"Itsumi, remember the story of the Kamikaze I told you about? We're a blessed people, so don't worry. The weather will improve soon. Now, come closer. As long as we stick together, our body heat should suffice till the snowstorm ends."

     Those were some of the last words Itsumi heard before losing her mother to hypothermia. Although she adapted as an orphan in the streets, watching her mother die, in spite of her words of comfort, shook Itsumi’s core belief in a greater being. Four years on, she just lived her life as it unfolded.

"So when are you heading out?" asked Itsumi, one Saturday morning.

     "To where?" asked Sakura.

     "You said you were seeing Hana today," said Itsumi.

     "Oh! At 11. I’ll be taking the train there," said Sakura.

     "I see. So it’s that far far away?" asked Itsumi.

     "It’s in the Oyama-cho district. Not sure you’re heard of it," said Sakura.

     "No, I... don’t think I’ve been there before. Or, at least, I don’t think," said Itsumi.

     Sakura gave a thought to an idea, then said to Itsumi, "You wanna come along? I wanna go sightseeing afterwards."

     "I don’t have anything else planned, so why not?" Itsumi shrugged.

     "Awesome! I’ll budget for two train tickets," Sakura declared.

     "You don’t have to do that; I have the money!" Itsumi exclaimed, before both girls proceeded to debate on who got to pay for the extra ticket.

It was twenty minutes after eleven, and both friends were in the queue waiting for their train to arrive. Without fail, the train arrived with seconds to spare, and much shorter time for each couch to be filled with passengers. Since it wasn’t rush hour yet, Itsumi and Sakura had enough space for themselves to manage.

     The girls stopped at the Yoyogi-Uehara station, and trekked to their destination by foot. It was not as busy as the trendiest of districts in Tokyo. In fact, Itsumi came to admire how calm Oyama-cho felt in comparison, reminding her of some of the quieter parts of town she often walked in. It’s a residential area known for its greenery.

     "There’s my house," Sakura pointed.

     "You have a house?" asked Itsumi, feeling a bit stunned.

     "No. I mean the house is called ‘Sakura House,’" Sakura clarified.

     "Oh!" Itsumi exclaimed.

     The girls continued their walk, with Itsumi continuing to observe the neighborhood. Then suddenly, Sakura broke the silence, declaring, "And we’re here!" The pair stood outside the entrance to Yoyogi Oyama Park, where Sakura and Hana planned to meet. Both friends exchanged salutations before introducing Itsumi to Hana.

     "And this is my friend, Michio, Itsumi," Sakura said to Hana.

     "Hi!" Itsumi greeted.

     "Nice to meet you, Michio," said Hana. She then turned to Sakura, and asked, "Is she joining us for lunch?"

     Sakura had already informed Itsumi of a possible lunch plan at a local restaurant, on their way to the Oyama-cho district. Sakura turned to Itsumi for her answer.

     "Sure!" said Itsumi.

     "Awesome! I know a place that’s just ten minutes from here. Shall we start heading out?" asked Hana.

     The girls made their way to Sha-Shokudo, a local restaurant and coffee shop. Being from a wealthy family, Hana attempted to pay for everyone, before Sakura and Itsumi insisted on paying for their own meals. They had a memorable time together over lunch, but this was also where Hana had to make her way back home, leaving Sakura and Itsumi to resume their tour around town.

     "Shall we resume our tour?" Sakura asked Itsumi.

     "Sure! So, where exactly are we heading?" asked Itsumi, realizing that they were making their way across a main road.

     "You’ll see. It’s just down the road," said Sakura, trying her best to keep their destination a secret.

     They kept walking for over two minutes until Sakura, pointing to the other side of the road, stopped Itsumi on her track. "We’re here," she said.

     "Is that... a mosque?" asked Itsumi.

     "They call it the ‘Camii mosque.’ It’s one of Tokyo’s oldest mosques. I’ve always wanted to see it up close," said Sakura.

     "It looks like one of those mosques in Istanbul," said Itsumi.

     "That’s because it is Turkish," said Sakura.

