Bus Panj Minute-1101: Gurdwaras in Japan bring Indian Diaspora together

#gurdwara #singh #sikh #singhsabhagurdwara #singhsabhasurrey #singhsabha #gurdwarananaksarsahib #japan #sikhsinusa #sikhsincanada ‪@probingeye‬ Japan may not have a substantial Indian Diaspora, but it has Gurdwaras dotting its entire landmass. While one of the oldest Sikh shrines is in Kobe, the most well-attended is in Ibaraki. Congregations are held not every Sunday, but on alternate Sundays at these easily accessible places of worship and community kitchens (langar). True to the Sikh philosophy of seeking “sarbat da bhalla” (wellbeing of humanity), members of the Indian Diaspora from every religion frequent them. Though a couple of Hindu temples have also come up, Gurdwaras remain the most popular community centres. While in Japan for the Aichi Asian Games 2026, we had a chance to visit Gurdwara Sri Dasmesh Darbar Sahib at Sakai in Ashima District of Ibaraki prefecture. It is almost a 2-3 hour trip by public transport from Tokyo to Ibaraki Gurdwara Sahib, located in a semi-urban locality that has some families of Indian descent living there. When we went there, we were received at a nearby Bus Station by the Head Granthi Jagroop Singh, who has been discharging all religious duties for the past several years. Jagroop Singh comes from Kurukshetra district in Haryana. Other than Gurdwara duties, he is in the transport business. He is at times assisted by Baldeep Singh Punchee of Jammu. Baldeep Singh, however, wants to return and resume his duties as a “Table” player in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. The President of the Gurdwara Management Committee, Gurwinder Singh, comes from a family of Sikh preachers of Chandigarh. His father, after serving the Sector 7 Gurdwara in Chandigarh, is now settled in Mohali. Gurwinder Singh runs a restaurant in Ibaraki. Gurwinder Singh arrived in Japan more than 10 years ago. He says he initially joined special congregations at the old Gurdwara in Tokyo, known as Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar, which was started more than two decades ago in a basement. At times, this Gurdwara remains inaccessible because of construction and other activities, but remains open for Sunday congregations. He says when he moved to Ibaraki from Tokyo, he and others started holding weekly gatherings at their homes where they would recite Sukhmani Sahib until they got the present premises that served as a community centre. This building met all our requirements, and we started holding our weekly gatherings here. Initially, we had no “Swaroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib” and instead used religious “Gutkas” for Gurbani recitations. It was only in 2022 that we were helped by the management of one of the oldest Gurdwaras in Japan in Kobe, as it made available to us “Swaroop of Guru Granth Sahib.” “We brought Sri Guru Granth Sahib in a specially arranged bus, and since then we have been performing all religious ceremonies – Prakash in the morning and Sukh Assan in the evening, besides performing “Nitnem” as laid down in Sikh Rehat Maryada,” adds Gurwinder Singh. “Every year, we hold Sri Akhand path Sahib – continuous recitation from Sri Guru Granth Sahib – on the birth anniversary – Gurpurab – of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Baisakhi, Srijana Divas of Khalsa. Last year, even a marriage ceremony in accordance with Sikh rituals was solemnised at the gurdwara. “Other than that, we have special congregations on alternate Sundays where attendance varies between 150 and 200, while on the special two occasions, it reaches 400 to 500,” reveals Gurwinder Singh. The Gurdwara has three well-furnished rooms for visitors who can come and stay. Since a couple of Indian grocery stores have come up on the periphery of the Gurdwara, it draws its rations from there. The night before the special Sunday congregations, the devout volunteer themselves to cook “langar” for the entire congregation. Morning starts with break pakoras and tea, and it continues the whole day even after langar has been served, adds Jagroop Singh.