Experience Exceptional Japan is an eleven-episode documentary series produced in partnership with INFINITI, tracing the cultural and creative soul of Japan through the eyes of Saudi entertainment executive Mohammed Al Turki. Filmed entirely on location across Tokyo and Kyoto, the series moves through temples, ateliers, galleries, and Michelin-starred restaurants — each episode drawing a line between Japan’s centuries-old philosophies and INFINITI’s design language. The result is a portrait of a country where craft, patience, and intention are not aesthetic choices but a way of life.
Produced under the campaign hashtag #ExperienceExceptionalJapan, the eleven episodes and accompanying trailer were designed for multi-platform release, with bespoke content formatted for Instagram and long-form digital viewing.
INFINITI is the luxury vehicle division of Nissan, Japan’s global automaker — a brand whose design philosophy draws directly from Japanese aesthetics, philosophy, and craft traditions. From the concept of kabuku (the audacity to stand apart) to omotenashi (the art of anticipatory hospitality), INFINITI embeds Japan’s cultural DNA into every curve, material choice, and driver experience it creates.
Mohammed Al Turki is a Saudi Arabian entertainment executive, film producer, and cultural tastemaker who has long occupied the intersection of global luxury, cinema, and Arab creative identity. With a presence that spans Hollywood, Cannes, and the evolving cultural landscape of the Middle East, Al Turki is one of the region’s most recognizable voices in entertainment. As the subject of Experience Exceptional Japan, he brings a sophisticated, discerning eye to each encounter — navigating ancient temples, artisan workshops, and high-end dining with the same curiosity and ease he brings to every project he touches.
This project was an exercise in controlled spontaneity. We were moving through more than a dozen locations across Tokyo and Kyoto over a compressed schedule, often arriving with only a couple of hours at each stop — and with no location scouts. Everything was figured out on the fly.
The one exception was the INFINITI Design Center, which we had the chance to properly scout in advance. That single day shaped how I approached everything else. It reminded me of what I’ve learned from years of filming in Japan — in old temples, in traditional workshops, in spaces where the rules aren’t always posted but are absolutely present. You have to understand the cultural expectations, the formal bureaucracy, and the unspoken one. You have to make sure every partner — every location, every person appearing on camera alongside Mohammed — is not just cooperative but genuinely enthusiastic. That kind of trust doesn’t happen automatically. It has to be earned, and it has to be maintained across an entire production.
The other major challenge was volume. The client needed more than ten pieces of finished content, which meant we were shooting a lot — multi-camera setups, wireless headset coordination across the crew, and constant logistical choreography. But the bigger challenge was doing all of that without letting it show. The goal was never to have a director yelling across a room. It was to get genuinely cinematic visuals while letting Mohammed simply be present in each moment, undirected and uninterrupted. When it works, the camera disappears. That’s when you get something real.
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