Online Japanese Lessons from the US, UK, Europe or Australia: Time Zones and Scheduling
You can take live online Japanese lessons with a native tutor from almost anywhere, including the US, the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The key is finding a time that works across the time difference. Japan is on Japan Standard Time (JST, UTC+9) all year and doesn’t change its clocks, so the gap with your city shifts by an hour when your daylight saving starts or ends. In practice, mornings work well in Europe, evenings work well in North America, and almost any time of day works in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. This guide shows the time differences and how to set up a schedule you can keep.
Time differences with Japan
| City | Difference from Japan | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, Vancouver | 16 hours behind (17 in northern winter) | 6 pm Monday in LA is 10 am Tuesday in Japan in summer |
| New York, Toronto | 13 hours behind (14 in northern winter) | 8 pm Monday in New York is 9 am Tuesday in Japan in summer |
| London, Dublin | 8 hours behind (9 in winter) | 9 am in London is 5 pm in Japan in summer |
| Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam | 7 hours behind (8 in winter) | 9 am in Paris is 4 pm in Japan in summer |
| Singapore, Hong Kong | 1 hour behind | 7 pm in Singapore is 8 pm in Japan |
| Sydney, Melbourne | 1 hour ahead (2 in southern summer) | 7 pm in Sydney is 6 pm in Japan in June |
| Auckland | 3 hours ahead (4 in southern summer) | 7 pm in Auckland is 4 pm in Japan in June |
These differences change in March and April and again between late September and early November, when Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand move their clocks. Check your calendar in those weeks, or use a calendar that shows both time zones.
What usually works where you live
- North America: your evening is the next morning in Japan, so lessons after work or after dinner are often the easiest to arrange. Remember the date is different: a Sunday evening lesson for you is Monday morning in Japan.
- UK and Europe: your morning is the afternoon or early evening in Japan, so a lesson before work or during a morning break is a good fit. Weekend mornings work well too.
- Australia and New Zealand: you are only a few hours from Japan, so after-school and after-work slots are usually easy to match.
- Singapore, Hong Kong and nearby: the gap is an hour or less, so almost any time works.
Setting up a schedule you can keep
- Pick a fixed weekly slot. The same day and time each week is easier to protect than booking lesson by lesson. Our guide to how many lessons a week you need helps you choose how often.
- Confirm in both time zones when you book, such as “Tuesday 8 pm New York / Wednesday 9 am Tokyo”, so nobody gets the day wrong.
- Plan for clock changes. Decide whether your lesson keeps your local time or Japan’s time after daylight saving changes.
- Leave a few minutes before the lesson to test your camera, microphone and connection. See what to expect from online Japanese lessons.
- Mind Japanese holidays such as New Year and Golden Week in late April to early May, when you may need to move a lesson.
Busy schedules and children
If your week is unpredictable, shorter lessons at a regular time often work better than long ones you keep moving. Our guide for busy adults has a routine that fits around work. For children and teenagers, after-school slots in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, and weekend mornings in Europe, are often the easiest to match. See Japanese lessons for kids and teens.
How Hanabuddies schedules lessons
Our lessons are live and online, one-to-one or in small groups, with native Japanese tutors. When you book a free trial, tell us your city or time zone and the times that suit you, and we’ll find a regular slot that works for both sides. Students join us from around the world, and we’re used to planning around clock changes.