A Tokyo Sports and Cultural events company has decided to build “mobile mosques” to make visiting Muslims feel at home during the 2020 Olympic Games, which will be hosted in the Japanese city.
According to the CEO of YASU, Yasuharu Inoue, there is a large possibility that there might not be enough mosques for Muslims visitors during the Tokyo Games.
Even with an estimated 200,000 Muslims currently living in Japan, most of them in Tokyo, there are not too many mosques in the capital.
Mr Inoue said his company’s mobile mosque could travel to different Olympic venues to provide Muslims with a place of worship during the tournament.
“As an open and hospitable country, we want to share the Japanese hospitality with Muslim people,” he was quoted saying.
The first “mosque on wheels” was unveiled this week at the Toyota car company headquarters.
The mobile mosques are built on the chassis of a 25 tonne heavy duty lorry and has room for up to 50 people to worship at any one time.
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It is also equipped with facilities such as wash basin for performing wudu before prayers and a wall indicating the direction of the Ka’aba.
