Qibla · Nagano
Qibla direction in Ueda
To face the Kaaba in Ueda, turn to 292.2° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (22.2° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 9,327 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Ueda should follow.
Line up the top of your phone or compass with the green needle: it marks 292.2°, the Qibla of Ueda. 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 Ueda
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 22.2° towards north: the result is the bearing of 292.2°. 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 Ueda, 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 Ueda to Mecca points to 260.1° (west), a full 32.1° away from the true Qibla of 292.2° (west). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 356 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Ueda first heads west, and that is the direction to face.
How is the figure of 292.2° obtained? From the coordinates of Ueda (36.4027° N, 138.2816° 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 Ueda to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 9,327 km from Ueda as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 9,143 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 11 h 28 min, although most pilgrims from Ueda connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Ueda 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 Ueda rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Ueda
On 61 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Ueda 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 272 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 07:20.
| 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 | — | 07:20 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 07:42 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 08:03 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 08:28 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 08:49 |
| 1 May 2027 | — | 09:11 |
| 15 May 2027 | — | 09:30 |
| 1 June 2027 | 18:15 | 09:50 |
| 15 June 2027 | 18:10 | 10:00 |
| 1 July 2027 | 18:15 | 10:03 |
| 15 July 2027 | 18:26 | 09:56 |
| 1 August 2027 | — | 09:37 |
| 15 August 2027 | — | 09:15 |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 08:43 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 08:15 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 07:41 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 07:13 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 06:42 |
| 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 Ueda: at 18:18 and 18:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Ueda compared with other cities
Compared with Tokyo, 150 km away, the Qibla in Ueda is turned 0.9° further anticlockwise (292.2° against 293.0°), and Mecca is 148 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Nagano (29 km), prays towards 292.1°, a difference of 0.1°.
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 Ueda
Qibla in Ueda: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Ueda?
It is 292.2° from true north, which is west: 22.2° north of west.
How far is Ueda from Mecca?
9,327 km in a straight line over the globe, and 9,143 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Ueda?
On 61 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 Ueda not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 260.1°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Ueda at 292.2°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 292.2° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.