The lifestyle and customs of those who believe in Islam, one of the world's great religions, are guided by the teachings of their religion. Adherents swear obedience to God and follow the characteristic practices of the faith. These include the six articles of faith, which are belief in God, the angels, the Quran, the prophets, the Last Judgment, and predestination, and the five pillars, which are faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and the pilgrimage to Mecca. One of the important acts of worship for Muslims is the mandate to pray five times a day at ordained times. As well, Muslims are encouraged to attend mosques for congregational prayer on the Islamic rest day of Friday.
With regard to Japan, there are very few mosques in the country, and we also know little about Muslim religious practices here. As the number of Muslims in the country rises, it is necessary to extend a new type of omotenashi hospitality for those who wish to worship according to their faith. The pioneering Mobile Mosque that we have developed is a symbol of this new omotenashi. The mosque includes prayer mats and a washing space for ritual pre-worship cleansing, and provides an environment that compares favorably to Muslims' usual place of worship. Recent years have seen the rise of prejudice against the whole religion due to the impact of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. In this context, we are developing a plan to preserve world peace and eradicate wars based on religious differences, by communicating from Japan to the world the idea of omotenashi hospitality that transcends religious divides.
Mobile Mosque Project Executive Committee
Going forward, we shall use the mobile mosque as a symbol of peace at event venues where a wide variety of people gather, such as international sports events, international expositions, and academic conferences and other international conventions that are held in various parts of the world.
In cooperation with relevant organizations, we shall deploy the mosque in various ways as a part of measures to support regional stability and peace in areas of conflict around the world, especially in the Middle East where even today fighting continues without pause.
With royal families, nobility, and VIPs in the Middle East and Western Europe as the core market, we can expect an increase in the sales and manufacturing of vehicles customized to meet a wide range of needs and provide a secure place for worship wherever the customer might be.
Executive Committee
ChairmanYasuharu Inoue
Executive Committee
ChairmanYasuharu Inoue
As Japan looks forward to a major international occasion, we present a symbol of the country’s blossoming inclusive society that transcends religious divides
Almost two years from now, Tokyo will host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a major sports event that will draw the eyes of the world. As the event draws ever closer, excitement is growing in Tokyo and indeed the whole country. As the date approaches, we can also expect increasing numbers of visitors from around the world. One of our urgent tasks is to provide sightseeing infrastructure during the event that will provide a positive and fulfilling experience to diverse visitors from many different countries, cultures, and faiths. As we work to build core facilities in Tokyo and its surroundings, from the New National Stadium main venue to event arenas, hotels, and more, one issue I would like to raise is that of providing hospitality (omotenashi in Japanese) to those who follow Islam, one of the world's major religions.
Now more than ever, the spirit of traditional Japanese hospitality, in which visitors are welcomed with warmth, thoughtfulness, and consideration, and thorough service based on these values, are pillars of Japan's tourism policies. However, perhaps we have not sufficiently considered visitors who practice Islam. To give one example, we have a shortage of places of worship in the forms of mosques. The possibility that there will be not enough mosques for the large number of Muslims from around the world who will visit Japan in 2020 is an alarming situation for a country that counts itself part of an international community that is building diversity.
Thus we introduce the Mobile Mosque, a mosque on wheels with capacity for up to 50 adherents to worship inside at one time. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, multiple events will take place at multiple venues at the same time. The number of mosques required will vary according to the size of each event, but mobile mosques give us the flexibility to provide the necessary number at the necessary location. The first of their kind in the world, these vehicular mosques are an embodiment of Japan's world-renowned omotenashi. It is our hope that the Mobile Mosque will contribute to the creation of a happy atmosphere that visitors of all religions will enjoy.