howmuchsun

Daylight hours in Sapporo

Sapporo gets 15h 21m of daylight on its longest day in June, and 9h 01m on its shortest in December — a difference of 6h 20m across the year.

How fast the days change

Around 17 March, Sapporo gains or loses about 3.0 minutes of daylight every day.

Enough to notice over a fortnight, though the seasons arrive more gently here than further from the equator.

Sunrise and sunset by month

On the 15th of each month, in Asia/Tokyo local time, daylight saving included.

Sunrise, sunset and day length by month.
MonthSunriseSunsetDaylightSolar noon
January 07:03 16:24 9h 21m 11:43
February 06:32 17:04 10h 32m 11:48
March 05:47 17:40 11h 53m 11:43
April 04:53 18:16 13h 23m 11:34
May 04:11 18:50 14h 39m 11:30
June 03:54 19:15 15h 21m 11:35
July 04:08 19:12 15h 04m 11:40
August 04:40 18:38 13h 58m 11:39
September 05:13 17:45 12h 32m 11:29
October 05:47 16:53 11h 05m 11:20
November 06:26 16:11 9h 45m 11:19
December 06:58 16:00 9h 01m 11:29

Solstices and equinoxes

DateSunriseSunsetDaylight
March equinox 20 Mar 05:38 17:46 12h 08m
June solstice 21 Jun 03:55 19:17 15h 22m
September equinox 22 Sep 05:21 17:33 12h 12m
December solstice 21 Dec 07:02 16:02 9h 00m

The equinoxes give almost exactly twelve hours of daylight everywhere on earth — "almost" because sunrise is defined by the sun's upper edge rather than its centre, and the atmosphere bends its light over the horizon before it has really arrived. Both lengthen the day by a few minutes.

Other cities in Japan

Assumptions

  • Sea-level horizon. Hills, mountains and buildings all delay sunrise and bring sunset forward, sometimes by a lot in a valley.
  • Standard refraction. Sunrise is taken at −0.833°, allowing for the sun's disc and average atmospheric bending. Unusual air conditions shift it by a minute or two.
  • Local clock time, with daylight saving applied from the IANA timezone database.

Full methodology, sources and known limitations