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What Your Place Can Do During Ramadan: Preparing Around Sunset Times, and Customer Flow After the Fast

Published: October 6, 2026 / Last updated: October 24, 2026

Category: For businesses

Ramadan is a month of fasting from before dawn until sunset

The Islamic calendar has a month each year called Ramadan (ラマダン, written ラマダーン in the Japan Tourism Agency’s guide). According to the agency’s “Hospitality Guide for Vegetarian, Vegan, and Muslim Travelers,” Muslims fast from before dawn until sunset for about 30 days during this month. EAT TOKYO, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s multilingual menu creation website, explains that during the fast, nothing is consumed during daylight hours, including water.

As a secondary source, we also look at a researcher’s report from the Center for Information on Religion (February 18, 2026). It explains that fasting lasts from before the dawn prayer until the call to the sunset prayer, and people can eat and drink freely at night. Because a day in the Islamic calendar begins at sunset, Ramadan also begins on the evening before the first day of fasting.

Ramadan’s dates change each year. According to the Japan Tourism Agency’s guide, a year in the Islamic calendar has 354 days, 11 fewer than the Gregorian calendar, so Ramadan falls earlier each Gregorian year. The guide says Ramadan fell from early March to early April in 2024 and from late February to late March in 2025.

What matters for your restaurant is that sunset changes how Muslim customers eat during this month. Using the Japan Tourism Agency’s guide, public information from Muslim organizations and mosques, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan’s calendar data, and Japan National Tourism Organization statistics, this article covers what your restaurant can do during Ramadan. All sources were checked on September 29, 2026.

Expected to begin around February 8 in 2027

Dates in an organization’s calendar

The “Kalender Hijriah Global Tunggal” (Unified Global Hijri Calendar), published by Muhammadiyah, an Indonesian Islamic organization, gives February 8 as the first day of Ramadan in 2027 and March 8 as its last day. Since a day in the Islamic calendar begins at sunset, this means Ramadan begins at sunset on February 7, with fasting starting before dawn on February 8. The first day after Ramadan, the holiday marking the end of the fast, is March 9. The Center for Information on Religion’s report also says Ramadan is expected to begin around February 8 in 2027.

The start date can differ by country or organization

The first and last days of Ramadan can differ by country or organization. Muhammadiyah’s calendar sets dates in advance by calculation, and its calendar page states that the calculations were made by a Muhammadiyah committee. As a secondary source, we also look at a report from Indonesia’s state news agency ANTARA (September 18, 2026). It says Indonesia’s government formally determines the start date at a meeting held by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, so the 2027 date has not yet been set.

In 2026, for example, Muhammadiyah’s calendar gave February 18 as the first day of Ramadan. Tokyo Camii, a mosque in Tokyo, announced fasting from February 19 to March 19. Both ended on March 19, so fasting at Tokyo Camii lasted 29 days, one day less.

Announcements from mosques and Muslim organizations in Japan are useful guides to fasting dates for Muslims spending Ramadan here. Tokyo Camii published its 2026 dates on its Ramadan information page. The Center for Information on Religion’s report mentions Ramadan calendars from Tokyo Camii and Keluarga Masyarakat Islam Indonesia (KMII), the Indonesian Muslim community organization in Japan, showing daily sunrise, sunset, and prayer times. Check these announcements for 2027 dates after the new year begins.

For a fasting person’s daily routine and what colleagues or school communities can do, see When Does Ramadan 2027 Start? Fasting Hours, the Rules, and What to Know When Spending Ramadan in Japan.

Know the sunset time

Sunset times in major cities in 2027

The daily fast ends at sunset. According to the Ephemeris Computation Office of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), sunset times in major cities in 2027 are as follows. February 8 and March 8 are the expected first and last days of Ramadan.

