also: はくや
midnight sun; white night
Refers to the natural phenomenon at high latitudes where the sun remains visible at midnight. Used in both literal and figurative contexts.
In Northern Europe, the midnight sun continues in summer.
白夜の下で一晩中歩き回った。
We walked around all night under the midnight sun.
Standard kanji spelling; the reading びゃくや is the most common.
Alternate reading; less common than びゃくや.
From 白 (white) + 夜 (night), literally 'white night'. The term is a calque from European languages describing the phenomenon of the midnight sun.