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Route guide

Paris Tokyo

Charles de Gaulle (CDG) — Narita (NRT)

Eastbound
Distance
9,760 km
Duration
12h
TZ shift
7h east
Best side
right

Overview

Paris CDG to Tokyo Narita — one of the most-flown Europe-Asia long-hauls. Aircraft, sleep timing, and arrival-day light exposure are the three controllables that matter.

Jet lag

7-hour eastward shift on an overnight departure — the standard Asia-from-Europe pattern. Pre-flight schedule shifting helps; arrival-day morning light at Narita or in central Tokyo does the heavy lifting.

Estimated recovery

Without intervention ~7 days
With timed light + melatonin ~4 days

Estimates only — based on ~1 day per time zone east, compressed roughly 40% with a timed protocol. See how long jet lag actually lasts and why eastward is harder.

Build a CDG→NRT adaptation schedule

Best window side

Eastbound polar routing — the right side often catches sunrise late in the flight. For sleep, shade control beats view; pick the window you can fully blind.

Typical economy row (3-3-3)

Left

Middle

Best · Right

The right window is the calmer pick on this route. For sleep, the window itself matters more than the side — see how to sleep on a long-haul. For the exact rows and seat letters on this aircraft, use the seat picker.

Cabin atmosphere

787-9 (Air France, JAL) and A350-900 are notably better than 777 on a 12-hour eastbound. Worth filtering for these when booking.

Expected cabin humidity at cruise

This route's typical aircraft ~15-20%
Indoor air at home ~40-60%

Composite-fuselage aircraft (787, A350) run higher humidity than older aluminum-fuselage types. See what the 787 actually fixes.

What to pack for this route

Read before you fly

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