Qibla direction in Shūnan

How to face the Qibla in Shūnan

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 19.0° towards north: the result is the bearing of 289.0°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 19° 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 Shūnan, 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 Shūnan to Mecca points to 261.1° (west), a full 27.9° away from the true Qibla of 289.0° (west). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 265 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Shūnan first heads west, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 289.0° is the direction in which the shortest route from 34.0805° N, 131.8256° 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 Shūnan to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 8,869 km from Shūnan as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 8,705 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 10 h 56 min, although most pilgrims from Shūnan connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Shūnan 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 Shūnan rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Shūnan

On 84 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Shūnan while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in July (31 days); for example, on 15 May 2027 it happens at 18:34 local time.

On 258 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 07:26.

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

Shūnan compared with other cities

Compared with Tokyo, 739 km away, the Qibla in Shūnan is turned 4.0° further anticlockwise (289.0° against 293.0°), and Mecca is 606 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Hōfu (24 km), prays towards 288.9°, 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 Shūnan

• Hōfu288.9° · 24 km
• Yamaguchi288.8° · 35 km
• Iwakuni289.2° · 37 km
• Ube288.8° · 55 km
• Hiroshima289.3° · 67 km
• Kure289.4° · 70 km