When you visit Osaka or Kyoto, it helps to know where you can pray before you get there.
This article lists the prayer spaces in Kyoto and Osaka that appear on Halal Gourmet Japan, grouped by area, and points you to places to eat.
The rules differ from place to place. Some spaces are only for people taking part in an activity there, and one asks you to collect an access code from an information counter first, so please check the listing before you set out.
Mosques and prayer spaces are listed separately
Halal Gourmet Japan keeps two separate lists for each prefecture.
What follows is the second kind: prayer spaces set aside in stations, shopping complexes, visitor attractions and similar places.
Kyoto
Kyoto Station
M’s KYOTO INFORMATION CENTER is on the second floor of the M’s Kyoto eki-mae Building, and Kyoto Minokichi is on the first basement floor (B1) of the Kyoto Shinhankyu Hotel.
Okazaki and Awataguchi
- Kyoto International Community House (kokoka)
- Kyoto Traditional Industry Foundation Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts
At kokoka, a multi-purpose room is available for Muslim prayer. The Museum of Traditional Crafts is on the first basement floor (B1) of Miyakomesse.
Elsewhere in Kyoto
- Nijo Castle (Nakagyo)
- Yumeyakata (Shimogyo)
- Ramen Factory (Higashiyama)
- Tea Ceremony Experience KOTO (Kita)
The prayer space at Tea Ceremony Experience KOTO is only for guests joining the tea ceremony experience.
Osaka
Umeda and Nakanoshima
Namba, Dotonbori and Nipponbashi
Tsuki no Odori also has its own restaurant listing.
Tempozan
The prayer space is on the third floor. Collect the access code from the information counter near the ticket counter. Each group can use the room for up to 15 minutes, and there is a washbasin for wudu.
Kansai Airport and Rinku
Terminal 1 has three prayer spaces.
- Terminal 1, Public Area, 3rd Floor
- Terminal 1, International Departure Gate Area, 2nd Floor (Main Building)
- Terminal 1, International Departure Gate Area, 2nd Floor, North Wing
Each has separate spaces for men and women, has wudu facilities, and is open to anyone 24 hours a day. The second and third are in the international departure gate area, so you can use them right before boarding.
Two more places in Izumisano, the same city as the airport, have prayer spaces.
Elsewhere in Osaka
- LaLaport EXPOCITY (Suita)
- Sakura Garden Hotel (Miyakojima)
- Ninjado (Nishinari)
The prayer space at Ninjado is for people joining its ninja experience, and the listing recommends booking ahead.
Finding somewhere to eat by cuisine
Once you know where you will pray, the next question is where to eat. Restaurant listings in each prefecture are grouped by cuisine.
Kyoto
Osaka
If you have not settled on a cuisine, start from the Kyoto restaurant list or the Osaka restaurant list. If you would rather eat somewhere with a prayer space on site, see restaurants with a prayer space.
Before you set out
Listing details can change without notice. Please check the opening times and conditions on the linked page and on the signs at the site itself.
Each listing page describes that restaurant’s halal arrangements — certification, ingredients, kitchen practice, and so on. Please read the listing and decide whether the restaurant meets your own standards.
To wrap up
New prayer spaces may be added to the listings, so the prayer spaces in Kyoto and prayer spaces in Osaka pages are worth bookmarking for your trip.
If Tokyo is also on your itinerary, see Prayer Spaces and Muslim-Friendly Restaurants in Tokyo, Area by Area. Have a good trip.
Image credits
- Featured image (Masjid Istiqlal Osaka): photo by Abasaa / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
This article was written by the Halal Gourmet Japan team. On Halal Gourmet Japan, you can search for halal-friendly restaurants and prayer spaces all over Japan. The service is also available as an app (iOS / Android).
After seeing his Muslim friends struggle to dine out in Japan, he founded Halal Gourmet Japan, a restaurant search service for Muslims, and has been running it for more than a decade since its launch in 2014. He also co-founded Food Diversity Inc. (formerly Halal Media Japan; he has since stepped down), and has deep expertise in halal support for restaurants and Muslim-oriented inbound tourism. Halal Gourmet Japan is one of Japan’s largest halal-friendly restaurant search services, used in more than 140 countries, introducing halal-friendly restaurants and prayer spaces across Japan in multiple languages.
