Film production in Japan
Japan is covered here with 8 locations. Between the longest and shortest day, usable light swings by up to 6h 19min depending on where you shoot — planning across the country is not planning one single kind of day.
Locations at a glance
The table shows June and December daylight for each location — the two numbers a schedule hinges on across the year.
| Location | Daylight June | Daylight December | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sapporo | 15h 21min | 9h 02min | 6h 19min |
| Tokyo | 14h 33min | 9h 46min | 4h 47min |
| Yokohama | 14h 32min | 9h 47min | 4h 45min |
| Nagoya | 14h 31min | 9h 48min | 4h 43min |
| Kyoto | 14h 30min | 9h 49min | 4h 41min |
| Osaka | 14h 28min | 9h 51min | 4h 37min |
| Kobe | 14h 28min | 9h 51min | 4h 37min |
| Fukuoka | 14h 22min | 9h 57min | 4h 25min |
What that means for planning
Sapporo has the widest swing at 6h 19min, Fukuoka the narrowest at 4h 25min. The wider the spread, the more a schedule has to differ between summer and winter — same setup count, different hours to fit it in.
Concretely: in December, the sun in Sapporo sets at 16:01, with golden hour starting as early as 15:15. Put the exterior at the end of the day and you shoot it in the dark, or not at all.
TillyGen folds each location's sun position straight into the schedule. An exterior that no longer fits before sunset in December is flagged in the plan, not discovered on the day. The same calculation sits behind every location page for this country.
Permits and local requirements
Filming permits are granted locally almost everywhere, not nationally: the city or district you shoot in is the responsible body, and processing times differ considerably within the same country. Public space, traffic areas and drone flights each run through separate procedures.
File early enough that a refusal still leaves room for a cover location — not so late that the permit becomes the condition for the only possible shoot day. Only the responsible local authority gives binding information.
Frequently asked
How many locations in Japan are covered here?
8. Locations are included when there is an evidenced production landscape — not every town in the country.
Which location in Japan has the longest shooting days?
In June, Sapporo with 15h 21min of daylight. In December that drops to 9h 02min.
When is the best time to shoot in Japan?
On daylight length alone, June. Whether that also means the steadiest weather depends on the location — the individual location pages carry rain days and sunshine hours per month.
Do I need a separate permit for every location?
As a rule yes, as soon as public ground is involved. Private locations run through the owner; traffic areas and drones add further procedures. The local authority is always the binding source.