Toyama Bay firefly squid in December 2026: darkest nights
Firefly squid (hotaru-ika) glow as fishermen haul nets before dawn. Sightseeing boats leave around 3 am. March to May only.
16 pitch-dark nights, 17 dark nights
New moon Wed 9 Dec · Full moon Thu 24 Dec
Night by night, December 2026
| Night | Moon | 03:00 | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 Dec | 47% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Wed 2 Dec | 36% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Thu 3 Dec | 26% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Fri 4 Dec | 17% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Sat 5 Dec | 10% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Sun 6 Dec | 5% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Mon 7 Dec | 2% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Tue 8 Dec | 0% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Wed 9 Dec | 1% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Thu 10 Dec | 3% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Fri 11 Dec | 6% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Sat 12 Dec | 12% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Sun 13 Dec | 18% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Mon 14 Dec | 26% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Tue 15 Dec | 35% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Wed 16 Dec | 45% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Thu 17 Dec | 56% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Fri 18 Dec | 66% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Sat 19 Dec | 76% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Sun 20 Dec | 85% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Mon 21 Dec | 92% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Tue 22 Dec | 97% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Wed 23 Dec | 100% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Thu 24 Dec | 99% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Fri 25 Dec | 97% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Sat 26 Dec | 91% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Sun 27 Dec | 83% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Mon 28 Dec | 74% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Tue 29 Dec | 64% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Wed 30 Dec | 53% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
| Thu 31 Dec | 42% | ●●●●● | 03:00 |
Check one night in detail Toyama Bay firefly squid tours
Questions
What are the best nights to see the bioluminescence at Toyama Bay firefly squid in December 2026?
The darkest nights are Fri 4 Dec, Sat 5 Dec, Sun 6 Dec, Mon 7 Dec, Tue 8 Dec, Wed 9 Dec, Thu 10 Dec, Fri 11 Dec, Sat 12 Dec, Sun 13 Dec and more. 17 of 31 nights score at least 4 out of 5.
Which nights should I avoid in December 2026?
Avoid the nights around the full moon on Thu 24 Dec, when moonlight washes out the glow.
Toyama Bay firefly squid darkness by month
Darkness score 1-5 per tour slot from twilight and moonlight. Weather and plankton health are not included. Times are local (Asia/Tokyo).