As Muslim tourism grows, Japan rethinks where visitors can pray

TOKYO – As Japan welcomes a growing number of Muslim visitors, a quieter but increasingly visible question is unfolding across airports, shopping malls and sightseeing hubs: where can these travellers pray?

The number of foreign visitors to Japan hit a record high in 2025, including those from Muslim-majority regions, drawn by the country’s food, pop culture and seasonal scenery.

Between January and November 2025 alone, there were about 560,000 travellers from Indonesia, 540,000 from Malaysia and 240,000 from the Middle East, according to the Japan National Tourism Organisation.

For many, however, navigating daily prayer obligations in a country where dedicated facilities remain unevenly available detracts from an otherwise rich travel experience.

The issue, it seems, is less about building grand mosques than about flexibility. The Japan Tourism Agency has issued a guide for serving Muslim travellers, encouraging hotels, transport hubs and commercial facilities to designate quiet, clean spaces for prayer where possible.

In places where purpose-built rooms are not feasible, experts say that simple accommodations – temporary partitions, clear signage or staff awareness – can make a significant difference, helping Japan project an image of hospitality that extends beyond culture.

At the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, which saw many Muslim visitors and staff, a prayer room was set up in the centre of the venue to accommodate worshippers who are required to pray five times a day.

Availability of prayer spaces has expanded at big airports and major cities, too. Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, for example, opened a prayer room at Terminal 3, which handles international flights, in 2014. It was used by almost 2,000 people per month on average in fiscal 2024, according to its operator.

Prayer rooms have also been installed at JR Tokyo and Osaka stations, while local governments and firms have set up facilities around transit stations in tourist destinations like Kyoto and Nara.

Still, due to factors such as space constraints and low demand, few prayer spaces are available at stations in regions like Shikoku and Kyushu in western and south-western Japan, respectively.

Dr Hirofumi Tanada, a Waseda University professor emeritus who specialises in Muslim affairs in Japan, said the frequency and duration of prayers can vary greatly from person to person when travelling. He advises taking a flexible approach, even if the availability of facilities lags behind. KYODO NEWS