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Introduction We examined the relationship between preferred daily smoking times and typical situations in which smoking occurs and aimed to determine the association between successful smoking cessation and preferred smoking time. Methods We conducted an internet survey and categorized participants based on their selected smoking status: ‘successful smoking cessation’, ‘failed smoking cessation’, or ‘currently smoking’. Ultimately, 3637 people (1854 men, 1789 women) aged 30–59 years were included in the study. Participants also described the time points at which smoking seemed to be the most appealing and those at which smoking seemed the most difficult to resist. Results Regarding times of tobacco cravings, the number of non-smokers for more than 1 year who chose ‘after dinner’ was significantly higher than the number who chose ‘after breakfast’ or ‘after waking up’. Regarding the time when smoking was the most difficult to resist, the proportion of people who chose ‘after dinner’ that had quit smoking for less than 3 months was significantly low. Conclusions Those who prefer smoking ‘after dinner’ are less likely to start smoking cessation, but when they do, the rate of continuation for more than 1 year is high. We suggest that smoking cessation support based on preferred smoking times may lead to a decrease in the smoking rate.