Stargazing in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

Dark-sky rating for Yokohama

Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan is a large metropolitan area (population about 3,777,491). A place this size typically has a bright inner-city sky: only the Moon, planets and the brightest stars show from inside the urban core. That is an estimate of Bortle class 7–9 from population, not a measurement: the real value depends on the exact spot you observe from.

For a measured reading at any point, open the live Dark Sky map.

Nearest dark-sky places and observatories

• Nobeyama Radio Observatory · observatory · about 120 km away

Milky Way season in Yokohama

The bright core of the Milky Way stays low, so you need a clear southern or northern horizon. It climbs at least 20° above the horizon during astronomical darkness in March, April, May, June, July, August, September, peaking in June at about 26°.

• The north celestial pole stands 35.4° above the horizon, so stars within 35° of it never set from here.
• About 79% of the whole sky rises above the horizon at some point in the year from this latitude.
• The Milky Way's core in Sagittarius culminates about 25.6° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.
• At 21 m elevation, roughly 0% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Tonight and aurora

As of October 15, 2026 (UTC) the Moon is a Waxing Crescent at 21% illumination. Aurora at 35.4° latitude generally needs about Kp 9.0.

Nearby places

• Ota, Tokyo, Japan
• Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
• Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan
• Machida, Tokyo, Japan
• Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan
• Kisarazu, Chiba, Japan