Did you know that in Japan the hours go past 24? Ever asked what time it is in Japan? Maybe wondered how many hours is it between Tokyo and Osaka? In this article, we will understand a little about Japan time, its differences and curiosities.
What time is it in Japan? Japanese time
The time in Japan is known by the acronym JST (Japan Standard Time), in the Japanese language it is known as Nihon Hyoujunji (本標準時). Japan's time zone is UTC/GMT +9, 12 hours ahead of Brazil which is UTC -3.
I think we all know that Japan is 12 hours ahead, so if it's 3 pm here, it's 3 am there. It is worth remembering that in Japan there is no daylight saving time, so be aware of this when converting our time to Japan time.
In addition to Japan, countries such as Korea, Indonesia and Yakutsk have the same standard hours. The sun rises about 89 degrees east of Japan at 05:26. The sunset takes place at 17:42 at 272º to the west. The day lasts about 12 hours and 16 minutes in Japan.
The time in Japan is past 24:00
Japan uses the 24 and 12 hour format in everyday life. However, on TV shows or some locations, they go beyond the existing 24:00 on the clock. Like this? Japan finds it easier to keep the morning hours on the same day.
That's because the Japanese have a very active nightlife, it can be confusing for some to watch a TV program start at 21:00 and end at 1:00. That's why they prefer to put from 21:00 to 25:00 instead of leaving a 1:00AM.
Countries other than Japan such as the UK, Korea, Hong Kong and China use hours beyond 24:00 when business hours extend beyond midnight. This also prevents train tickets with no date from issuing times such as 22:00 to 01:00.
This avoids common cases that happen in Brazil when we say Sunday night at 2 am, when it's already Monday. You can find Japanese time going past 24:00 on TV, stations, radios, concerts, shops, hotels, theater and even in bathrooms.
The History of Japan's Hours and Clocks
Before the Meiji Era (1868-1912), each region of Japan had its own time zone that depended on the position of the sun. When trains became popular in Japan, the practice of telling the time from the highest position in the sun became a source of confusion. Trains in Osaka ended up arriving 20 minutes early in Tokyo because of the small time difference.
During World War II, countries such as Singapore and Malaysia adopted Japan Time, but this was reversed after Japan surrendered. Formerly the islands of Okinawa and Taiwan used the time is UTC +8, that is, one hour less than the Japanese time, but that ended in 1937.
Clocks have existed in Japan since the mid-7th century in the form of water clocks. Back in the Edo period, Japan had a traditional mechanical clock. He used a seasonal time system, based on a mechanical clock from Europe.
These traditional Japanese clocks are called Wadokei (和時計) and were introduced by Jesuit missionaries or Dutch merchants. They were lantern clocks made of bronze or iron.
Local Time in Tokyo
In addition to Japan's national time, most people tend to look up how many hours it is in Tokyo. Japan time is the same across the country, regardless of region and locality. There is no time zone difference as in some states in Brazil.
So, in case you're wondering how many hours it is in Okinawa, or how many hours it is in Osaka, remember that Japan's time is the same everywhere. Even the time in South Korea is the same as in Japan.
We recommend reading other related articles below:
- How long is the trip to Japan?
- Climate and Weather in Japanese
- Seasons, Weather and Weather in Japanese
What is the time in Okinawa?
Although Japan adopts the same time in all its cities, Okinawa usually has more sunlight due to its location in the south of the country, it also adopts other time zones.
Although the main time is still the same as in Japan (JST), Okinawa has also used Okinawa Standard Time (OST) which is one hour off. There is not much information about this currently.
The traditional Japanese time
The traditional Japanese clock had six hours numbered from 9 to 4, which counted backwards from noon to midnight. The numbers 1 to 3 were not used for religious reasons, as these numbers were used by Buddhists for prayer.
Counting went backwards because the first artificial Japanese clocks used incense that was burned to tell time. Dawn and dusk, therefore, were marked as the sixth hour in the Japanese hour-counting system. Traditional Japanese watches also had Chinese zodiac symbols. (Source: Wikipedia);
Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side with your finger >>
| Zodiac | night zodiac | Number | solar time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 卯 - Coelho. | 酉 - Rooster. | 六 - 6 | Sunrise Sunset. |
| 辰 - Dragão. | 戌 - Dog. | 五 - 5 | |
| 巳 - Cobra. | 亥 - Pork. | 四 - 4 | |
| 午 - Cavalo. | 子 - Mouse. | 九 - 9 | afternoon/midnight. |
| 未 - Cabra. | 丑 - Ox. | 八 - 8 | |
| 申 - Macaco. | 寅 - Tiger. | 七 - 7 | . |
Time difference between Japan and the rest of the world
The list below shows the time difference between Japan and other major cities and countries in the rest of the world.
- Bulgaria (-7 hours)
- Croatia (-8 hours)
- Czech Republic (-8 hours)
- Denmark (-8 hours)
- England (-9 hours)
- France (-8 hours)
- Germany (-8 hours)
- Greece (-7 hours)
- Netherlands (-8 hours)
- Italy (-8 hours)
- Latvia (-7 hours)
- Portugal (-9 hours)
- Russia (-6 hours)
- Spain (-8 hours)
- Sweden (-8 hours)
- Switzerland (-8 hours)
- Ukraine (-7 hours)
- Accra (-9 hours)
- Angola (-8 hours)
- Argentina (-12 hours)
- Auckland (+4 hours)
- Beijing (-1 hour)
- Cairo (-7 hours)
- Costa Rica (-15 hours)
- Dallas (-15 hours)
- Doha (-6 hours)
- Dublin (-9 hours)
- Djibouti (-6 hours)
- Esfahan (-5.30 hours)
- Ghana (-9 hours)
- Hanoi (-2 hours)
- Hong Kong (-1 hour)
- Iran (-5.30 hours)
- Ireland (-9 hours)
- Jakarta (-2 hours)
- Johannesburg (-7 hours)
- Korea (0)
- Kyiv (-7 hours)
- Las Vegas (-17 hours)
- Lome (-9 hours)
- Los Angeles (-17 hours)
- Luanda (-8 hours)
- Madrid (-8 hours)
- Malaysia (-1 hour)
- Mexico (-15 hours)
- Montreal (-14 hours)
- Moscow (-6 hours)
- New Delhi (-3:30 hours)
- New York (-14 hours)
- Oklahoma City (-15 hours)
- Orlando (-14 hours)
- Ottawa (-14 hours)
- Paraguay (-12 hours)
- Philadelphia (-14 hours)
- Port of Spain (-13 hours)
- Reykjavik (-9 hours)
- Rio de Janeiro (-11 hours)
- Saudi Arabia (-6 hours)
- Seoul (0)
- Shanghai (-1 hour)
- Singapore (-1 hour)
- Sydney (+2 hours)
- Tbilisi (-5 hours)
- Tehran (-5.30 hours)
- Thailand (-2 hours)
- Toronto (-14 hours)
- Tunisia (-8 hours)
- United Kingdom (-9 hours)
- Vancouver (-17 hours)
- Vladivostok (+1 hour)
- Wellington (+4 hours)
- Winnipeg (-15 hours)
- Yamousoukro (-9 hours)
These were some curiosities about the time in Japan.
