MODO AVIÓN

Tokyo to Chicago flight path

HND → ORDHNDORD
The shortest path on the sphere. On a flat map it looks curved; on the globe it is a straight line.

Along the shortest route, the flight from Tokyo to Chicago covers 6,290 miles (10,120 km) — about 12 h 10 min with no wind. It passes over or close to Japan, Canada and the United States. It crosses the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea: 46% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC+9 and land on UTC−5.

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From Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND) to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) · HND · ORD

HNDTokyo
ORDChicago
Great-circle distance
10,120 km
Duration, no wind
12 h 10 min
Over water
46 %
Time difference today
−14 h

The route drawn is the theoretical one — the shortest path on the sphere. The real aircraft follows airways, avoids storms and closed airspace, and rides the wind: it can be hundreds of kilometres off.

What countries do you fly over from Tokyo to Chicago?

  • Japan
  • Canada
  • United States
  • Pacific Ocean
  • Sea of Okhotsk
  • Bering Sea

Which side of the plane to sit on to see Denali

To see Denali (6,194 m), sit on the right: it lies about 40 km from the route, ≈ 6 h 35 min into the flight.

Left window
  • Mount Fuji (3,776 m) ≈ 15 min
  • Suginami ≈ 20 min
  • Utsunomiya ≈ 20 min
  • Iwaki ≈ 30 min
  • Kōriyama ≈ 30 min
  • Fukushima ≈ 30 min
  • Sendai ≈ 35 min
  • Koryaksky (3,456 m) ≈ 3 h 05 min
  • Mount Nirvana (2,773 m) ≈ 7 h 55 min
  • Winnipeg ≈ 10 h 35 min
  • Milwaukee ≈ 11 h 45 min
Right window
  • Mito ≈ 20 min
  • Denali (6,194 m) ≈ 6 h 35 min
  • Fox Mountain (2,404 m) ≈ 7 h 40 min
  • Madison ≈ 11 h 40 min

Left and right facing forward, on the theoretical route. Times are from take-off, with no wind.

Leg by leg

2 h4 h6 h8 h10 hUTC+11UTC+12UTC−8UTC−7UTC−6UTC−7UTC−6UTC−7UTC−6UTC−5UTC+9Pacific OceanJapanUrupAlaska RangeMackenzie MountainsCentral LowlandsDenali 6,194 m 40 kmKoryaksky 3,456 m 105 kmMount Nirvana 2,773 m 49 kmFox Mountain 2,404 m 39 kmWinnipeg 22 kmMilwaukee 71 kmMadison 23 kmHNDORD▲ Left window▼ Right window◀ Left windowRight window ▶2 h4 h6 h8 h10 hUTC+11UTC+12UTC−8UTC−7UTC−6UTC−7UTC−6UTC−7UTC−6UTC−5Pacific OceanJapanKuril IslandsAlaska RangeMackenzie MountainsCentral LowlandsMount Fuji3,776 m · 69 kmSuginami3 km off routeUtsunomiya55 km off routeIwaki11 km off routeKōriyama69 km off routeKoryaksky3,456 m · 105 kmMount Nirvana2,773 m · 49 kmWinnipeg22 km off routeMilwaukee71 km off routeMito1 km off routeDenali6,194 m · 40 kmFox Mountain2,404 m · 39 kmMadison23 km off routeHNDORDUTC+9

LandWaterCity, with its distance from the routePeakClock change

See the full list, leg by leg
  1. Take-off from Tokyo Haneda International Airport
  2. Below: Japan0 km · ≈ 15 min into the flight
  3. Mount Fuji, 3,776 m — on the left, 69 km away0 km · ≈ 15 min into the flight
  4. Below: Honshu34 km · ≈ 17 min into the flight
  5. Suginami, Japan — on the left, 3 km away85 km · ≈ 20 min into the flight
  6. Utsunomiya, Japan — on the left, 55 km away99 km · ≈ 20 min into the flight
  7. Mito, Japan — on the right, 1 km away107 km · ≈ 20 min into the flight
  8. Pacific Ocean and Sea of Okhotsk — 4,660 km without land169 km · ≈ 25 min into the flight
  9. Iwaki, Japan — on the left, 11 km away193 km · ≈ 30 min into the flight
  10. Kōriyama, Japan — on the left, 69 km away201 km · ≈ 30 min into the flight
  11. Fukushima, Japan — on the left, 85 km away237 km · ≈ 30 min into the flight
  12. Sendai, Japan — on the left, 88 km away305 km · ≈ 35 min into the flight
  13. Below: Kuril Islands1,180 km · ≈ 1 h 35 min into the flight
  14. Local time below changes: UTC+9 to UTC+111,380 km · ≈ 1 h 50 min into the flight
  15. Below: Urup1,420 km · ≈ 1 h 55 min into the flight
  16. Below: Paramushir2,090 km · ≈ 2 h 40 min into the flight
  17. Local time below changes: UTC+11 to UTC+122,190 km · ≈ 2 h 45 min into the flight
  18. Koryaksky, 3,456 m — on the left, 105 km away2,470 km · ≈ 3 h 05 min into the flight
  19. Local time below changes: UTC+12 to UTC−84,790 km · ≈ 5 h 45 min into the flight
  20. Land again4,830 km · ≈ 5 h 50 min into the flight
  21. Below: Alaska Range5,500 km · ≈ 6 h 35 min into the flight
  22. Denali, 6,194 m — on the right, 40 km away5,510 km · ≈ 6 h 35 min into the flight
  23. Below: Wrangell Mountains5,940 km · ≈ 7 h 05 min into the flight
  24. Local time below changes: UTC−8 to UTC−76,040 km · ≈ 7 h 10 min into the flight
  25. Below: Yukon Plateau6,070 km · ≈ 7 h 15 min into the flight
  26. Fox Mountain, 2,404 m — on the right, 39 km away6,420 km · ≈ 7 h 40 min into the flight
  27. Below: Mackenzie Mountains6,450 km · ≈ 7 h 40 min into the flight
  28. Below: Selwyn Mountains6,480 km · ≈ 7 h 40 min into the flight
  29. Below: Cassiar Mountains6,550 km · ≈ 7 h 45 min into the flight
  30. Mount Nirvana, 2,773 m — on the left, 49 km away6,700 km · ≈ 7 h 55 min into the flight
  31. Local time below changes: UTC−7 to UTC−66,780 km · ≈ 8 h 05 min into the flight
  32. Local time below changes: UTC−6 to UTC−76,880 km · ≈ 8 h 10 min into the flight
  33. Local time below changes: UTC−7 to UTC−66,920 km · ≈ 8 h 10 min into the flight
  34. Local time below changes: UTC−6 to UTC−77,120 km · ≈ 8 h 25 min into the flight
  35. Local time below changes: UTC−7 to UTC−67,190 km · ≈ 8 h 30 min into the flight
  36. Below: Caribou Mountains7,460 km · ≈ 8 h 50 min into the flight
  37. Below: Birch Mountains7,530 km · ≈ 8 h 55 min into the flight
  38. Below: Central Lowlands8,170 km · ≈ 9 h 40 min into the flight
  39. Local time below changes: UTC−6 to UTC−58,610 km · ≈ 10 h 10 min into the flight
  40. Winnipeg, Canada — on the left, 22 km away8,990 km · ≈ 10 h 35 min into the flight
  41. Below: Laurentian Upland9,350 km · ≈ 11 h 00 min into the flight
  42. Madison, United States — on the right, 23 km away9,950 km · ≈ 11 h 40 min into the flight
  43. Milwaukee, United States — on the left, 71 km away10,030 km · ≈ 11 h 45 min into the flight
  44. Landing at Chicago O'Hare International Airport10,120 km · ≈ 11 h 55 min into the flight

