Japan’s first Halal hotel opens its doors facing Mount Fuji
Having become, over the years, a flagship destination for a growing number of foreign tourists, Japan is also very popular with Muslim travelers, eager to see the country, particularly from South-East Asia.
Faced with this boom in Islamic tourism on its soil, the country of the Rising Sun has decided to strengthen its attractiveness potential by offering quality hotel services, perfectly adapted to the needs of this specific clientele, guaranteeing them a stay of equal quality. more pleasant that Muslim ethics will not suffer.
At the forefront of trends, Tokyo, the colorful Japanese capital whose streets are teeming with tourists from all over the world, did not hesitate to embrace Halal before all the other major cities in the country.
“Halalized” restaurants, duly certified as such, as well as prayer spaces have flourished in its urban landscape. It is in this very favorable context for welcoming lovers of escape, mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia, but also from the Middle East, that the Syariah Hotel Fujisan, the first luxury hotel officially certified Halal, has launched in 2016.
Located on an exceptional site near the shores of Lake Kawaguchi, this comfortable and quiet establishment, which spreads over two floors, offers its customers a wide range of “Islamically correct” services, privileged access to sporting and recreational activities at lakeside, carefully chosen guided tours, as well as a breathtaking view of the highest point of the country, the majestic Mount Fuji.
Yamashita Yūji, president of the Fujisan Family holding company which owns the hotel, indicated that the choice to focus on the Muslim tourist market was made after observing, in recent years, the constant increase in visitors from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
“ For years, Chinese tourists made up the bulk of foreign visitors “, he explained, adding: “ It is clear that, recently, more and more Muslim families from Indonesia and Malaysia have been coming to visit our Fuji Five Lakes region. “.
But few local hotels concocted halal menus for gourmands and gourmets, offered prayer spaces and rooms for ablutions, had eight spacious rooms, equipped with prayer rugs and the precious compass that represents the qibla, and to hand over copies of the Noble Quran, as well as long robes for meditation. This is now done thanks to the Syariah Hotel Fujisan.
“ We wanted to compensate for this deficiency to attract the growing Muslim clientele to us. Our hotel is completely non-smoking and alcohol-free “, underlined Yamashita Yuji, nourishing the hope that other “Halal” hotels will soon open their doors in Fuji Five Lakes and elsewhere.
A hope which is reinforced by the political voluntarism of the Japanese government in this matter. Through its official showcase which is the National Tourism Agency, the country of the Rising Sun is doing everything possible to become a true little corner of paradise, Islamically idyllic.