Prayer rooms, halal food options for Muslimtourists visiting Mount Fuji

A view of the Fuji-Q Highland amusementpark. A Muslim prayer room equipped with a marker that indicates the directionof Mecca, the Muslim holy place, and a place for washing hands and feet beforepraying opened in the amusement park on Feb 4, 2019.PHOTO: FUJIQ/FACEBOOK

KOFU, YAMANASHI (YOMIURI SHIMBUN/ASIA NEWSNETWORK) - Residents in the area below the northern slope of Japan's famedMount Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture, which receives many foreign tourists, areincreasing efforts in creating an environment more welcoming to Muslims.

Behind this move lies a surge in the numberof tourists from Indonesia and Malaysia, both predominantly Muslim countries.

A Muslim prayer room measuring about 16square metres, opened on Feb 4 at the Fuji-Q Highland amusement park inFujiyoshida.

The space, which was built by renovating apart of a first-aid room, is equipped with a marker that indicates thedirection of Mecca, the Muslim holy place, and a place for washing hands andfeet before praying.

"This room will help increase thesatisfaction level of Muslim visitors," an official of the amusement parksaid. Visitors can use the room freely during the park's opening hours.

Fujiyoshida lies at the base of Mount Fuji.The Fujisan World Heritage Centre, an information centre for travellers headingto Mount Fuji and the Fuji Five Lakes, is also located in the Yamanashiprefecture.

According to the Yamanashi prefecturalgovernment, 47,990 Indonesians and 42,680 Malaysians stayed overnight in theprefecture in 2018, up 18 per cent and 55.5 per cent, respectively, from theprevious year.

The number of visitors from these twocountries is expected to increase going forward.

The Fujiten Snow Resort in Narusawa alsoopened a prayer space last year. Efforts are underway to offer hospitality toMuslim tourists in terms of food options.

On Feb 15, a restaurant in Oshino Shinobino Sato, a tourist facility featuring ninja in Oshino, acquired a halalcertification that is issued to facilities and products conforming to Islamiclaw.

The restaurant does not use pork or alcoholin its food, while setting aside special spaces for cooking and ingredientstorage.

Sylvans, a microbrewery restaurant inFujikawaguchiko, began offering a "Muslim Welcome BBQ" in Octoberlast year. The restaurant added a barbecue dish using Halal certified meat toits menu.

All these facilities plan to increase thenumber of halal menu items from here on.

"Ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, weare receiving more and more inquiries about halal food. We'd like to continuemaking efforts to increase the satisfaction level of all tourists and make theentire area grow as an international tourism site," Harunobu Kayanuma, ageneral manager of the restaurant, said.

Link-> https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/prayer-rooms-halal-food-options-for-muslim-tourists-visiting-mount-fuji