Written by: Zhafira Aqyla
We have wrapped up another month of Gems in Japan Instagram Live at @halalmediajapan’s Instagram account.
This month, we invited two awe-inspiring women to discuss what it’s like to be a Muslim career/businesswoman in Japan. Introducing our first speaker, Ms. Dalia Nasr, an Egyptian hijabi working at SATO Holdings Corporation in Tokyo.
Gems in Japan #4: January Edition
Ms. Dalia Nasr
Watch the live session here
Ms. Dalia shared with us her journey of finding a suitable agency which assisted her, as a foreign national, to not only land an internship but also to get a full-time offer to work in one company in Japan. She insisted on the importance of staying true to your faith throughout the application process, including communicating the necessities to maintain an Islamic lifestyle at work, including wearing a hijab, praying at work, and excusing herself from drinking events.
She believes with many companies in Japan growing more and more accepting towards diverse cultures, these demands should not be a problem and it is never worth compromising one’s faith to work in a rigid company. With many options out there, Ms. Dalia believes there will be that one company that will hire you based on merit and embrace the diverse culture that you bring to the company.
Ms. Siti Nurjanah
Our next guest is the infamous Halal bakery owner from Gifu, Ms. Siti Nurjanah or more commonly known as Teh Nunuy.
Read more on Hanamaza PAN here
Teh Nunuy’s decision to establish a Halal bakery was made after witnessing the Muslim community in Japan struggle to eat fresh bakery due to the non-Halal components in bread sold in Japanese supermarkets or bakeries. After taking a Halal baking class in Nagoya, she decided to set up her own kitchen, where she would bake rolls after rolls to freeze and send all over Japan through her shop’s website.
What started as a small kitchen has now grown into a famous bakery and cafe which caters to both Japanese and Muslim customers. Some of her tips to aspiring Halal business owners in Japan is to first master the language, the culture, and have someone who understands Japanese law to assist you. These are the highlights of our discussion, which you can watch in full in the link below.
Watch the live session here
Gems in Japan #5: February Edition
Mr. Shinya Yokoyama, Food Diversity Co-Founder
We are going to kickstart our February with our respected and beloved co-founder, Mr. Shinya Yokoyama, who is very excited to discuss with you the beginning of Halal Media Japan, now known as Food Diversity Inc. In addition, he is also happy to introduce his recently-launched book, 「おいしいダイバーシティ」(Oishii Daibāshiti) which translates to “Delicious Diversity”.
Travel Consultant, Ms. Khamisah Salamat
Two weeks after, we will have a nice chat with Ms. Khamisah, a travel consultant who has worked for 30 years in the field and has witnessed the increasingly rapid development of the Halal industry in Japan. She is now working in Singapore and assists tourism agencies to arrange Muslim-friendly tourism packages in Japan.
