Is Tokyo further north than Los Angeles?
Yes. Tokyo, at 35.7° N, lies about 180 km further north than Los Angeles, at 34.1° N.
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Why it surprises
Los Angeles feels like a sunny, almost subtropical city, while Tokyo has proper winters with cold, clear days, so Tokyo seems to belong much further north. The gap is smaller than most people expect. Tokyo’s centre lies at 35.7° N and Los Angeles’ at 34.1° N, so Tokyo is only about 180 km further north, roughly the distance from Los Angeles to San Diego. Among big American coastal cities, Los Angeles is the closest match to Tokyo’s latitude. The two climates differ because of the oceans and continents around them. Ocean currents move heat around the planet, and water heats and cools slowly, so coasts with different currents and winds can feel very different at nearly the same latitude. Similar latitudes can hide very different seasons.
Sources for this explanation
- NOAA Ocean Exploration: oceanexplorer.noaa.gov, checked 25 October 2026
- UCAR Center for Science Education: scied.ucar.edu, checked 25 October 2026
Where the numbers come from
Each city is placed by Wikidata’s coordinate for its centre, cross-checked with Natural Earth’s populated places. Details: Tokyo and Los Angeles.
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