Sunrise & sunset times in Sapporo
Sunrise in Sapporo today is at 05:32 and sunset is at 17:14, giving 11h 43m of daylight (times for Friday, 2 October 2026, in Sapporo's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 16:37 to 17:14. The moon is a waning gibbous at 67% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for Sapporo, Japan. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 03:55 and sets at 19:17 in Sapporo (15h 22m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 07:02 and sets at 16:02 (9h 0m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 05:38 | 17:46 | 12h 8m |
| June solstice | 03:55 | 19:17 | 15h 22m |
| September equinox | 05:21 | 17:32 | 12h 12m |
| December solstice | 07:02 | 16:02 | 9h 0m |
Full sun timeline for Sapporo
Civil dawn, when the sky starts to brighten before sunrise.
The moment the top edge of the sun appears on the horizon.
End of the soft, warm morning light photographers love.
The sun reaches its highest point in the sky for the day.
Start of the warm, low evening light before sunset.
The moment the sun dips fully below the horizon.
Civil dusk, when the last usable daylight fades.
Golden hour and blue hour in Sapporo
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 07:03 | 16:24 | 9h 21m |
| February | 06:33 | 17:04 | 10h 32m |
| March | 05:48 | 17:40 | 11h 52m |
| April | 04:53 | 18:16 | 13h 22m |
| May | 04:12 | 18:50 | 14h 39m |
| June | 03:54 | 19:15 | 15h 21m |
| July | 04:08 | 19:12 | 15h 4m |
| August | 04:39 | 18:38 | 13h 59m |
| September | 05:13 | 17:45 | 12h 33m |
| October | 05:47 | 16:52 | 11h 5m |
| November | 06:26 | 16:11 | 9h 45m |
| December | 06:58 | 16:00 | 9h 2m |
Sun and moon in Sapporo
Whether you are planning a sunrise photo walk or timing an evening run, the daily sun and moon schedule for Sapporo is easy to check here. This page shows live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, morning and evening golden hour, blue hour, dawn and dusk, plus the current moon phase and the moonrise and moonset times for Sapporo. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of Sapporo, Japan. Sapporo sits at roughly 43.06 degrees north, in the northern hemisphere, so it sees a clear but moderate seasonal swing, with noticeably longer days in summer and cosier, earlier sunsets in winter. Because the length of the day changes with the seasons, the exact sunrise and sunset in Sapporo shift from week to week. Pick any date with the date picker to see how the light will fall on a specific day, which is handy for planning a shoot, an event, a wedding, a flight or simply the best moment to catch the last warm light of the evening. Golden hour, that soft warm window near sunrise and sunset, is the favourite of photographers in Sapporo. Blue hour, the cooler stretch just before sunrise and just after sunset, is ideal for cityscapes and long exposures. Combined with the moon phase and moon times, this gives you a complete picture of natural light over Sapporo, Japan for any day of the year.
What time is sunset in Sapporo today?
The sun sets in Sapporo at 17:14 today, Friday, 2 October 2026, in Sapporo's own local time. The warm light starts well before that: evening golden hour opens at 16:37, giving 38 minutes of low golden light before the sun reaches the horizon. Sunset is not the end of the light either. Last light, the moment usable daylight ends at civil dusk, follows 28 minutes later at 17:43, and the sky is properly dark at 18:49, 1h 34m after sunset.
Tomorrow the sun sets at 17:13 in Sapporo. That is 1 minute 46 seconds earlier than today. Over the coming week sunset moves 12 minutes 11 seconds earlier.
Planning around the light? See golden hour in Sapporo.
Is the day getting longer or shorter in Sapporo right now?
Sapporo gets 11h 43m of daylight today, from sunrise to sunset. Tomorrow will be 2 minutes 54 seconds shorter. Over the next seven days Sapporo loses 20 minutes 13 seconds of daylight.
That pace is not constant. In Sapporo the day length changes fastest around March, near the equinox, when it moves by about 2 minutes 57 seconds per day, and it slows almost to a stop at the solstices in June and December. The word solstice means exactly that: the sun standing still.
When are the earliest and latest sunrise and sunset in Sapporo?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Sapporo falls on 9 December at 15:59, 12 days before the December solstice, and the latest on 27 June at 19:18.
