Tokyo is 14 to 15 hours ahead of Chicago, depending on the time of year. If you are both awake 7 am to 11 pm, a January weekday gives you 8 hours awake at the same time, and 2 hours of those are outside a 9-to-5 for both of you (in July: 8 hours shared, 4 hours free). Here are the good ones.
Tokyo is 15 hours ahead of Chicago that week. On a weekday you are both awake for 8 hours, and 2 hours of those are outside work for both of you.
Worked out for the week of 11 January 2027 (11 Jan – 17 Jan), in Chicago time, with each zone’s own daylight-saving rules for those dates. Tokyo awake 7 am – 11 pm, working 9 am – 5 pm weekdays; Chicago awake 7 am – 11 pm, working 9 am – 5 pm weekdays.
A weekday, in Chicago timeboth awake
Chicagoawake 7 am – 11 pm
Tokyoawake 7 – 8 am and 4 pm – 7 am Chicago time
7a10a1p4p7p10p1a4a7a
Best on a weekday
5 – 7 pm Chicago
8 – 10 am Tokyo · Chicago early evening, Tokyo morning (their next day) · during Tokyo’s work hours
Another weekday option
9 – 11 pm Chicago
noon – 2 pm Tokyo · Chicago evening, Tokyo lunchtime (their next day) · during Tokyo’s lunch break
The long weekend call
Sat 6 – 9 pm Chicago
Sun 9 am – noon Tokyo · Chicago early evening, Tokyo morning
The week · Chicago time, 11 Jan – 17 Jan
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
Mon
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
Tue
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
Wed
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
Thu
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
Fri
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
Sat
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
Sun
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
Columns are Chicago hours; the small figure in each cell is the time in Tokyo. both freeboth awake, one at workTokyo asleep
The Tokyo–Chicago gap through 2027
Dates
Difference
1 January – 13 March
Tokyo is 15 hours ahead of Chicago
14 March – 6 November
Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of Chicago
7 November – 31 December
Tokyo is 15 hours ahead of Chicago
The week grid and call windows were worked out for 11 Jan to 17 Jan 2027 with the IANA time-zone rules for Asia/Tokyo (Tokyo) and America/Chicago (Chicago). That week Chicago is on standard time and Tokyo keeps the same time all year. The table uses the same rules for every day of 2027. The finder above recalculates for the current week in your browser.
When it is … in Chicago
In Chicago
Tokyo, January
Tokyo, July
7 am
10 pm
9 pm
9 am
midnight (next day)
11 pm
11 am
2 am (next day)
1 am (next day)
1 pm
4 am (next day)
3 am (next day)
3 pm
6 am (next day)
5 am (next day)
5 pm
8 am (next day)
7 am (next day)
7 pm
10 am (next day)
9 am (next day)
9 pm
noon (next day)
11 am (next day)
Wednesday times. Send times as “your 8 pm” or “my 8 pm” so nobody has to guess whose clock you mean.
Stop doing the math every day
The Long Goodbye keeps your person’s local time and time of day on your home-screen widget and lock screen, so you can see whether it is morning coffee or midnight in Tokyo before you call. A “thinking of you” tap lights up their widget, and a countdown keeps the next visit in view.
What is the time difference between Tokyo and Chicago?
Tokyo is 14 to 15 hours ahead of Chicago, depending on the time of year. In 2027 it is 15 hours from 1 January to 13 March and from 7 November to 31 December; 14 hours from 14 March to 6 November.
What is the best time to call Tokyo from Chicago?
In January, the easiest two hours on a weekday are 5 – 7 pm Chicago, which is 8 – 10 am Tokyo: Chicago early evening, Tokyo morning, the next day there, during Tokyo’s work hours. At the weekend, Sat 6 – 9 pm Chicago (Sun 9 am – noon Tokyo) gives you a longer call. Change the awake and work hours in the finder on this page to fit your own days.
How many waking hours do Tokyo and Chicago share?
If both of you are awake from 7 am to 11 pm, you share 8 hours on a January weekday, and 2 hours of them fall outside 9-to-5 working hours in both places; in July it is 8 hours shared and 4 hours free.
Does daylight saving time change the call times?
Yes. In 2027 Chicago changes its clocks on 14 March and 7 November and Tokyo does not change its clocks, so a call you keep at the same time in Chicago moves by an hour in Tokyo on those dates. Check the table on this page and agree the new time out loud after each change.