Skip to content
Rule Golden Hour

Mount Aso - Golden Hour - Kyushu

Aso, Kumamoto, Japan

That magical warm light just after sunrise or before sunset

Currently

Real-time conditions
Low Cloud Cover27%
Mid Cloud Cover0%
High Cloud Cover0%
Sun Elevation-31.4° (Astronomical night)

Upcoming Opportunities

When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.

Times shown in Asia/Tokyo
golden-hour weather icon
Next opportunity
Excellent Golden Hour at Sunrise
Mount Aso
Tomorrow · 04:56–05:49 · 1h window
Medium confidence
48%
🌇Golden Hour Potential80.5-81.9%
Low Cloud Cover: 40%
Mid Cloud Cover: 0%
High Cloud Cover: 0%
Sun Elevation: -13.9° (Astronomical twilight)

What this forecast looks for

Plain-language explanation from the rule

This forecast identifies optimal golden hour conditions across Kyushu's volcanic landscapes, subtropical coastlines, and historic castle sites. We track cloud cover, volcanic haze, and atmospheric conditions to predict when warm light enhances the island's distinctive geothermal features.

Kyushu's southern position brings extended golden hour periods and unique light quality. Active volcanoes like Aso and Sakurajima add atmospheric haze enhancing sunrise and sunset colors. The subtropical climate creates morning mist-burn conditions where golden hour combines with lifting fog.

What makes Kyushu golden-hour photography distinctive:

  • Volcanic drama at sunrise - Mount Aso's smoking crater catching first light from caldera rim with ash plumes illuminated
  • Active volcano silhouettes - Sakurajima's erupting cone backlit against Kagoshima Bay at sunset
  • Castle golden hour - Kumamoto's reconstructed castle with curved stone walls catching warm light above modern city
  • Subtropical coastal light - Aoshima's shrine island and washboard rocks under low-angle ocean sunrise

Mount Aso provides dramatic golden hour scenes—arrive at Daikanbo viewpoint before dawn to photograph the caldera rim catching first light while crater bowl remains in shadow. Sakurajima across Kagoshima Bay works at sunrise and sunset—near-constant ash emissions create enhanced atmospheric colors. Kumamoto Castle's walls photograph beautifully in early morning light. Takachiho Gorge's basalt columns need precise timing when low sun penetrates the narrow canyon. Yufuin's rural landscape with Mount Yufu makes excellent dawn compositions. Winter provides clearer air and longer golden hour windows.

Create your own Golden Hour alerts

Get notified when these conditions match at your own locations.

