There is a time difference of six hours between Turkey and Japan. When we broke our fast in Tokyo, it was still noon in Turkey. The Japanese must have humility and courtesy embedded in their genes. They smile all the time and are respectful. The capital of Tokyo hosts a population of more than 30 million and is one of the safest cities in the world, making it possible see a lot of women out on their bikes after dark. The city’s reinforced skyscrapers attracted my attention. The quake-proof buildings give confidence to the Japanese people and they do not flee the buildings with panic in the event of an earthquake.
The income per capita is about $37,000 (seven times that of Turkey) and the population is 127 million. One out of every five people is over the age of 65 and the country’s area is 378 million square kilometers (half of Turkey).
I am in Tokyo on the occasion of the fast-breaking event being held by the Turkish Cultural Center. I will post my article about the fast-breaking dinner next week.
The center was opened in 1997 with the participation of the then-Turkish Ambassador to Japan Gündüz Aktan and hosts Turkish language courses along with cultural and dialogue activities. Additional Turkish cultural centers were later launched in Okayama, Nagoya, Sendai and Osaka following Tokyo. So far Turkish has been taught to more than 10,000 Japanese people and the tourists who visited Turkey to watch the national team at the 2002 World Cup constitute the majority of the course participants. When I walked in the center, I saw a lady with a T-shirt bearing the legend “BJK” who said she went to Beşiktaş games. Those who like Turkish cuisine take classes to learn how to cook Turkish dishes. Their favorite is “mantı.”
In Japan 2003 was declared the year of Turkey. The first Turkish college, opened in Yokohama that same year, enjoys the status of international school. The opening ceremony was attended by Turkey’s Ambassador Solmaz Ünaydin and in 2006 she also opened a second branch in Yokohama. The first site is now used as a kindergarten. I have paid a lot of visits to Turkish schools abroad and I was excited this time as well. The school hosts students from 22 different countries and the Turkish teachers are graduates of Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ), Bilkent and Boğaziçi universities. It is impossible to not be impressed by their passion and vision. The Tokyo branch of Horizon Japan International School was opened this May after the Shibuya mayor allocated part of the state school to this endeavor.
The mosque in Tokyo is another beauty. Designed based on classical Ottoman Turkish architecture, the mosque was built with the aid provided by mosques in Turkey and opened for service on June 30, 2000. The land was donated by the Tokyo Turkish Association founded by the Kazan Turks who migrated to Japan after the communist revolution in 1917. When an earthquake damaged the small mosque built on land purchased by Japanese traders, they donated it to the Republic of Turkey on the condition that a mosque would be built there.
Fast-breaking is not possible without soup and we broke ours at a Turkish restaurant. We performed the Ramadan prayer at the Tokyo mosque together with Indian, Pakistani, African, Arabic, Japanese and Turkish Muslims. The Department of Religious Affairs appointed a valuable representative here and Imam Ensari Yenyiğit recites Friday sermons in Turkish, English and Japanese. The multipurpose hall downstairs and classical Turkish room adds another exceptional aspect to the mosque.
The Japanese like us and we like them. I believe that friendship and cooperation between the two nations will present great opportunities in this globalized world.
