Sultan Al-Saad Al-Qahtani

Japan is Full of Japanese!

July 15, 2026 - 23:35 | Last update July 15, 2026 - 23:35

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During my first visit to Japan in 2019, it wasn't the skyscrapers of Tokyo that first caught my attention, nor the famously punctual train networks, nor even the discipline that precedes the Japanese reputation. The most striking and thought-provoking observation was that Japan is full of Japanese.

The statement may seem obvious, but it takes on a different meaning when experienced by the visitor. I roamed the capital's neighborhoods, moved through train stations, and walked in crowded streets, finding myself in a homogeneous sea of people, with foreign faces almost absent. In many major cities, diversity becomes part of the daily scene, but in Tokyo, the first impression is that society remains strongly attached to its identity, and that Japan, despite its economic openness and technological advancement, still maintains a clear distance between itself and the outside world.

As I watched this scene, I recalled a story by an American journalist who wrote years ago about an empty seat next to him on a crowded Japanese train. The seat wasn't empty because the train was empty, but because passengers preferred to stand rather than sit next to a foreigner. The story sparked a wide debate within Japan, and years later, the Japan Times newspaper returned to ask: Has Japanese society changed? As I walked through the city, it seemed to me that the answer is neither yes nor no, but that Japan is moving slowly, at its own pace, toward greater openness, without abandoning its conservative nature.

Another thing that caught my attention was the Japanese deep respect for privacy. Even smartphones sold in Japan make a mandatory shutter sound when taking photos, so no one can take pictures stealthily. This seemed to me a reflection of a social philosophy that sees technology should serve people, not violate their privacy.

While wandering through markets and commercial streets, I noticed a limited presence of foreign brands compared to what I am used to in other global cities. I asked why, and was told that investment laws in Japan are not easy, and the government is working on reviewing them to encourage foreign investors. Perhaps that is why markets here seem more Japanese than others, as if they are keen to remain a mirror of local identity before being a facade of globalization.

Despite this limited presence of foreign investment, Saudi-Japanese relations assert themselves in many places. The name of Saudi businessman Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel stands out as one of the most prominent foreign investors in Japan, while Saudi Aramco represents an important pillar of economic cooperation between the two countries, at a time when Japan relies on Saudi oil, and Japanese cars have become a familiar part of daily life in the Kingdom.

The longer I stayed, the more I realized that understanding Japan is incomplete without returning to its history. The country lived centuries of isolation, during which it closed its doors to the world and kept its society away from external influences. Although that isolation ended long ago, its impact is still present in the details of daily life and in the way Japanese view themselves and others.

I left Japan with an impression that goes beyond the traditional images of technology and economy. I discovered that the secret of this country lies not only in its progress, but in its ability to hold onto its identity while opening a small window to the world, a window that widens year after year, but still looks out from a purely Japanese home.