Get this template

72-hour requirements breakdown

What passed or failed, hour by hour
2matching hours in the next 95 hoursJump to next match
AND logic: all conditions required
Meets requirement
Misses requirement
Time
Asia/Tokyo
Golden Hour
Any
Golden Hour Potential
≥ 80.0%
Precipitation Chance
≤ 5.0%
Visibility
≥ 1000.0m
Tue, Jul 7
22:0024%26%24135m
23:0023%13%24135m
Wed, Jul 8
24:0015%0%8108m
01:0015%0%9477m
02:0015%0%11754m
03:0014%0%8908m
04:0047%39%8762m
05:0050%39%24134m
06:0011%39%24135m
07:0015%58%24135m
08:0012%76%24135m
09:0017%95%24134m
10:0015%93%24134m
11:0017%96%24135m
12:0018%98%24135m
13:0021%98%24135m
14:0020%99%24134m
15:0018%99%24135m
16:0013%94%17713m
17:0017%88%10800m
18:0051%82%14063m
19:0053%82%21204m
20:0012%82%24134m
21:0012%82%22682m
22:0012%55%24020m
23:0012%27%24135m
Thu, Jul 9
24:0012%0%9754m
01:0014%0%7751m
02:0012%0%17782m
03:0011%0%24134m
04:0081%0%24134m
05:0082%0%24134m
06:0032%0%24135m
07:0012%0%24134m
08:0012%0%24134m
09:0014%0%24135m
10:0016%13%24135m
11:0023%26%24135m
12:0023%39%24134m
13:0023%47%24134m
14:0017%56%24134m
15:0015%64%24135m
16:0015%43%24135m
17:0014%21%22153m
18:0059%0%24135m
19:0059%0%24134m
20:0012%0%24135m
21:0012%0%24135m
22:0015%0%24134m
23:0020%0%24135m
Fri, Jul 10
24:0021%0%24135m
01:0021%0%24134m
02:0018%0%8879m
03:0017%0%7702m
04:0076%0%7630m
05:0070%0%8666m
06:0028%0%9957m
07:007.5%5.6%24135m
08:0011%11%24135m
09:0015%17%24135m
10:0017%29%24135m
11:0023%41%24135m
12:0024%52%24134m
13:0026%51%24135m
14:0019%49%24134m
15:0023%47%24135m
16:0019%31%24134m
17:0017%16%24134m
18:0057%0%24135m
19:0060%0%24134m
20:0024%0%24134m
21:0024%0%24134m
22:0024%0%24135m
23:0024%0%24134m
Sat, Jul 11
24:0018%0%9263m
01:0014%13%4654m
02:0014%26%3713m
03:0012%39%5023m
04:0052%39%11394m
05:0065%39%17764m
06:0023%39%24135m
07:000%59%24135m
08:000%80%24135m
09:000%100%24135m
10:000%72%24135m
11:000%43%24135m
12:000%15%24135m
13:000%18%19452m
14:000%21%14769m
15:000%24%10086m
16:000%16%14769m
17:000%7.8%19452m
18:0069%0%24135m
19:0093%13%24135m
20:000%26%24135m
How to read: colored cells show whether each predicate requirement is met; highlighted rows mean the full rule matched (an opportunity).

What does Golden Hour Potential mean?

