There is a mosque in western Japan where local Muslims gather to pray and seek help when they are troubled. For them, the mosque is like a second home that provides happiness and emotional support.
Stories about people.
Stories about life.
Hometown Stories.
This looks quite exotic for Japan.
These people have gathered at a mosque in the city of Sakaide.
They're Muslims living in Kagawa Prefecture, western Japan.
Let's eat together.
Many of them came to Japan for work.
What are they praying for?
The world of Islam might not be as remote from Japan as many people think.
Let's take a look.
Sakaide City has a population of about 50,000.
About a 10-minute drive from a local train station...
...there's a building that stands out.
This is the area's first mosque, built in 2021.
Today is Friday.
It's an important day for Muslims.
It's when they gather at the mosque to pray.
On some days, as many as 500 people attend Friday prayers.
Muslims must pray five times a day while facing toward the holy city of Mecca.
Many of the worshipers are Indonesians,
who are working as technical trainees under a program backed by the Japanese government.
I'm Ferli.
My job is to make take-out food.
I'm Jamir.
I do sheet-metal work.
My name is Arif.
I'm a caregiver.
After prayers, this man is serving food to everyone.
Every Friday, many people
take a break from work to come here.
I want them to have something to eat.
The food must be delicious.
It's all gone.
Fikar is the leader of the mosque.
He says it's been 18 years since he moved from Indonesia to Kagawa Prefecture.
Younger members call him "big brother" in Indonesian.
People come to the mosque to ask Fikar for help when they're worried or troubled.
Aldo is also a technical trainee.
He did farm work for a year, but he was let go.
His employer said he couldn't communicate well enough in Japanese.
He says if he can't find a new employer, he'll be sent back to Indonesia in a week.
Say, "Hello. My big brother
is here to talk to you."
Aldo had to borrow money to come to Japan.
Fikar urges one of the organizations supervising the trainee program to find a job for Aldo.
He has parents and family back home.
He came over to earn money.
Please promise you won't send him back.
We'd really appreciate your help.
Thank you.
You can go now.
They'll find a new job for you.
Thank you, Big Brother.
Call me if something comes up.
See you.
Just to come to Japan as a trainee
costs about $2,000.
He's only worked for a year.
He can't pay that back yet.
What if he's told to leave?
His parents and family back home
rely on his support.
When a man cries,
he must be really sad.
Fikar has been working as a welder at a shipyard for about nine years.
He lives with his family in Japan.
To support them, he's done all kinds of work,
including poultry-processing and farming,
as well as freight-sorting at a shipping company.
I don't have special skills.
I can't read Japanese well.
I can only do manual labor or
jobs that Japanese people avoid.
It's really difficult.
I've tried all kinds of work.
But I enjoy welding the most.
These headphones are his constant companion at work.
I like Japanese pop songs by
Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi, Fukuyama Masaharu...
Oda Kazumasa is also good.
During the lunch break, when no one is around, he goes to a quiet corner of the factory.
I don't want people to see me
and wonder, "What is he doing?"
Fikar takes care not to draw too much attention as a Muslim living in Japan.
The number of foreign workers in Kagawa Prefecture has more than doubled in the past 10 years.
Among them are an estimated 2,000 or more Muslims.
Amid a severe labor shortage, they support Japanese society in a wide variety of industries.
He's kind.
I ask him something, and he does it.
He's very helpful. A nice person.
You're doing well.
How's the pain in your legs?
You're stable. That's good.
Many of the Muslims are in Japan alone, having left their families back home.
Hello.
Dani is one of them.
He's been in Japan for four years.
He looks forward to coming to the mosque twice a week and having dinner with the other members.
Dani is a very good cook.
It's great when
everyone says, "Delicious."
Eating together makes me happy.
Dani works at a food factory, making things like udon noodles.
He makes about seven dollars an hour.
After sending money to his wife and children, he's left with only a few hundred dollars every month.
He says he hasn't seen his family in person for a year.
Here's a photo of my wife and children.
My daughter is 8. My son is 2.
It's hard for him to hang up on his family.
Every day, he spends at least an hour video-chatting with them.
She says, "Life is hard and tiring.
But we're happy and doing OK."
My wife loves our children.
I want my children to be happy.
That's my dream.
I miss my family, but...
This is like medicine.
We're happy, so I'm OK.
Dani says having the mosque nearby is a source of emotional support.
It's a special place.
This is my current home.
The mosque is also like home to me.
I can see friends. They're like family.
I've found happiness there.
I really cherish the mosque.
Here comes Aldo, the man who lost his farming job and was asking Fikar for support.
I've found a new job. Thank you
so much for your help, Big Brother.
He says he'll be doing farm work again in Ibaraki Prefecture, near Tokyo.
