Rule
Blue Hour
Biei - Blue Hour - Japan
Biei, Hokkaido, Japan
When city lights balance with the deep blue twilight sky
Currently
Real-time conditionsCloud Cover6%
Moon Altitude-10.6°
Upcoming Opportunities
When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.
Times shown in Asia/Tokyo
Next opportunity
Good Blue Hour (clear) at Sunset
Biei
Tue, Apr 14 · 18:30–18:41 · 1h window
Medium confidence
62%
🌉Blue Hour Quality82.1%
Cloud Cover: 0%
Moon Illumination: 12%
Moon Altitude: -36.0°
Good Blue Hour (clear) at Sunrise
Biei
Wed, Apr 15 · 04:18–04:29
🌉Blue Hour Quality:79.6%
Medium
What this forecast looks for
Plain-language explanation from the ruleJapan's blue hour offers a unique synthesis of ancient and modern—the magical twilight when traditional temple lanterns begin to glow and neon signs reflect in urban canals. This forecast tracks optimal dusk conditions for capturing Japan's dual character.
Blue hour photography across Japan:
- Kyoto's illuminated heritage - Temple lanterns and pagodas create warm focal points against deepening blue skies, particularly atmospheric at Kiyomizu-dera
- Osaka's neon reflections - Dotonbori's canal becomes a mirror for running neon signs and illuminated billboards
- Geisha districts - Kanazawa's Higashi district and Kyoto's Gion see traditional lanterns lit along preserved streets
- Floating torii - Miyajima's Itsukushima shrine gate silhouetted against twilight skies during high tide
- Urban-traditional fusion - Cities across Japan offer compositions blending lit temples with modern skylines
The blue hour occurs year-round but gains special atmosphere during autumn illumination events and winter when snow reflects the ambient light. Arrive 30-40 minutes before sunset to set up—the optimal window when artificial lights balance with natural light lasts only 20-30 minutes. Japan's combination of meticulous lighting design and cultural reverence for twilight creates blue hour photography opportunities found nowhere else.
Create your own Blue Hour alerts
Get notified when these conditions match at your own locations.
72-hour requirements breakdown
What passed or failed, hour by hourAND logic: all conditions required
Meets requirement
Misses requirement
Time Asia/Tokyo | Blue Hour Any | Blue Hour Quality ≥ 65.0% | Precipitation Chance ≤ 15.0% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Apr 8 | |||
| 14:00 | ✕ | 3.7% | 0% |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 3.8% | 0% |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 3.7% | 0% |
| 17:00 | ✕ | 3.6% | 0% |
| 18:00 | ✓ | 70% | 0% |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 11% | 0% |
| 20:00 | ✕ | 11% | 0% |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 11% | 0% |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 9.6% | 0% |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 7.9% | 0% |
| Thu, Apr 9 | |||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 8.1% | 0% |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 8.2% | 0% |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 7.3% | 0% |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 6.4% | 0% |
| 04:00 | ✓ | 37% | 0% |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 12% | 0% |
| 06:00 | ✕ | 3.1% | 0% |
| 07:00 | ✕ | 2.7% | 0% |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 2.9% | 0% |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 3.4% | 0% |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 3.2% | 0% |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 2.1% | 0% |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 2.1% | 0% |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 2.1% | 0% |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 1.6% | 0% |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 1.6% | 0% |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 1.7% | 13% |
| 17:00 | ✕ | 2.4% | 26% |
| 18:00 | ✓ | 52% | 39% |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 7.2% | 45% |
| 20:00 | ✕ | 7.2% | 50% |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 6.8% | 56% |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 6.8% | 56% |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 7.8% | 56% |
| Fri, Apr 10 | |||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 7.8% | 56% |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 5.7% | 59% |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 3.6% | 61% |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 3.9% | 64% |
| 04:00 | ✓ | 25% | 43% |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 1.2% | 21% |
| 06:00 | ✕ | 1.2% | 0% |
| 07:00 | ✕ | 1.2% | 24% |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 1.2% | 48% |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 1.9% | 72% |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 2.4% | 81% |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 1.9% | 90% |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 2.4% | 100% |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 1.9% | 100% |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 1.8% | 100% |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 1.5% | 100% |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 1.4% | 94% |
