I put off this conversation with my manager for months. I kept imagining it going badly. When I finally had it, it took about four minutes and was completely fine, so I wanted to write it down for anyone else who is stuck at the same point. What I was afraid of was being seen as difficult, or as someone asking for special treatment. What actually happened was my manager asked a couple of practical questions, how long it takes and roughly when, and then said to just put it in my calendar as busy time. A few things that made it easier: I came with a concrete proposal rather than a request. I said roughly when, roughly how long, and how I would handle it on days with meetings. Having thought it through in advance meant the conversation was about logistics rather than principles. I framed it as scheduling rather than as a favour. That was advice from someone who had done it before me and it was good advice. I did not over-explain. My instinct was to justify everything at length. In the end I said one sentence about what it is and moved on to the practical part. On the space itself, my office does not have anything dedicated, so I use a quiet meeting room and book it like anyone would. It is not perfect but it works. I know people whose workplaces have made a proper space available, and others who use nearby facilities. It depends a lot on the company. The part that surprised me was how normal it became. After a few weeks nobody thought about it, including me. Most of the difficulty was in my own head beforehand. For food, I have found that being straightforward works the same way. Colleagues have been good about picking places once they know, and now someone usually checks with me before booking anything. Has anyone had a different experience? Also, if anyone knows good places to buy halal meat that are not too far out, I am still building my list. #indonesia #workinginjapan #halal