Distance from Seoul to Tokyo
🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea → 🇯🇵 Tokyo, Japan
The dashed line joins the two city centres; the true shortest path on the globe is a great-circle arc, and real flight paths also bend around restricted airspace and follow airways.
Across the East Sea / Sea of Japan
This is a short flight. From Seoul the line crosses the Korean Peninsula to the coast near Gangneung, spans the body of water known in Japan as the Sea of Japan and in Korea as the East Sea, and makes landfall on Honshu near the Hokuriku coast before crossing the Japanese Alps to Tokyo. The busiest city-centre pairing is Gimpo (GMP) to Haneda (HND), which saves time compared with Incheon (ICN) and Narita (NRT). All four airports have nonstop service.
Rail and ferry instead
There is no tunnel under the Korea Strait, but the trip can be made without flying. KTX trains run from Seoul to Busan in about two and a half hours, ferries cross from Busan to Fukuoka in a few hours (or overnight to Shimonoseki or Osaka), and Japan's shinkansen network continues to Tokyo. It takes a full day or more, but some travellers enjoy it.
Closely tied neighbours
Korea was under Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945, and the two countries only normalised relations with the 1965 Treaty on Basic Relations. Historical issues still shape politics, yet the two economies are closely integrated and travel between them is heavy in both directions, driven by tourism, business and shared popular culture. See also the Japan vs South Korea comparison.
Seoul
Tokyo
Frequently asked questions
- How far is Tokyo from Seoul?
- 1,149 km (714 miles) in a straight line (great-circle distance). The distance is the same in both directions.
- How long is the flight from Seoul to Tokyo?
- A nonstop flight covers the distance in roughly 1h 56m. That estimate assumes an average 800 km/h plus 30 minutes for taxi, climb and descent; scheduled times vary with routing and winds.
- What direction is Tokyo from Seoul?
- Tokyo lies roughly east of Seoul; the initial great-circle bearing is 97°.
- What is the time difference between Seoul and Tokyo?
- Seoul and Tokyo share the same time zone (UTC+9). Neither city uses daylight saving time.
- Which airports serve this route?
- Seoul: Incheon (ICN) and Gimpo (GMP). Tokyo: Haneda (HND) and Narita (NRT).
- Can you travel from Seoul to Tokyo by ferry?
- Yes, with connections: take the KTX to Busan, a ferry to Fukuoka, Shimonoseki or Osaka, and then the shinkansen to Tokyo. It takes a full day or more.
Other routes from Seoul and Tokyo
See the country profiles for South Korea and Japan, or measure any other pair with the Asia distance calculator.