The history of Islam in Japan dates back roughly a century (the first Japanese to go on pilgrimage to Mecca did so in 1910, and the earliest Japanese mosque dates to 1935). The largest growth in the numbers of Muslims living and worshipping in Japan took place during the so-called “bubble economy” of the 1990s, when foreign workers (many from Islamic countries) entered Japan for employment. Despite subsequent restrictions placed on such workers, a number remained in Japan, marrying Japanese citizens and starting families. In his interviews with Muslim foreign workers and Japanese converts to Islam, Kawakami Yasunori suggests something of the intersection of personal experience and political context shaping this newest chapter in the history of Japanese religion. Even as some Japanese join the Islamic community as converts, and Muslim groups put down roots by building mosques and other long-term institutions, some Muslims retain a sense of connection with their countries of origin, and consider returning for the sake of their children's traditional upbringing.