Prayer Times in Tokyo

About Prayer Times in Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan's capital and the world's largest metropolitan area, has a Muslim population estimated at 100,000–200,000 — a small fraction of the 37 million in the greater metro area, but a growing and increasingly visible community. Japan's Muslims include foreign workers and students from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia, and the Middle East, alongside a small but notable community of Japanese converts to Islam. As Japan has opened its economy to more foreign workers, and with Muslim tourism rising dramatically (particularly from Southeast Asia), the country's Islamic infrastructure has developed rapidly.

Tokyo's Muslim community uses the Muslim World League method (Fajr at 18°) or tables published by the Islamic Center Japan. At 35.7°N, prayer times vary moderately — Fajr ranges from approximately 3:10 AM in June to 6:20 AM in December, and Isha from 9:30 PM (summer) to 5:25 PM (winter). Finding prayer spaces in Tokyo was historically challenging, but the city now has dedicated prayer rooms in major airports, shopping centres, and universities in response to the growing Muslim visitor and resident population.

The Tokyo Camii (Tokyo Mosque and Turkish Culture Centre) in Yoyogi-Uehara, rebuilt in 2000 by the Turkish Diyanet in an Ottoman architectural style with a large dome and minaret, is the largest mosque in Japan and the spiritual centre of Tokyo's Muslim community. It serves worshippers from across the city and welcomes non-Muslim visitors who come to learn about Islam and admire the architecture. The Islamic Center Japan in Otsuka and the Masjid Otsuka are also active community mosques. During Ramadan, Tokyo's mosque communities organise Iftar dinners that have become occasions for cultural exchange between Japanese hosts and Muslim guests from across the world.