. Budget for the extra hour in your planning rather than being caught out by it.
The flight home
The flight home is the quicker one. Heading east you have the jet stream behind you rather than against you, which is worth about an hour on a route this long, so London back to Tokyo is shorter than the flight you took to get here. Pleasant, and easy to forget when you are working out how much of the day the return will eat.
Before you book
Visitors from Japan who do not need a visa still need an electronic travel authorisation, or ETA, before they fly. It is a short online application, and it should be made through the official GOV.UK ETA service, not a site that charges extra to do it for you. The rules change, so check them before you book.
When to get in touch
London runs 9 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 8pm and 8am your time land during London working hours, which is when replies actually come. For most people that is the evening and the night, so send in the evening and expect the answer to be waiting when you wake.
Areas near where you land at Heathrow
The big figure is the straight line distance from the airport in miles, and nothing about travel time, which in London is always longer. Each page has the stations, the route from Heathrow and the measured rates.
Also close to where you land, with no profiles of their own but a guide to getting there and how outcall works: Feltham, Hayes, Hounslow, Southall.
Other cities in East Asia
See every departure city
Cities with a similar flight time
Common questions
How long is the flight from Tokyo to London?
The flight from Haneda takes about 14 to 14.5 hours westbound. Add the connection time if your fare has a stop, and allow for getting to and through the airport at both ends.
What is the time difference between Tokyo and London?
London is 8 to 9 hours behind. The United Kingdom and most other countries change their clocks on different dates, so for a few weeks each spring and autumn the gap shifts by an hour.
What time should I message from Tokyo?
London runs 9 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 8pm and 8am your time land during London working hours, which is when replies actually come. For most people that is the evening and the night, so send in the evening and expect the answer to be waiting when you wake.
Which London airport do flights from Tokyo land at?
Most land at Heathrow, about fifteen miles west of central London and on the Piccadilly line and the Elizabeth line. Some services use Gatwick, to the south, so check the airport on your ticket before you book a hotel.
Do I need an ETA to fly from Tokyo to London?
Most visitors from Japan who do not need a visa need an electronic travel authorisation, or ETA, before they fly. Apply through the official GOV.UK service only, and check the current rules before you book, because they change.
Do I need to arrange things before I fly?
It helps. Good diaries fill days ahead, and arranging from home means you are doing it awake and unhurried instead of jet lagged in an unfamiliar city.
Is escorting legal in the UK?
Yes, in England and Wales it is legal for two consenting adults to exchange sex or company for money. What is illegal is the activity around it, such as soliciting in the street, running a brothel or controlling someone else's work. The Crown Prosecution Service sets this out in its published guidance.
Is prostitution legal in the UK?
Selling and buying sex between consenting adults is not itself a crime in England, Wales or Scotland. Northern Ireland is the exception, where paying for sex has been an offence since 1 June 2015. Public soliciting, brothel keeping and exploiting another person's work are offences in different forms across the UK.