LocationFebruary 8March 8
Sapporo4:56 pm5:32 pm
Tokyo5:15 pm5:42 pm
Nagoya5:27 pm5:53 pm
Osaka5:34 pm5:59 pm
Fukuoka5:56 pm6:20 pm
Naha6:17 pm6:34 pm

Between February 8 and March 8, sunset becomes 17 minutes later in Naha, 27 minutes later in Tokyo, and 36 minutes later in Sapporo. Even on the same day, Sapporo and Naha differ by over an hour. Based on Muhammadiyah’s calendar dates, sunset during Ramadan 2027 is between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. NAOJ’s figures are for representative locations in each city, so check your restaurant’s local time on the Ephemeris Computation Office’s website and use it as a guide.

Fasting begins before sunrise

Fasting begins before dawn, rather than at sunrise. The Center for Information on Religion’s report describes a Ramadan weekday based on an interview with one Muslim office worker in Japan: getting up at 4:00 am for breakfast, starting the fast around 5:00 am, ending it around 5:30 pm with a light meal and the sunset prayer, and returning home at 7:00 pm for dinner.

Drinks and food for breaking the fast

Water and dates first

The Center for Information on Religion’s report says people commonly break the fast at iftar with light food and drinks such as warm water, sweet drinks, dates, or cookies. It explains that after consuming nothing for well over ten hours, people avoid suddenly eating a large amount and begin with things that are gentle on the stomach and provide nutrients easily.

Tokyo Camii’s 2026 information follows this sequence. Its instructions for Muslims say dried dates and water will be available outside the mosque and on the terrace, and ask people to join the sunset prayer before eating the iftar meal in the first-floor venue. It also says the meal gathering is timed to sunset each day. EAT TOKYO says people eat a substantial meal at sunset. The sequence is to have something light first, then a full meal after prayer.

What your restaurant can do

Applying this sequence to your restaurant suggests the following preparations. Something light that can be served immediately, such as the warm water or sweet drinks mentioned in the report, is suitable for the first thing customers consume when ending the fast.

  • Be ready to serve water, tea, juice, or other drinks immediately at sunset
  • Take orders before sunset and serve the food at sunset
  • Tell customers who want to perform the sunset prayer where and when they can pray

The sunset prayer, Maghrib, is performed just after sunset. We explain how to prepare a prayer space in How to Offer a Prayer Space at Your Place: What Even a Small Place Can Do, and What You Don’t Need to Force.

During Ramadan, customers still want to check whether drinks or dishes use pork or alcohol. If serving sweet drinks, choose ones that do not use Western-style alcoholic beverages as ingredients.

Adjusting opening hours and offering takeout

Evening opening hours

The Japan Tourism Agency’s guide recommends considering tour schedules and restaurant opening hours so that people can eat breakfast before dawn and dinner after sunset.

Based on Muhammadiyah’s calendar dates, sunset in Tokyo during Ramadan 2027 ranges from 5:15 pm to 5:42 pm. A restaurant that begins evening service at 6:00 pm will not be open when the fast ends. If Muslim customers make a reservation, ask whether they would like a time that matches sunset. If needed, you could start evening service a little earlier or have seats ready at sunset.

Breakfast at accommodation facilities

At accommodation facilities, breakfast times matter too. The person in the report mentioned earlier began fasting around 5:00 am. In Tokyo in 2027, sunrise is at 6:36 am on February 8 and 6:02 am on March 8. Fasting begins before that.

If breakfast service at an accommodation facility begins at 6:30 am or 7:00 am, fasting guests cannot eat breakfast. Options include allowing guests to take breakfast to their rooms the night before or preparing food they can eat before dawn. This is the sort of consideration recommended by the Japan Tourism Agency’s guide so that breakfast can be eaten before dawn.

Takeout meals

Muslim travelers may not be at your restaurant at sunset. Although this is not limited to Ramadan, the Japan Tourism Agency guide’s Reference Volume includes comments from a Malaysian travel agency: places where travelers spend a long time, such as theme parks, may lack restaurants offering services for Muslims, so separate boxed meals are sometimes prepared for Muslim travelers.

During Ramadan, some customers may be traveling at sunset or want to eat their predawn meal at a hotel. If your restaurant can prepare takeout food, you can provide it for customers to eat at sunset or before dawn. Include information in English about whether pork and alcohol are used.

