Japanese railway company launches prayer rooms at station

A railway company has set up Muslim prayer rooms in one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan.

A railway company has set up Muslim prayer rooms in one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan.

The rooms opened on April 1 at Tobu Railway Co.’s Tobu Nikko Station in hopes of attracting more Muslim travelers from Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia. 

“To lure Muslim tourists, it’s vital to prepare prayer rooms and foods that accommodate their needs,” an official of Tokyo-based Food Diversity Co. said. 

The company, which is headed by Akihiro Shugo and provides information about Islam, teamed up with Tobu Railway in Nikko to open the first railway station prayer rooms in Tochigi Prefecture. 

The two prayer rooms, one for men and one for women, are each 2 meters by 4 meters and are located on the second floor of Tobu Nikko Station. 

The area was previously used as office space for a Tobu Railway group company. 

The prayer rooms are equipped with warm water features that allow Muslims to perform the “wudu” (ablution) washing ritual before they pray. 

A Qibla mark shows the direction toward the Kaaba in Mecca, which Muslims face when they pray on the carpeted floors in the rooms. The rooms are open every day from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.