Abdullah Al Rushud

RIYADH: For fans of Japanese anime culture, the Saudi-owned brand “Nippon Sayko” is a treasure trove.

The newly opened outlet is located at Trocadero in Boulevard Riyadh City (BLVD RUH City), one of the largest zones in Riyadh Season 2021, the store specializes in promoting Japanese anime culture by displaying and selling the most famous anime characters and manga comic books.

Nippon Sayko store owner Noha Al-Khayyat and her business partner Safaa had a passion for anime.

Due to the lack of availability of specialized anime stores in 2009,  they started to create the merchandise by drawing anime images on fabric and selling them. The small, home-grown business then developed a market base by attracting other Saudis that were also interested in Japanese culture.

Eventually, the popularity of their business increased, and the two partners then decided to register their Saudi trademark “Nippon Sayko” in Jeddah, where they were colleagues at the same university.

“At that time, as two women in their early lives, it was not easy to import products into Saudi Arabia, especially from Japan,” Al-Khayyat said.

“In addition, society finds it strange to work in this field. Also, many people from our inner circle believed that the project’s idea might not be popular in our society,” Al-Khayyat said.

However, the desire to develop their business prompted one of them to study in Japan, overcome the language barrier, and learn the basics of the Japanese pop culture business from its original source by studying a Master of Business Administration (MBA). This included studying general aspects of the country’s material culture.

“The overseas scholarship program, funded by the Saudi government, helped us spend more time developing our idea and promoting everything related to Japanese culture as one of the countries that is friends with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in which there is a large segment of Japanese culture admirers,” Al-Khayyat said.

The Saudi-born store owners launched their second store in Riyadh, which was led by an all-women staff, in a pioneering move that brings the partners great pride.  

She attributes their success to Saudi Arabia’s economic empowerment of Saudi women that is in line with the Vision 2030 reform plan. The government has achieved this by creating new fields of work, removing obstacles for those wishing to engage in private business activities and providing opportunities for participation in tourism and entertainment events hosted by the Kingdom.

Regarding the brand’s future expansion plans, Al-Khayyat said that: “With this project, I aspire to promote the Japanese culture on the largest scale possible, increase the number of anime lovers among all age groups, and teach the Japanese language to its fans through the art of comics.”

BLVD RUH City is one of the most prominent new Saudi landmarks this year, comprised of nine areas with restaurants, cafes and stores that showcase aspects of various cultures and cater to all age groups.