Short phrases in English

You can explain arrangements for breaking the fast in simple English. Here are some examples. Change the time and details to suit the day and your restaurant.

  • We can serve your meal at sunset (5:15 pm today).
  • Water and tea are ready for your iftar.
  • You are welcome to use this room for prayer.
  • We are open from 5:00 pm during Ramadan.

Make the information available outside your restaurant

Let customers know before they arrive that you can serve food at sunset or open earlier. The Japan Tourism Agency guide’s Reference Volume recommends clearly indicating that dishes without pork or pork-derived ingredients are available, in easy-to-see places at the entrance, on your website, on social media, and in map apps. Information about Ramadan arrangements can be added in the same places. For English wording, see How to Make a Multilingual Menu: Add Pork and Alcohol Information to Translated Dish Names.

Some Muslim customers are not fasting

Even during Ramadan, not all Muslims fast in the same way.

Islamic Circle of Japan, a Muslim organization active in Japan, says fasting during Ramadan is required of Muslims who have reached puberty and are physically and mentally healthy. It also explains that people who are ill or traveling can postpone fasting until their illness or journey is over. Pregnant or breastfeeding people can also postpone it, while people unable to fast because of old age or illness are exempt. The Center for Information on Religion’s report says young children and their mothers, people who are ill, travelers, and others are exempt from fasting. Although they use different terms, postponement and exemption, both explain that travelers may not fast on a particular day.

For families visiting your restaurant, children may eat during the day even when the adults are fasting.

The Japan Tourism Agency’s guide says fewer Muslims travel during Ramadan, although some do travel and fast. It adds that interpretations and practices differ from person to person, making hospitality suited to each individual the most important consideration.

Some Muslim customers will come for a meal during the day. It is enough to respond to their fasting needs when they tell you about them. Whatever the time of day, the need to put pork and alcohol information on the menu remains the same.

Visitor arrivals to Japan after Ramadan

Visitor patterns in 2026

The Japan Tourism Agency guide’s Reference Volume says the Muslim share of the population is very high in Malaysia and Indonesia in Southeast Asia, and generally high in Middle Eastern countries too. Visitor numbers to Japan from these countries and regions vary during Ramadan and the periods before and after it. The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) explains its monthly estimates for 2026 as follows.

Country or regionFebruary 2026 (fasting began around February 18)March 2026 (fasting ended around March 20)
Malaysia59,700 visitors, down 8.0% from the same month a year earlier76,600 visitors, up 44.2% from the same month a year earlier; a record high for March
Indonesia51,200 visitors, up 8.9% from the same month a year earlier82,800 visitors, up 36.6% from the same month a year earlier; an all-time monthly high
Middle East10,000 visitors, down 7.5% from the same month a year earlier16,700 visitors, down 30.6% from the same month a year earlier

The parenthetical notes in the table were added by our editors based on Muhammadiyah’s calendar and Tokyo Camii’s information.

For February, JNTO says factors included a decline in travel demand during the fasting period in Malaysia and the Middle East. Indonesia reached a record high for February because of factors such as last-minute demand before the fast, despite a decline during the fasting period. For March, it says Malaysia and Indonesia reached record highs due to factors including holidays after Ramadan and school holidays. The Middle East figure fell below the previous year’s despite the effect of holidays after Ramadan, because of factors including flight cancellations and reductions due to the situation in the Middle East.

Preparing for 2027

The day after Ramadan ends is Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of the fast. If Ramadan 2027 runs from around February 8 to around March 8, more customers may visit Japan in March for holidays after Ramadan, as in 2026. Preparing around sunset during Ramadan, then reviewing English wording on menus and signs at the entrance for the period afterward, can help you serve customers in both periods.

Halal Gohan’s restaurant listing application has fields for your opening hours and menu. If you change evening opening hours during Ramadan, you can add those details too. Listings are free.

Sources

Primary sources

Secondary sources (cited in the article and identified as such)

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