| 17:00 | ✕ | 1.4% | 89% |
| 18:00 | ✓ | 22% | 84% |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 13% | 86% |
| 20:00 | ✕ | 2% | 88% |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 2.4% | 90% |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 5.1% | 79% |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 3.7% | 67% |
| Sat, Apr 11 | |||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 4.2% | 56% |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 3.8% | 58% |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 3.8% | 60% |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 2.8% | 62% |
| 04:00 | ✓ | 19% | 69% |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 1% | 76% |
| 06:00 | ✕ | 0.8% | 84% |
| 07:00 | ✕ | 1% | 88% |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 0.2% | 93% |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 1% | 97% |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 0.3% | 96% |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 1% | 94% |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 1% | 92% |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 0.8% | 94% |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 0.4% | 96% |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 0.2% | 98% |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 0.2% | 98% |
| 17:00 | ✕ | 0.2% | 98% |
| 18:00 | ✓ | 3% | 98% |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 1.8% | 98% |
| 20:00 | ✕ | 0.4% | 99% |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 0% | 99% |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 0.4% | 99% |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 0.4% | 98% |
| Sun, Apr 12 | |||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 0.4% | 98% |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 1.1% | 98% |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 1.1% | 99% |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 1.2% | 100% |
| 04:00 | ✓ | 16% | 98% |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 0.7% | 96% |
| 06:00 | ✕ | 1.1% | 94% |
| 07:00 | ✕ | 1.3% | 95% |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 1.4% | 95% |
How to read: colored cells show whether each predicate requirement is met; highlighted rows mean the full rule matched (an opportunity).
What does Blue Hour Quality mean?
Inputs that drive the scoreThis derived score summarizes multiple raw weather signals. The table below shows the supporting inputs hour by hour, so you can see what's pushing the score up or down.
| Time Asia/Tokyo | Blue Hour | High Clouds % | Low Clouds % | Mid-Level Clouds % | Relative Humidity % | Solar Elevation ° | Total Cloud Coverage % | Visibility m | Wind Speed m/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Apr 9
Sunrise 04:57
Sunset 18:05 | |||||||||
| 10:00 ☾ | - | 6% | 0% | 1% | 62% | 49° | 6% | 24134m | 6.3m/s |
| 11:00 ☾ | - | 80% | 22% | 1% | 60% | 53° | 80% | 24135m | 6.6m/s |
| 12:00 ☾ | - | 84% | 77% | 16% | 60% | 53° | 84% | 24135m | 6.8m/s |
| 13:00 ☾ | - | 96% | 53% | 44% | 61% | 49° | 96% | 24135m | 6.4m/s |
| 14:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 52% | 100% | 60% | 42° | 100% | 24134m | 6.2m/s |
| 15:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 38% | 100% | 61% | 32° | 100% | 24134m | 6.3m/s |
| 16:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 40% | 100% | 64% | 22° | 100% | 24134m | 5.7m/s |
| 17:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 14% | 100% | 69% | 11° | 100% | 24135m | 4.4m/s |
| 18:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 0% | 100% | 75% | 0.65° | 100% | 24134m | 3.6m/s |
| 19:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 3% | 100% | 78% | -10° | 100% | 24135m | 3.4m/s |
| 20:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 4% | 100% | 79% | -20° | 100% | 24135m | 3.8m/s |
| 21:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 5% | 100% | 82% | -28° | 100% | 24135m | 4.2m/s |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 30% | 5% | 96% | 84% | -35° | 96% | 24135m | 4.4m/s |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 33% | 6% | 13% | 87% | -38° | 33% | 24134m | 4.1m/s |
| Fri, Apr 10
Sunrise 04:57
Sunset 18:05 | |||||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 1% | 24% | 5% | 90% | -38° | 24% | 24135m | 3.4m/s |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 45% | 32% | 90% | -35° | 45% | 24134m | 3m/s |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 64% | 83% | 90% | -29° | 83% | 24134m | 3.2m/s |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 12% | 71% | 46% | 89% | -20° | 74% | 24135m | 3m/s |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 100% | 15% | 88% | -11° | 100% | 24135m | 2.8m/s |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 100% | 32% | 88% | 0.24° | 100% | 24134m | 3m/s |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 100% | 5% | 89% | 11° | 100% | 24134m | 3m/s |
| 07:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 100% | 5% | 87% | 21° | 100% | 24135m | 2.6m/s |
| 08:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 100% | 5% | 85% | 32° | 100% | 24134m | 2.5m/s |