Inputs that drive the score

This 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
Golden Hour
High Clouds
%
Low Clouds
%
Mid-Level Clouds
%
Relative Humidity
%
Solar Elevation
°
Total Cloud Coverage
%
Wind Speed
m/s
Wed, Jul 8 Sunrise 05:14 Sunset 19:27
23:00
- 0% 27% 0% 98% -31° 27% 2m/s
Thu, Jul 9 Sunrise 05:14 Sunset 19:27
24:00
- 0% 19% 0% 98% -34° 19% 2.3m/s
01:00
- 0% 25% 0% 98% -34° 25% 2.4m/s
02:00
- 0% 43% 0% 99% -30° 43% 2.6m/s
03:00
- 0% 48% 0% 98% -23° 48% 2.6m/s
04:00
- 0% 40% 0% 98% -14° 40% 2.6m/s
05:00
- 0% 22% 0% 98% -3.4° 22% 2.5m/s
06:00
- 0% 12% 0% 98% 12% 2.4m/s
07:00
- 0% 7% 0% 96% 20° 7% 2.6m/s
08:00
- 0% 4% 0% 87% 32° 4% 2.4m/s
09:00
- 0% 0% 0% 72% 45° 0% 2.1m/s
10:00
- 0% 0% 0% 63% 57° 0% 1.7m/s
11:00
- 0% 0% 0% 57% 69° 0% 1.8m/s
12:00
- 0% 0% 0% 53% 78° 0% 1.9m/s
13:00
- 0% 2% 0% 51% 76° 2% 1.9m/s
14:00
- 0% 23% 0% 50% 66° 23% 1.7m/s
15:00
- 0% 49% 0% 50% 53° 49% 1.7m/s
16:00
- 0% 82% 0% 56% 41° 82% 2.1m/s
17:00
- 0% 98% 0% 76% 28° 98% 1.7m/s
18:00
- 0% 100% 0% 86% 16° 100% 0.9m/s
19:00
- 0% 100% 0% 88% 4.5° 100% 0.89m/s
20:00
- 0% 46% 0% 91% -6.8° 46% 1.9m/s
21:00
- 0% 57% 0% 94% -17° 57% 2m/s
22:00
- 0% 35% 0% 95% -25° 35% 2.1m/s
23:00
- 0% 3% 0% 96% -31° 3% 2.3m/s
Fri, Jul 10 Sunrise 05:14 Sunset 19:26
24:00
- 1% 5% 0% 97% -35° 5% 2.5m/s
01:00
- 1% 7% 0% 97% -34° 7% 2.6m/s
02:00
- 4% 19% 0% 98% -30° 20% 2.7m/s
03:00
- 1% 29% 0% 98% -23° 29% 2.6m/s
04:00
- 0% 29% 0% 98% -14° 29% 2.5m/s
05:00
- 1% 20% 0% 98% -3.5° 20% 2.8m/s
06:00
- 1% 15% 0% 97% 7.9° 16% 2.7m/s
07:00
- 0% 3% 0% 92% 20° 3% 2.2m/s
08:00
- 4% 1% 0% 81% 32° 4% 2.3m/s
09:00
- 6% 0% 0% 70% 45° 6% 2.3m/s
10:00
- 5% 0% 0% 64% 57° 5% 2.3m/s
11:00
- 0% 0% 0% 60% 69° 0% 2.6m/s
12:00
- 0% 0% 2% 57% 78° 2% 2.7m/s
13:00
- 0% 1% 5% 55% 76° 5% 3.4m/s
14:00
- 4% 6% 5% 53% 66° 9% 3m/s
15:00
- 18% 1% 2% 53% 53° 18% 2.9m/s
16:00
- 0% 12% 0% 55% 41° 12% 3m/s
17:00
- 100% 12% 0% 63% 28° 100% 2.8m/s
18:00
- 100% 55% 0% 75% 16° 100% 2.1m/s
19:00
- 100% 49% 0% 84% 4.4° 100% 2.1m/s
20:00
- 100% 0% 3% 87% -6.8° 100% 2.3m/s
21:00
- 100% 0% 4% 91% -17° 100% 2.6m/s
22:00
- 100% 3% 0% 92% -25° 100% 2.7m/s
23:00
- 100% 5% 4% 93% -32° 100% 2.9m/s
Sat, Jul 11 Sunrise 05:15 Sunset 19:26
24:00
- 100% 8% 1% 94% -35° 100% 2.8m/s
01:00
- 100% 12% 11% 95% -34° 100% 2.9m/s
02:00
- 100% 16% 98% 95% -30° 100% 3.1m/s
03:00
- 100% 19% 97% 96% -23° 100% 3m/s
04:00
- 67% 28% 84% 84% -14° 88% 3.1m/s
05:00
- 33% 36% 71% 72% -3.6° 76% 3.1m/s
06:00
- 0% 45% 58% 59% 7.8° 64% 3.1m/s
07:00
- 0% 35% 57% 58% 20° 63% 3.1m/s
08:00
- 0% 26% 57% 57% 32° 62% 3m/s
09:00
- 0% 17% 56% 56% 45° 61% 3m/s
10:00
- 1% 11% 50% 62% 57° 53% 2.8m/s
11:00
- 2% 6% 42% 68% 69° 44% 2.5m/s
12:00
- 2% 0% 36% 74% 78° 36% 2.3m/s
13:00
- 5% 4% 25% 82% 76° 29% 2.5m/s
14:00
- 8% 7% 14% 89% 66° 23% 2.7m/s
15:00
- 11% 11% 3% 97% 53° 16% 2.9m/s
16:00
- 30% 8% 3% 96% 41° 34% 2.9m/s
17:00
- 49% 6% 4% 96% 28° 51% 2.8m/s
18:00
- 68% 4% 4% 95% 16° 68% 2.7m/s
19:00
- 47% 3% 5% 95% 4.4° 47% 2.7m/s
20:00
- 26% 2% 5% 94% -6.9° 26% 2.7m/s
21:00
- 5% 1% 5% 94% -17° 5% 2.6m/s
22:00
- 28% 1% 7% 93% -25° 28% 2.6m/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