Sunrise runs on its own schedule: earliest on 15 June at 03:54, latest on 3 January at 07:06, 13 days after the December solstice. The four dates in the table below do not line up with the solstices, and they are not supposed to. Earth's orbit is slightly elliptical and its axis is tilted, so the sun runs a few minutes fast or slow against clock time through the year. That offset, the equation of time, is what pushes the earliest sunset ahead of the shortest day and the latest sunrise behind it.
| Extreme | Date | Local time | Why then |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earliest sunrise | 15 Jun 2026 | 03:54 | 6 days before the June solstice |
| Latest sunrise | 3 Jan 2026 | 07:06 | 13 days after the December solstice |
| Earliest sunset | 9 Dec 2026 | 15:59 | 12 days before the December solstice |
| Latest sunset | 27 Jun 2026 | 19:18 | 6 days after the June solstice |
For the longest and shortest day themselves, see day length in Sapporo.
How long does twilight last in Sapporo?
First light in Sapporo arrives 28 minutes before sunrise today, at 05:04. After sunset the light hangs on for another 28 minutes, until 17:43. That evening stretch is not the same all year in Sapporo: it runs from 28 minutes at its shortest, in September, to 35 minutes at its longest, in June. The lower the angle at which the sun crosses the horizon, the longer twilight lasts, which is why dusk is a slow affair at high latitudes and abrupt near the equator.
Full three-band twilight tables: dawn in Sapporo and dusk in Sapporo.
How high does the sun get in Sapporo?
At midday on the June solstice the sun stands 70.4 degrees above the horizon in Sapporo. On the December solstice it climbs only 23.5 degrees. A midday sun that low throws a shadow about 2.3 times the height of whatever casts it, so even at noon in midwinter the shadows in Sapporo are long ones.
Frequently asked questions about Sapporo
What time is sunrise in Sapporo today?
The sun rises in Sapporo, Japan at 05:32 on Friday, 2 October 2026, and sets at 17:14. Use the date picker above to check sunrise for any other day. All times are given in the local time zone of Sapporo.
When is golden hour in Sapporo?
Sapporo has two golden hours each day. On Friday, 2 October 2026 the morning window runs from 05:32 to 06:10, and the evening window from 16:37 to 17:14, all in local time. Pick another date above to plan a shoot down to the minute.
Why do sunrise and sunset change through the year in Sapporo?
Because Sapporo lies in the northern hemisphere, its days are longest around June and shortest around December. In Sapporo the longer solstice day runs about 15h 22m and the shorter one about 9h 0m, as shown in the table above. As Earth orbits the Sun, the point on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets moves, which lengthens or shortens the day and shifts sunrise and sunset times.
Are the times for Sapporo accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of Sapporo and shown in its local time zone. They are accurate to about a minute for a clear, flat horizon. Hills, tall buildings and atmospheric conditions can shift the moment you actually see the Sun by a few minutes.
Does this page show the moon phase for Sapporo?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for Sapporo are all shown for the selected date, so you can plan around a full moon or a dark new moon sky.
How much daylight does Sapporo gain or lose each day?
Sapporo has 11h 43m of daylight on Friday, 2 October 2026 and is losing daylight: 20 minutes 13 seconds over the following seven days, with tomorrow 2 minutes 54 seconds shorter than today. The daily change is at its largest near the March and September equinoxes and almost stops at the June and December solstices.
When is the earliest sunset in Sapporo?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Sapporo is on 9 December at 15:59, 12 days before the December solstice. The earliest sunset and the shortest day are not the same date, because the sun runs a few minutes fast or slow against clock time through the year, an effect called the equation of time.
How long does it stay light after sunset in Sapporo?
About 28 minutes on Friday, 2 October 2026. The sun sets at 17:14 and usable daylight ends at civil dusk, 17:43, with full astronomical darkness at 18:49. The higher the latitude, the longer that fade takes.
Data and methodology: every time on this page is computed from Sapporo's coordinates with SunCalc, an open source astronomy library, not estimated or looked up from a table. Coordinates 43.06, 141.35, time zone Asia/Tokyo. Accurate to about a minute for a flat, unobstructed horizon; terrain, tall buildings and atmospheric conditions can shift the moment the sun is actually visible by a few minutes. Full method on methodology.
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