I'm glad. He looks very relieved.
- So, you found a good job.
- Yes. It's great.
- Congratulations. Take care.
- Thank you. I'll have a safe trip.
Good luck!
At this mosque, we respect each other.
People listen to me, too.
I can also gain new experience.
My friends here are all kind.
They help each other. They're wonderful.
The group used to gather at Fikar's house.
Everyone pitched in some money and saved up about 200,000 dollars over two years.
They renovated a vacant store and turned it into a mosque.
We can be strong,
if we have a place to get together.
If you're alone with your worries,
you can't do anything.
But if we have a place to meet,
we can solve problems together.
Right now, Fikar and his fellow Muslims are hoping to connect with the community and win local people's understanding.
It troubles them that people tend to have a negative image of Islam, without knowing much about it.
People watch a little news and
speak ill of Islam. Maybe in Japan, too.
I hope people will come to this mosque
and see for themselves.
I'd like them to learn about Islam
and who we are.
Fikar has someone he can rely on.
Okauchi Daizo has published a book about how the mosque came to be.
As Japan struggles with a severe labor shortage, he focuses on how Japanese and foreigners can live together.
Japanese are unfamiliar with Muslims
and their religion.
I hope to find clues on how
we can live together.
And I want to share those clues
with everyone.
What can the members of the mosque do to help local people know them better?
I hope Japanese people will
deepen their understanding of Muslims.
Many people want to meet you, Fikar.
They've read my book and
want to meet you.
With Daizo's help, Fikar has decided to hold an event at the mosque and invite people from the community.
The two go to the community association to ask its leaders for their opinion.
Hello.
Hello there.
Thank you for your time today.
Takaki Kenichiro is the chair of the association.
Yabushita Keiichiro is one of its officers.
We'd like to get to know
local people and become friends.
You say, "Please come over."
But... This is a first for us.
They understand Fikar's intention.
But they're hesitant about mutual exchanges.
We're each keeping a certain distance,
with mutual respect of sorts.
I don't think it's easy to go further
and narrow the distance.
We can take time and go slowly.
No need to rush things.
We don't want to surprise people.
Thank you.
I think it's a very good suggestion.
The question is, how open to it are we?
We may be a little behind the times
on our side.
I'm not sure how things will turn out.
But...
To get to know each other,
both sides need to make an effort.
We also talked to some local people who were doing their morning exercises.
To be honest,
I don't know much about those people.
I don't mean anything bad.
But how do we get along?
I don't know how to interact with them.
It's not easy to close the distance.
That's my honest feeling.
The event is one week away.
Hello. How are you?
We brought a flier today.
The group decided to go around the neighborhood and give out fliers for the event.
We'd love to have you there.
This makes it easy for us to come by.
We can't just visit unannounced.
But if you say we'd be welcome,
why not?
Please come to the event.
Bring your family and friends, too.
Thank you.
- How are you?
- Hello.
Thank you for the other day.
Fikar also visits Keiichiro, one of the community leaders he talked with the other day.
My mother gets good support from
Indonesian people at a nursing facility.
Most of the young staff there are
female caregivers from Indonesia.
The day of the event.
A lot of people have gathered at the mosque.
Thank you for coming.
Here's Keiichiro from the community association.
It's the first time he's set foot in the mosque.
I was curious.
I wanted to see inside, and learn
about Islam and Indonesian people.
Some visitors get to experience a bit of Islamic culture firsthand.
They try on a hijab, a scarf that Muslim women wear to cover their hair and skin.
Beautiful!
Your mom looks pretty!
Fikar talks to the visitors about what Muslims wish for in their prayers.
We always pray that
people everywhere are healthy and well.
We pray for a world without fighting or war.
We each pray for this in a different way.
I think many people are
unfamiliar with Islam.
We didn't know Muslims
pray earnestly for world peace.
We should tell more people about it.
It's time to pray.
Silence fills the mosque.
At the end of the event, the visitors are treated to curry,
a dish that always unites the congregation.
- There's cheese in this bread.
- This is a bit spicy.
Yes, it's delicious.
I can taste all kinds of spice.
This is very good.
The curry was oily, but good.
I prefer regular white rice, though.
But I do appreciate their kind gesture.
I think the fences will
gradually start to come down.
For that, it's good to have
exchanges like this now and then.
No need to rush. It takes time for
people to get to know each other.
- We appreciate your coming.
- Thank you for the food.
Please feel free to drop by any time.
As you saw, we just pray and hang out.
So, please don't hold back.
We're not worried.
I'll see you. Thank you again.
It's great. Everyone came with a smile.
I shared my feelings with them.
Looking at their smiles,
I feel like we're all family.
Another day, local Muslims gather at the mosque again...and pray.