Tourism Japan's retail sector caters to Muslim visitors

[thomas]

As the number of Muslim tourists surges due to a weakened yen, Japanese department stores and shopping malls increasingly provide prayer rooms. Matsuya Ginza, a high-end Tokyo department store, is one example of this growing trend. Equipped with essential amenities like foot-washing areas and prayer mats, these spaces are proving invaluable to Muslim visitors.

A Malaysian visitor at Matsuya Ginza (photo credit: Kyodo)​

A Malaysian tourist expressed gratitude for the availability of a prayer room, highlighting the challenge of finding such facilities in urban areas. The Japan Tourism Agency notes that Muslims typically pray five times daily, which can be disrupted without accessible prayer spaces.
Industry experts emphasize the importance of prayer rooms as essential infrastructure akin to bathrooms and nursing rooms. They call for broader cooperation among retailers to establish these facilities.

Among other department stores in Tokyo, Shibuya Parco in the Shibuya shopping district has opened a worship room. Aeon Mall Co, which operates large-scale shopping complexes, has installed prayer rooms in seven outlets across Chiba, Kanagawa, Aichi, Hiroshima and Okinawa prefectures, with plans to expand the service to other stores. The number of visitors to Japan from Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey surpassed 870,000 in 2023, up 2.7-fold from a decade ago, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

Stores in Japan set up prayer rooms as Muslim visitors increase - The Mainichi

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Department stores and shopping malls in Japan are increasingly setting up prayer rooms to meet the need for Muslims amid a growing nu

mainichi.jp

 

[Lothor]

This story annoyed quite a lot of people in the Japan Today comments!

 

[thomas]

This story annoyed quite a lot of people in the Japan Today comments!

That was to be expected. As were the comments asking for Christian chapels.

Anyhow, good move by the depatos!

 

[salyavin]

There are Christian chapels in Japan.

 

[thomas]

There are Christian chapels in Japan.

But not in department stores.