| 09:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 31% | 5% | 78% | 41° | 100% | 24135m | 2.5m/s |
| 10:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 9% | 14% | 66% | 49° | 100% | 24134m | 2.7m/s |
| 11:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 73% | 100% | 59% | 54° | 100% | 24134m | 3.6m/s |
| 12:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 22% | 77% | 60% | 54° | 100% | 24135m | 3.5m/s |
| 13:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 23% | 100% | 57% | 49° | 100% | 24134m | 3.6m/s |
| 14:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 22% | 100% | 59% | 42° | 100% | 24134m | 4.6m/s |
| 15:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 100% | 100% | 66% | 32° | 100% | 24135m | 5m/s |
| 16:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 100% | 100% | 77% | 22° | 100% | 24134m | 3.9m/s |
| 17:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 100% | 100% | 81% | 11° | 100% | 24134m | 3.4m/s |
| 18:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 100% | 100% | 85% | 0.83° | 100% | 10830m | 3.1m/s |
| 19:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 100% | 100% | 86% | -10° | 100% | 15131m | 3.8m/s |
| 20:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 100% | 100% | 88% | -20° | 100% | 6373m | 4.3m/s |
| 21:00 ☾ | - | 28% | 100% | 100% | 88% | -28° | 100% | 5443m | 3.2m/s |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 2% | 52% | 42% | 88% | -34° | 52% | 24134m | 2.4m/s |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 27% | 87% | -38° | 100% | 24134m | 3.2m/s |
| Sat, Apr 11
Sunrise 04:55
Sunset 18:06 | |||||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 71% | 0% | 87% | -38° | 71% | 24134m | 3.9m/s |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 88% | -35° | 100% | 24134m | 3.8m/s |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 87% | -28° | 100% | 24135m | 3.7m/s |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 90% | -20° | 100% | 19942m | 4.6m/s |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 92% | 0% | 93% | -10° | 92% | 19881m | 5m/s |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 86% | 0.5° | 100% | 24134m | 6.8m/s |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 91% | 11° | 100% | 19931m | 6.6m/s |
| 07:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 90% | 22° | 100% | 20048m | 6.3m/s |
| 08:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 4% | 93% | 32° | 100% | 639m | 6.6m/s |
| 09:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 91% | 42° | 100% | 19893m | 5.8m/s |
| 10:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 92% | 49° | 100% | 808m | 5.3m/s |
| 11:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 88% | 54° | 100% | 19929m | 5.1m/s |
| 12:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 87% | 54° | 100% | 19944m | 4.7m/s |
| 13:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 26% | 90% | 50° | 100% | 14213m | 4.3m/s |
| 14:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 100% | 96% | 42° | 100% | 372m | 3m/s |
| 15:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 100% | 98% | 33° | 100% | 100m | 5.6m/s |
| 16:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 100% | 98% | 22° | 100% | 82m | 6m/s |
| 17:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 100% | 98% | 11° | 100% | 63m | 6.5m/s |
| 18:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 100% | 98% | 1° | 100% | 45m | 7m/s |
| 19:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 100% | 98% | -9.8° | 100% | 42m | 7.4m/s |
| 20:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 100% | 98% | -19° | 100% | 39m | 7.8m/s |
| 21:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 100% | 98% | -28° | 100% | 36m | 8.3m/s |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 91% | 97% | -34° | 100% | 163m | 7.9m/s |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 82% | 96% | -37° | 100% | 290m | 7.6m/s |
| Sun, Apr 12
Sunrise 04:53
Sunset 18:07 | |||||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 73% | 94% | -38° | 100% | 417m | 7.2m/s |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 50% | 92% | -34° | 100% | 1176m | 7.2m/s |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 26% | 90% | -28° | 100% | 1936m | 7.2m/s |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 2% | 88% | -20° | 100% | 2695m | 7.3m/s |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 1% | 83% | -10° | 100% | 7874m | 7.7m/s |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 1% | 77% | 0.76° | 100% | 13053m | 8.1m/s |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 72% | 11° | 100% | 18232m | 8.6m/s |
| 07:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 98% | 0% | 73% | 22° | 98% | 19304m | 7.9m/s |
| 08:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 96% | 0% | 75% | 32° | 96% | 20376m | 7.3m/s |
| 09:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 94% | 0% | 76% | 42° | 94% | 21448m | 6.6m/s |
How to read: these inputs help produce the derived score; they are not requirements by themselves.
Get Notified of Opportunities
Create your own custom alerts for this location and more.
Create Free Account