Qibla · Aichi Prefecture
Qibla direction in Tōkai
To face the Kaaba in Tōkai, turn to 291.6° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (21.6° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 9,269 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Tōkai should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 291.6°, the Qibla of Tōkai. Phone compasses usually display true north, so a reading of 292° is all you need; a needle compass reads magnetic north and needs the local declination added or subtracted first.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Tōkai
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 21.6° towards north: the result is the bearing of 291.6°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 22° off.
Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Tōkai, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. A nearby mosque is a handy reference, because its prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Tōkai to Mecca points to 260.9° (west), a full 30.6° away from the true Qibla of 291.6° (west). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 327 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Tōkai first heads west, and that is the direction to face.
How is the figure of 291.6° obtained? From the coordinates of Tōkai (35.0227° N, 136.9089° E) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.
Distance from Tōkai to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 9,269 km from Tōkai as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 9,093 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 11 h 24 min, although most pilgrims from Tōkai connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Tōkai run 6 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Tōkai rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Tōkai
On 69 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Tōkai while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in June (30 days); for example, on 1 June 2027 it happens at 18:15 local time.
On 268 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in March (31 days), for instance on 15 February 2027 at 07:22.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | — |
| 1 February 2027 | — | — |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 07:22 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 07:46 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 08:09 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 08:35 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 08:57 |
| 1 May 2027 | — | 09:21 |
| 15 May 2027 | — | 09:41 |
| 1 June 2027 | 18:15 | 10:02 |
| 15 June 2027 | 18:09 | 10:12 |
| 1 July 2027 | 18:14 | 10:15 |
| 15 July 2027 | 18:26 | 10:07 |
| 1 August 2027 | — | 09:47 |
| 15 August 2027 | — | 09:24 |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 08:51 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 08:21 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 07:46 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 07:17 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 06:45 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 1 December 2027 | — | — |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Tōkai: at 18:18 and 18:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Tōkai compared with other cities
Compared with Tokyo, 263 km away, the Qibla in Tōkai is turned 1.5° further anticlockwise (291.6° against 293.0°), and Mecca is 205 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Handa (16 km), prays towards 291.6°, the same bearing to the tenth of a degree.
Across the 154 cities in Japan on this site, the Qibla ranges from 288.1° in Sasebo to 295.3° in Kushiro, a spread of 7.2°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Japan.
Qibla in cities near Tōkai
Qibla in Tōkai: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Tōkai?
It is 291.6° from true north, which is west: 21.6° north of west.
How far is Tōkai from Mecca?
9,269 km in a straight line over the globe, and 9,093 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Tōkai?
On 69 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Why is the Qibla in Tōkai not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 260.9°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Tōkai at 291.6°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 291.6° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.