Qibla direction in Nara

How to face the Qibla in Nara

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 21.0° towards north: the result is the bearing of 291.0°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 21° off.

The scholars distinguish two cases: the one who sees the Kaaba aims at the building itself, while the one who cannot see it, as anywhere in Nara, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque is a quick way to confirm the result. If you travel or move house, check the angle again, since it changes from place to place.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Nara to Mecca points to 261.1° (west), a full 29.9° away from the true Qibla of 291.0° (west). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 311 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Nara first heads west, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 291.0° is the direction in which the shortest route from 34.6851° N, 135.8049° E sets off towards the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. Every accurate Qibla calculator, and the plans of well-oriented mosques, arrive at the same angle for this point.

Distance from Nara to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 9,189 km from Nara as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 9,016 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 11 h 19 min, although most pilgrims from Nara connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Nara 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 Nara rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Nara

On 72 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Nara 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 264 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 07:24.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Nara: at 18:18 and 18:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.

Nara compared with other cities

Compared with Tokyo, 370 km away, the Qibla in Nara is turned 2.0° further anticlockwise (291.0° against 293.0°), and Mecca is 286 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Kashihara-shi (20 km), prays towards 291.0°, 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 Nara

• Kashihara-shi291.0° · 20 km
• Hirakata290.9° · 20 km
• Uji291.0° · 23 km
• Tondabayashi290.9° · 28 km
• Osaka290.8° · 28 km
• Kyoto290.9° · 38 km