Chabad Tokyo Japan

This year, Chanukah starts from the evening of November 28th! We are providing Happy Chanukah Set -Chanukah to Go! (Box includes Menorah and Candle), for people who hopes to have before the coming Chanukah. Feel free to contact us from our e-mail!

Also in the first evening of Chanukah, Japanese visitors are welcome and donut, tea, coffee, wine and many other delicious food will be provided!! For kids, Dreidel is also available!

If you are visiting Chabad House of Tokyo for the first time, visitors need to fill out the visitors form beforehand. Our staff will send you after contacting us.

We are looking forward for your visit!

Tomorrow, Wednesday evening, September 15 will begin Yom Kippur.

The day that the deepest and purest part of our neshama is revealed. The day of eternal forgiveness, when one stands before the Creator, as an angel. We pray and wish that each of you will be sealed in the book of life for a good and sweet year. May it be a year of revealed good in every aspect of your life. From Corona(COVID-19), we will have the Crown of King Moshiach. Now. This year in Jerusalem!

We are joyously preparing for the meal before the fast and break the fast. Our generous friend Shlomi from Nagoya sent such fresh produce, large beets, special peppers and superbly sweet kabocha and many other delicious vegetables for the Holidays. Loads of Challah rolls and appetizing foods are ready for the great mitzvah of adding in meals on Erev Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur was chosen as the day of forgiveness and atonement by G-d Almighty, 3,334 years ago. When the Jewish people were forgiven for the sin of the Golden Calf. To join for Yom Kippur please RSVP. Due to Corona(COVID-19), we have to know in advance.

Yom Kippur Schedule:

Wednesday, Sep 15
　2 PM　meal before the fast
　5:30 PM　Candle lighting
　6:30 PM　KOL NIDREI

Yom Kippur day:
 Thursday, Sep 16
　10 AM　Morning services
　11 AM　YIZKOR
　4:30 PM　Mincha
　5:00 PM　Neilah and Blowing shofar
　6:30 PM　MEAL AFTER THE FAST

Contact us from e-mail

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Cremation in Japan is common in Japan. It wasn’t so before World war Two, people were buried. As a matter of fact, the emperor’s family do not cremate to this day. 

Jewish tradition prohibits cremation, since we come from earth and are destined to return to earth. The body is considered sacred as it is a loyal partner to the soul doing good deeds while it is in this physical world. Our body is given to us as a collateral to safekeep, so that after 120 years, of a full and meaningful life, the body is returned to its maker. The Torah teaches that we don’t have a right to burn what G-d has given to us as a gift. 

Recently, a 55 year old Jewish man in our community passed away suddenly. He lived over three decades in Japan. His family in Israel were very worried how they would be able to bury him according to Jewish law. Rabbi Edery, may he live and be well arranged all the paper work so that his body could be flown back as soon as possible to Israel. The Jewish law requires the family to bury their relative as close as possible to the time of death, as respect for the the person who passed on. Many of the local offices were closed due to corona, that did not deter Rabbi Edery from thinking of ways to overcome the challenges. The vice minister of Defense Yasuhide Nakayama, who very kindly connected us with Miyake sensei from the Ministry of Foreign affairs helped very graciously. 

Finally, the Jewish man was buried near his family in Tiberias, Israel. Hopefully, Moshiach will come very soon and he will be reunited with his loved ones.

Today is the day of passing of the Rebbe’s father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson. He was the Chief Rabbi of Yekaterinoslav, now Dniepropetrovsk, Ukraine. His bravery and devotion to help every Jew was outstanding. He was the backbone and support to all Jewry in USSR.

The Communists imprisoned him, on the basis of being a counter revolutionary. They decided to completely stop him from teaching and developing Jewish life. They sent him to exile in Chile, Kazakhstan, which was physically and mentally extremely difficult. Hunger and sickness was the norm. Swamp land, scorching heat in the summer, and extreme cold and rain in the winter made it very difficult to survive.

Reb Levi Yitzchak’s wife Chana, joined him in his exile. She made ink out of leaves, enabling her husband to continue writing his Kabbalistics discourses and teachings, which we have printed today. He was released from exile and lived in Almaty, where he passed away shortly after.

He is an example of self sacrifice to keep Judaism alive even under unbearable circumstances. We are here today in his merit. May Moshiach come now, we will merit to see him and his wife in person.

Due to the spread of COVID-19, this program is carefully supervised by the staff of Chabad Japan and all of the participants registered to the event beforehand.

This Sunday we had a fantastic time at our Challah Bakers Club. Challah Bakers Club is a family club aimed for kids to have hands-on experiences in baking challah, gardening, nature, and Jewish Holidays. The kids wore their baker hats and had a ball being ‘’chefs’’ and making many different Challah shapes. They all made a wish and a blessing on the Challah.

Making a blessing on the Challah reminds us that everything we have is a blessing from G-d, and we show our appreciation by taking a piece and making a special blessing.

Children learned about the importance of appreciating and giving from what they are blessed with. With sports competitions running now in Japan, we are encouraging competition of good deeds and acts of kindness. Here every child is a champion!

The kids picked cherry tomatoes from Rabbi Edery’s beautiful garden and enjoyed petting the tiny two week old chicks. They were so excited to learn about what the little chicks eat and drink, and were fascinated to see how they jump excitedly around their chicken coop. We explained that the light that was lit on the coop during the day was for heating not for lighting.  The children had a fabulous time on the trampoline.

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We all enjoyed the best falafel and watermelon and can’t wait for the next get together!