Sun & light planner

Golden hour in Tokyo

In mid-June golden hour in Tokyo starts at 18:21 and lasts 38 minutes; in mid-December it starts at 15:51 and lasts 39. The tool is set to Tokyo — pick your shoot date.

In Tokyo the evening golden hour starts at 18:21 in mid-June (38 min) and at 15:51 in mid-December (39 min). Pick a date for the exact day.

Location

Shoot date

Time of day

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Or drag across the day chart.

Obstruction on the horizon

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A row of buildings or a hill: about 5° for a four-storey block 100 m away.

Exact coordinates

Latitude

Longitude

Asia/Tokyo

golden (sun 6° to −0.8°)
dusk (−0.8° to −4°)
blue (−4° to −6°)
night
sun altitude

Golden hour, evening: —
Blue hour, evening: —
Golden hour, morning: —
Sunrise: —
Sunset: —
Daylight: —
Sun sets toward: —
Highest sun: —
Sun at chosen time: —
Shadow of a 1.80 m person: —

Drag the map to place the spot exactly

One column per day, midnight at the top. Click a day to open it. Breaks in the bands are clock changes.

15th of	Sunrise	Sunset	Golden pm	Length	Blue until	Daylight
Jan	06:51	16:51	16:13–16:51	38 min	17:19	10 h 00 min
Feb	06:30	17:23	16:48–17:23	35 min	17:49	10 h 53 min
Mar	05:54	17:49	17:15–17:49	34 min	18:14	11 h 55 min
Apr	05:10	18:14	17:40–18:14	34 min	18:40	13 h 04 min
May	04:38	18:39	18:03–18:39	36 min	19:08	14 h 02 min
Jun	04:26	18:59	18:21–18:59	38 min	19:29	14 h 33 min
Jul	04:37	18:59	18:21–18:59	37 min	19:28	14 h 21 min
Aug	05:01	18:33	17:58–18:33	35 min	19:00	13 h 32 min
Sep	05:24	17:51	17:18–17:51	34 min	18:17	12 h 27 min
Oct	05:48	17:08	16:34–17:08	34 min	17:34	11 h 20 min
Nov	06:17	16:36	15:59–16:36	37 min	17:03	10 h 19 min
Dec	06:44	16:30	15:51–16:30	39 min	16:58	9 h 46 min

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Golden hour in Tokyo, month by month

The evening window in Tokyo is longest in December (39 minutes) and shortest in March (34 minutes). Values for the 15th of each month, local time, daylight saving included.

Tokyo, 2026: sun times on the 15th (Asia/Tokyo)
Month	Sunrise	Sunset	Golden hour, evening	Length	Blue hour until	Daylight
January	06:51	16:51	16:13–16:51	38 min	17:19	10 h 00 min
February	06:30	17:23	16:48–17:23	35 min	17:49	10 h 53 min
March	05:54	17:49	17:15–17:49	34 min	18:14	11 h 55 min
April	05:10	18:14	17:40–18:14	34 min	18:40	13 h 04 min
May	04:38	18:39	18:03–18:39	36 min	19:08	14 h 02 min
June	04:26	18:59	18:21–18:59	38 min	19:29	14 h 33 min
July	04:37	18:59	18:21–18:59	37 min	19:28	14 h 21 min
August	05:01	18:33	17:58–18:33	35 min	19:00	13 h 32 min
September	05:24	17:51	17:18–17:51	34 min	18:17	12 h 27 min
October	05:48	17:08	16:34–17:08	34 min	17:34	11 h 20 min
November	06:17	16:36	15:59–16:36	37 min	17:03	10 h 19 min
December	06:44	16:30	15:51–16:30	39 min	16:58	9 h 46 min

Where the sun goes down

Around the June solstice the sun sets in Tokyo at 299° (WNW), around the December solstice at 241° (WSW) — 58° apart. A façade that gets backlight at the end of a summer day is lit from the side in winter, and a street that frames the sunset in July may not see it at all in January.

The highest sun of the year stands at 78° at noon, the lowest at 31°. Below about 15° the light turns warm and the shadows long enough to shape a face; the day chart in the tool shows when the sun crosses that line on your date.

Frequently asked

When does golden hour start in Tokyo today?

The tool above opens on today’s date for Tokyo. As a guide: in mid-June it starts at 18:21, in mid-December at 15:51.

How long is golden hour in Tokyo?

Between 34 minutes (March) and 39 minutes (December) in the evening, measured from 6° sun altitude to sunset.

Does a building to the west change this?

Yes. Set the obstruction slider to its angle: a four-storey building 100 m away is about 5° and ends direct sun noticeably before sunset. The tool shows how many minutes you lose.