Times assume a typical jet speed, no wind and an on-time departure. Good for orientation, not for your watch.

Which side the sun, sunrise or sunset will be on

Enter the day and take-off time. Your phone does the maths: the sun's position on every leg of the route, relative to the nose of the aircraft.

Take-offLanding

Sky: light is daytime, amber is sunrise or sunset, dark is night. Left and Right show which side the sun is on for each leg.

Follow the route offline in airplane mode

All of this on board and with no signal: with your phone in airplane mode, Modo Avión shows where you are, what's below and how long is left. GPS still works, because it only listens to satellites.

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Arriving in Chicago

Chicago
Chicago · Photo: Sean McMenemy · CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Flight time and distance

About 12 h 10 min with no wind, including half an hour of taxi, climb and descent. On a long flight the wind aloft can change that by more than an hour, differently each way.

6,290 miles (10,120 km, 5,470 nautical miles) along the great circle. The real flight covers a little more because it follows airways.

Time zones you cross

kmTimeZone
0 kmUTC+9Tokyo
1,380 kmUTC+11Magadan
2,190 kmUTC+12Kamchatka
4,790 kmUTC−8Nome
6,040 kmUTC−7Dawson
6,780 kmUTC−6Inuvik
6,880 kmUTC−7Whitehorse
6,920 kmUTC−6Inuvik
7,120 kmUTC−7Fort Nelson
7,190 kmUTC−6Edmonton
8,610 kmUTC−5Winnipeg

Airspace (FIRs) along the route

Each is a control region: when the aircraft crosses the boundary, the centre talking to the pilot changes. Boundaries are approximate, from the VATSIM data set, not the official ICAO chart.

  • Fukuoka
  • Tokyo Oceanic
  • Khabarovsk
  • Magadan
  • Anchorage
  • Edmonton
  • Winnipeg
  • Minneapolis
  • Chicago

FAQ

Where does the plane fly from Tokyo to Chicago?

Along the shortest route, the flight from Tokyo to Chicago covers 6,290 miles (10,120 km) — about 12 h 10 min with no wind. It passes over or close to Japan, Canada and the United States. It crosses the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea: 46% of the route is over water. Today you leave on UTC+9 and land on UTC−5.

What countries do you fly over from Tokyo to Chicago?

It passes over or close to Japan, Canada and the United States, and crosses the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea. This is the theoretical route: the aircraft may deviate for wind or closed airspace.

How long is the flight from Tokyo to Chicago?

About 12 h 10 min with no wind, including half an hour of taxi, climb and descent. On a long flight the wind aloft can change that by more than an hour, differently each way.

How far is Tokyo from Chicago by plane?

6,290 miles (10,120 km, 5,470 nautical miles) along the great circle. The real flight covers a little more because it follows airways.

How much of the flight is over water?

46% of the route, about 4,660 km. The longest stretch without land is 4,660 km.

Why doesn't the plane fly in a straight line on the map?

It does fly straight — on a sphere. On a flat map the shortest path looks curved; on the globe on this page it looks like what it is.

Does GPS work in airplane mode?

Yes. GPS is a receiver: it listens to satellites and transmits nothing, so it keeps working in airplane mode. What you won't have is a map unless you downloaded it; Modo Avión carries its own.

More routes

The way back: Chicago → Tokyo

Look up another route

How this was calculated

The route is the great-circle arc between both airports, split into 300 points. At each point a point-in-polygon test runs against 1,102 airspace regions, 418 time zones and 1,338 physical geography regions. Countries are those with a town within 25 km of the route: in empty areas one may be missing. Cities named have over 250,000 people and lie within 110 km.

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