Golden hour in Tokyo in January

Tokyo lies at 35.68° N, in the mid-latitudes, where the seasons reshape the light noticeably. Its longest measured day falls on Fri 19 June 2026 with 14h 35m of daylight, and its shortest on Fri 18 December 2026 with 9h 45m — a difference of 4h 50m between the two extremes.

Evening golden hour in Tokyo runs for roughly 38 minutes at the height of summer, 34 minutes around the March equinox and 39 minutes at midwinter. The warm window is actually widest in the colder months, which makes winter evenings unusually forgiving here.

The sun sets toward 300° WNW in late June and toward 241° WSW in late December, a shift of about 59° in where the last light lands — worth checking before committing to a west-facing viewpoint. In Tokyo, the sky reaches full darkness between evening and morning twilight year-round.