As Japan prepares to host visitors from around the world for the 2020 Summer Olympics, a Tokyo sports and cultural events company has launched a mosque on wheels with the hope that it would make Muslim visitors feel at home.

Yasuharu Inoue, CEO of Yasu Project commented that the possibility that there might not be enough mosques for Muslim visitors in 2020 is alarming for a country that considers itself part of the international community. “The Mobile Mosques have the added benefit of travelling to different venues as needed. As an open and hospitable country, we want to share the idea of ‘omotenashi’ (Japanese hospitality) with Muslim people” he said.

The back of the modified 22-tonne truck flips up to reveal an entrance and when the sides are slid out, the width of the truck doubles. The 48 square metres room can accommodate 50 people at one time. Muslim visitors can pray comfortably inside the mobile mosque, with taps and an outdoor washing area for pre-worship cleaning.

“Going forward, I would be so happy if people from Indonesia, Malaysia, Africa, the Middle East and, for example, refugees who are coming from Syria are able to use the mosque as a tool to promote world peace” Yasaharu concluded.