     "Oh! So, are we going in?" asked Itsumi, as she pointed to the mosque.

     "Of course! Let’s take the next crossing," said Sakura, already making her way to their next stop.

     "Hey, wait up," said Itsumi, catching up to Sakura.

     And so, they trekked a few more steps before crossing to the other side of the main road. At last, they stood in front of the mosque. Its height and design reminded Itsumi of the Michio residence, as she looked up to the minaret. As this was their first time visiting the mosque, the girls couldn’t figure out how to enter. There was a wooden door to the left, left wide open to visitors, but there was also a steady crowd of people making their way down the stairs next to it. Sakura gave it a quick thought before going for the door. Immediately, Sakura noticed something odd.

     "Oh! I think we’re at the cultural center," she said.

     "Isn’t it a mosque?" asked Itsumi.

     "It’s a mosque, and a cultural center," said Sakura.

     "I see," said Itsumi, as she looked around.

     "I heard they also have a supermarket there. Let’s stop by there first," said Sakura.

     "Alright," said Itsumi. 

     Sakura picked up a few snacks and drinks, some of which were from Turkiye, Indonesia, and Japan. Itsumi grabbed a few for herself as well. They proceeded to the cashier to make their payment, and made their way through the corridor with their nylons and receipts in their hands.

     On their way out, pinned flyers and booklets caught Sakura’s attention for the second time. Itsumi paused to wonder, with her arms akimbo, as she watched Sakura take a booklet for herself. She never would have thought that her friend would have been that interested in Islam.

     At last, the girls took the stairs and made their way to the mosque itself. Faithfuls, as well as a few non-Muslim visitors, were standing outside the entrance, with one of them kindly showing Sakura the way in.

     "Thank you very much," Sakura said to him.

     Sakura nodded to the notion of faithfuls leaving their footwear outside, causing her to draw comparisons to Japanese etiquettes. She proceeded to take off her shoes, prompting Itsumi to do the same. They then stepped in where a staff member welcomed them both, and pointed to hijabs that they could use during their visit. Sakura took one with no hesitation, whereas Itsumi paused to look at something so alien to her. Granted, Itsumi already knew what a hijab was, as Indonesia was in close proximity to Japan, but she never thought that she’d be wearing one herself. Not long after, the girls took photos of the mosque’s Ottoman-style interior, and sat quietly as the faithful attended duhur prayer. Itsumi couldn’t help but to be at awe by the sight of faithfuls bowing down in sujud, as Sakura recorded them on her smartphone.

     Sakura, having waited a long time to see it up close, was happy to have been able to visit the mosque, and take a handful of photos to remember this day. It was time to head back to the train station, and take the next train back home.

     "Sakura, wait!" cried Itsumi.

     "What’s up?" asked Sakura.

     "I.... Do you mind if... I... have a word with the imam? I have a few questions to ask him."

     "Oh?" Sakura exclaimed, with thoughts on Itsumi’s motives rushing in her mind, before saying, "Sure. Why not?" Itsumi had not shown any keen interest in religion, but Sakura couldn’t help but wonder what her friend wanted to ask the imam.

     To her luck, the imam was free to chat with Itsumi, but the two had to walk together to his office. The meeting took a bit longer than Sakura had initially anticipated, as she waited outside the office. This gave her just enough time to grab a bottle of drink from the supermarket, pass by the book area, and head back to the office’s entrance. Not long after, Itsumi made her way out of the office. Sakura noticed how her friend had a somber look on her face, as if she had an epiphany, with a faint attempt to put on a smile. "You’re good?" Sakura asked.

     "Yeah. I’m good," said Itsumi, before being drawn to a blue hardcover book in Sakura’s hand. "What’s that in your hand?" she asked.

     "Oh, this? They were handing out copies of the Qur’an, so I grabbed one," said Sakura.

     "I swear, it feels like you may be interested in becoming a Muslim," said Itsumi jokingly, with both girls bursting in laughter.

     "It’s just for general knowledge, but who knows? I am open to the idea," said Sakura.

