By Ali Syarief
Tomorrow, I’ll be flying to Tokyo again, via Singapore.
By my count, this will be my 32nd visit to Japan.
People often ask, “Aren’t you tired of going back and forth?”
“Once is enough for me,” they say, smiling.
I understand. If all you’re looking for is Mount Fuji, Shinjuku, or Harajuku, maybe once is enough.
But I never came to Japan for the sights.
From the very beginning, I came to reconnect—with friends, with stories, and with a quiet longing that only grows stronger each time I leave. I return to nurture bonds that no video call can replace, and to sit once more in the kind of silence that only true friendship can offer.
Over time, these visits have become more than reunions. They’ve become lessons—lessons no book ever taught me.
From the punctual trains to the unspoken discipline in daily life, from deep respect to quiet humility, Japan has been a mirror that reflects not just its culture, but my own inner growth.
Gradually, people around me began asking for my views on Japan.
Some now call me “an expert.” I find that a bit much.
But a dear friend once said, “You’ve written a book on Japan. That says a lot more than you think.”
Indeed, I wrote a book: Why Japan Matters: A Foreign Perspective.
It wasn’t a travel guide. It wasn’t cultural praise.
It was a deeply personal reflection—an artifact of understanding, told through the eyes of an outsider who kept returning not out of habit, but out of a genuine connection.
Now, the book is being prepared for publication in Japanese.
That, I never expected.
But maybe, just maybe, an outsider’s gaze can sometimes help a country rediscover the beauty it has always carried within.
