Japan to Eastern Time guide for the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics

The 2020 Summer Olympics are finally going to happen, just in 2021. The Games of the 32nd Olympiad are scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan this year after being postponed last year due to COVID-19.

This marks the second time Tokyo has hosted the Summer Olympics. Two other sites in Japan have also hosted the Winter Olympics. Holding the Summer Olympics in Japan means we will see a significant time difference for the American viewing audiences.

Events for this year’s Olympics will take place between Wednesday, July 21st and Sunday, August 8th Tokyo time. Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone in the United States, so that means the Olympics will get started on Tuesday the 20th on the east coast. The final events will wrap the morning of the 8th in the US.

We’ll do our best throughout the Olympics to eliminate any confusion regarding event times, but just in case, feel free to refer back to our guide here to make sure you don’t miss out on your favorite event due to confusion about the time.

Japan to Eastern Standard Time differences

*Please note that Japan Standard Time is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Ex: If it is Thursday morning at 2:00 a.m. in Tokyo, it is Wednesday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. in the Eastern time zone.