     "In that case, whatever you presume, I’ll support you," said Itsumi.

     "Thanks, Itsumi," said Sakura, who then asked, "Shall we start heading back to the station?"

     "Yeah, of course. We’re done here for today," said Itsumi.

"Make yourself comfortable," the imam said to Itsumi at the office, then asked, "May I get you refreshments?"

     "No, thanks," said Itsumi.

"So, what is it you want to ask?" asked the imam.

     "It’s a bit complicated, and I wanted an opinion from other schools of thought that aren’t just Shinto or Buddhist. As Muslims, what drives you? Why do Muslims believe in what you do?"

     "You mean we believe in God?" asked the imam.

     "Yes. I mean, you can’t see God, but you show devotion to Him. I saw how people prayed, and I admired the dedication, but it also felt as if you were all certain in your belief," said Itsumi.

     "That’s a good question you brought up. Are you Shinto, or a Buddhist?" asked the imam.

     "I don’t conform to any religion, but I am spiritually open," said Itsumi.

     "Agnostic. I see," the imam commented. "Well, in Islam, we believe that God leaves His signs of His presence around us through His creations."

     Itsumi nodded to show her attentiveness to the imam’s explanation.

     "Let’s look at it this way. Have you ever looked at the Earth as a shelter?" asked the imam.

     "Actually, no. I haven’t," said Itsumi.

     "The Earth operates on a day-and-night cycle. We spend the day living out our lives, and spend the night recuperating our strength through sleep. This is on top of the Earth’s ecosystems providing enough food, water and air as sustenance. If there was no god, or even a divine order in the cosmos, there would have been an imbalance, which in turn could put our existence in jeopardy."

Itsumi gave two more nods.

     "Do you know the planets Venus and Mars?" ask the imam.

     "Yeah?" said Itsumi, wondering where the imam was going.

     "Let’s start off with Venus," said the imam. "Its orbit puts it much closer to the sun, making it one of the two hottest plants in our solar system. On the opposite end is Mars. Its distance from the sun makes it too cold, and inhospitable, for life. And in between them is Earth, which has the most favorable climates for life. This is another sign of God’s presence."

     "I get it," said Itsumi, giving a quick, slight nod. She was just glad that she could sit through the imam’s explanation on what drove him and the mosque goers. But, she still felt unsatisfied with what she sought, for she held onto one question that she was meaning to ask, although hesitant without the buildup. "But, what I meant to ask was," she said, "if there is a god, why does he allow bad things to happen to good people?"

     "Oh! That question," said the imam, feeling not surprised by it. "Now, Michio, if God can bring good to his creations, do you believe that He can bring harm as well?"

     "What do you mean?" asked Itsumi.

     "I’ll share a verse from the Qur’an," said the imam, who then proceeded to quote the verse from memory. "‘We will test you with fear, famine, loss of wealth, life, and crops. Give glad tidings to those who patiently endure.’ In fact, God does not leave believers without testing us with one form of hardship or another that one can handle, so as to test if we still remain steadfast or rebel against God. Of course, this does touch on natural disasters; not harm inflicted by other humans."

     Itsumi felt conflicted. Never had she ever heard of such belief that one’s faith would ever be tested with hard times. A long, uncomfortable pause filled the air.

     "What’s wrong?" asked the imam, thus breaking the silence.

     "I lost my mother to hypothermia. Our landlord evicted us, and made sure we left without our winter wear."

     "On purpose?" asked the imam, followed by Itsumi nodding. "I’m sorry for your loss," he then said.

     "It’s okay; it happened a long time ago," said Itsumi, not to mention how she had also played a role in having the landlord apprehended for his other crimes. Then, she stood up, saying, "But, I think I get it. Thank you for the enlightenment."

     "You’re welcome, Micho. But are you sure you’re alright?" asked the imam.

     "I’m fine. Since losing my mother, I had to rely on other homeless kids on the streets. It wasn’t easy, and we had to do what was necessary for survival. But, that led me to being adopted by a kind-hearted man. That I can be thankful for," said Itsumi, with a huge smile on her face.