Tsukuba, Japan

Asia-Eurasia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026

Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāminn iti nāmine

namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

In 2018 we started our Hare Kṛṣṇa center in Tsukuba, known for its research and scientific studies internationally and a city of pride in Japan for its innovations to improve health and the standard of living for communities locally and worldwide.

Now we have a vibrant, growing community with locals enthusiastically participating in learning Kṛṣṇa consciousness by studying Bhagavad-gītā As It Is in Japanese and embracing the lifestyle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which is very challenging for the Japanese due to their conservative society and traditional lifestyles. Under the expert guidance of His Holiness Kavicandra Swami Mahārāja, and by sharing Your Divine Grace’s love and compassion, we are making friends with both Japanese people and expats, keeping the cultural sensitivity, serving them prasādam, and serving them with kirtan music and the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. With Mahārāja’s guidance we are serving those in Japanese bodies.

In this journey over the past eight years, we are helping the local Japanese through

• Cooking classes: teaching vegetarian recipes using local ingredients, which helps them to prepare them in their homes. We also teach a few Indian recipes, such as samosas, kachoris, chapatis, and various dals, which include protein.
• Classes in nutrition: especially teaching practitioners how to feel safe to replace meat with lentils and other vegetarian foods, which have all proteins and nourishment. This is helping Japanese families safely adopt a vegetarian diet and subsequently learn to offer the food to Kṛṣṇa’s pictures and honor it as prasādam.
• Teaching English through reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in English: This is for advanced students whom we meet online once a week. We are still in the First Canto, since we began reading the Bhāgavatam from the beginning. Here we read and discuss the word-by-word meanings given in your books so we can understand context and depth of Vedic culture, and its relevance to the present time.
• Home programs: These are vibrant and cozy programs, which all the Japanese like. We all come together, chant Vaiṣṇava bhajanas, read the translations of the verses, and discuss the pastimes in Japanese. We also relate some Japanese folktales and enjoy this sādhu-saṅga with prasādam and bonding. This is helping us to become friends, discuss your teachings through your books, sing together, and embrace the message of Lord Caitanya.

While all these things are happening, His Holiness Kavicandra Swami Mahārāja has expressed his desire to have more Kṛṣṇa conscious centers in Japan the way we have MacDonalds and Starbucks – high accessibility in every nook and corner. With this vision in the heart, my husband and I have thought of buying property for our Kṛṣṇa conscious center that can help us hold more diverse programs, such as retreats and educational activities with more accessibility for the locals.

We did buy land, but the construction costs increased a lot after COVID-19 subsided. Our son was boarding at university, and we geared up to build a center after discussing it with Mahārāja. He guided us that there should be no loan – we should stay simple and serve more.

We searched for more than two years and could not find an agent who could build a center that was within our budget without a loan. We were almost exhausted and kind of disappointed that we questioned whether we were on the right path. Then one day, we thought we would try one more time, and after this, halt for some time.

On that day, we found a place near the Tsukuba area – a Japanese house. We immediately rushed and spoke with the agent, who arranged a visit that same day. After a good amount of struggle, we bought the place for our Hare Kṛṣṇa Center in Tsukuba. It is a wonder Japanese Heritage House, 180 years old – a beautiful house with a history of a Samurai’s dynasty.

On this auspicious Vyāsa-pūjā of offerings to Your Divine Grace, we offer to Your Divine Grace our Hare Center in Tsukuba, Japan, and we all humbly beg that you bless us all that we continue to progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As per Mahārāja’s desire, we serve the locals and give more access to Kṛṣṇa conscious through retreats, educational activities within their cultural settings, and to make them welcome.

Your servants at the Hare Krishna Center in Tsukuba

Ujjvalā Gopī Devī Dāsī (RNS), Sudāmā Dāsa (KCS), and team

Türkiye

Asia-Eurasia, Homages ISKCON Centers, VP2026

Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to your Divine Grace.

