The Quran lay on the window sill of the sun-drenched Tokyo Camii

Quran on the window sill of the Tokyo Camii

A pencil-like spire standing in a residential area near Yoyogi Uehara Station marks the Tokyo Camii, the largest mosque in Japan. This spire is called a minaret, which is always attached to a mosque. The shape of the minaret varies from place to place. In Uzbekistan, for example, they are shaped like lighthouses, while in Morocco they are angular, like Tetris blocks. The minaret of the Tokyo Camii is pointed, a shape typically found in Turkey. It is no wonder that the current mosque was designed by Muharrem Hilimi Şenarp, one of the leading architects of modern Turkish religious architecture. No wonder it has a Turkish-inspired shape among many other shapes.

It is not only the exterior that exudes a Turkish flavor, but also the interior. In fact, the interior construction was done by engineers and craftsmen invited from Turkey. The interior of the mosque, which is based on the color blue, is also full of exoticism, reminding one of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. The contrast between the Quran casually placed on the windowsill and the ordinary Japanese cityscape outside made me feel a sense of discomfort.

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