Malak Alzahrani

The Friday Airport Lounge Presents “Go to Saudi!” podcast is available every Friday through the music streaming service Spotify. Last month, on June 16, it reached its 100th episode. Saudi Arabia is not well known in Japan yet, but it is a talk program that introduces the charms of Saudi Arabia from different angles, explores business possibilities, and loosely discusses the differences and similarities between Saudi Arabia and Japan.

The “Go to Saudi!” team consists of three members. They are Kaori, a “mizuhiki” or the decorative art of knot-tying artist who introduces Japanese culture to the world, Yosshi, a video editing producer, and Keisuke, a merchant who works for an Arabian trading company. The members met through Clubhouse, an invitation-only audio distribution application on social media.

 

When the podcast started, it introduced the cultures of numerous countries, from Asia to the Middle East, but after the 50th podcast renewal, the focus was solely on Saudi Arabia.

The rest of the interview was as follows.

Q: What sparked your interest in Saudi Arabia?

 “I am doing “mizuhiki” which is the decorative art of knot-tying, and I want to spread the traditional Japanese culture overseas. At the same time, I am very interested in foreign cultures, architecture, customs, and fashion,” Kaori said.

“When I first traveled to Saudi Arabia on a business trip, I got interested in it because of the culture shock I felt there,” Keisuke said.

This podcast gathers information about Saudi Arabia mainly from local experiences, information from Saudis and news articles. The guests who appear on the podcast are the next-generation torchbearers of traditional Japanese culture, or Japanese people who have a connection to Saudi Arabia, and local Saudis.

Q: How do you gather information about Saudi Arabia?

“Basically, we mainly use local information that Keisuke experienced when he traveled to Saudi Arabia. Sometimes, we also search for topics from the latest stories/information on Arab News.” said Yosshi.

Q: What inspired you to start “Go to Saudi!”?

“I have a Malaysian friend that taught me about Islamic culture during my visit to him in Malaysia. Keisuke knew about Islamic culture in the Middle East, and I knew about Islamic culture in Malaysia, so we decided discuss about the similarities between the two topics.” Kaori said.

Q: What stories have you delivered on “Go to Saudi!”?

“We had several conversations about Saudi Arabia’s culture, mainly Jeddah, and what is going on there. I have talked about events, the latest projects, and other information that might help Japanese companies want to try and expand or invest in Saudi Arabia.” Yosshi said.

 

Q: What advice would you give to the Japanese people who are interested in Saudi Arabia or would like to visit the country?

“I believe that Saudi Arabia is a country of a large scale, both historically and culturally. Thus, the experience of being in a place with a very different cultural background will be a refreshing experience for many Japanese people.” Keisuke said.

If you are interested in Saudi Arabia, just go there first! Before you go, listen to “Go to Saudi!” to help you prepare for the trip!” Yosshi said.

Click here for the Spotify link for “Go to Saudi!”

https://open.spotify.com/show/4MugEFSLHeDRJ4xDHmLN6s?si=hVl3WfGzT92bXu_NUN0HEQ