With respect and gratitude, we are sending this offering on behalf of the devotees and congregation of ISKCON Türkiye. We do not present this as a record of accomplishment but as a small reflection of service that has been possible only by your mercy during 2025.

In this country, where the cultural and religious background is quite different from the tradition of bhakti, your teachings have nonetheless begun to take root – not through external force but through gradual contact through your books, through kirtan, and through personal association. In this way, your presence is being felt in a steady and meaningful manner.

At present, the yātrā consists of approximately 150 congregational devotees, with eight new devotees joining. Six devotees have successfully completed the ISKCON Disciples Course, and three devotees have taken initiation – two receiving first initiation, and one second initiation. These steps represent a growing commitment to the process you gave.

Regular programs continue to form the foundation of devotional life. During the year, hundreds of online morning programs were held, maintaining consistent participation. Onsite gatherings, though fewer, continue to support personal connection. Weekly Sunday programs were held in three cities: Istanbul, Ankara, and Antalya, with steady attendance and ongoing engagement.

In addition, weekly kirtan programs in Istanbul, often organized at yoga studios have opened a natural connection with the broader spiritual community. These kirtans are received with appreciation and have become an accessible entry point for many individuals who are already seeking deeper meaning through yoga and meditation.

A significant development has been the launch of the Bhakta Program, which attracted approximately 100 participants, primarily from the yoga community. With little or no prior connection to ISKCON, these participants have begun a systematic study, completing the first module and progressing into the second. This has created a structured pathway for deeper engagement with devotional service and Vaiṣṇava philosophy.

Alongside this, weekly online satsaṅgas on the Bhagavad-gītā, reading groups focused on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Kṛṣṇa book, japa meditation gatherings, sattvic cooking classes, and seasonal retreat-style programs have all contributed to a steady cultivation of people interested in spiritual life. Educational content shared through digital platforms has also extended the reach of your teachings to a wider audience.

We observed all major Vaiṣṇava festivals here in our country, providing opportunities for devotees and guests to gather for kirtan, hearing, and prasādam in major cities.

Your books remain at the core of our efforts. Last year, 2,000 copies of the Kṛṣṇa book in Turkish, and 5,000 copies of a retranslated Bhagavad-gītā were printed and distributed. Through various programs, festivals, book fairs, and personal outreach, approximately 5,000 of your books were distributed throughout the year, each one carrying your message to a new life. Translation work continues, with plans to publish additional titles so that more people may come in contact with your teachings in their own language.

Prasādam distribution has also been an ongoing service. Through Food for Life Türkiye, regular programs were carried out in the country, serving both homeless individuals and low-income families. In addition, Govinda restaurant in Istanbul continues to distribute approximately fifty plates of prasādam daily, functioning as a sustainable and continuous outreach effort.

Another meaningful development has been the growing connection with the yoga and wellness community. Through kirtan, festivals, and lifestyle-based outreach, bhakti practices are increasingly recognized as an authentic dimension of spiritual life. This has brought many sincere individuals into closer contact with your teachings.

At the same time, growth takes place within certain limitations. Public outreach is naturally restricted, and expansion is gradual. Progress often depends on personal relationships, steady practice, and long-term engagement rather than large-scale visibility. Yet even within these conditions, a consistent and sincere development can be observed.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, whatever is taking place here is only possible because of your mercy. In this land, your presence is not loud, but it is steady. It grows quietly through books, through kirtan, through simple association. We do not see rapid expansion, but we see sincere transformation. We do not see large numbers, but we see hearts gradually opening. Whatever is taking place here is fragile but real, and for that we feel deeply indebted. We offer this small yātrā at your lotus feet not as something complete, but as something that is still becoming. If you so desire, let this effort continue. If you so desire, let it deepen. And if you so desire, may this land one day become a place where your teachings are naturally heard, understood, and lived. This is our offering to your lotus feet.

Your servants,

The devotees of ISKCON Türkiye