The hidden elite: Why Japan’s “classless” society still hides a noble class

In 1947, soon after WWII, Japan officially abolished its aristocracy system. Yet, a hidden noble class I believe still persists, even in Japan—a country often characterized by its minimal gap between rich and poor.

I only learned this surprising fact about 20 years ago when I worked for the prefectural government in Nagoya (Japan’s fourth-biggest city and the hometown of TOYOTA).

Perhaps this shock was unique to me because I’m from Hokkaido, an area sometimes called Japan’s last frontier, with a short history of only about 150 years. Until then, I had never witnessed such a distinct class society. In my view, these noble-class people are fundamentally different from merely rich individuals; they are characterized by their modesty, their deep exclusivity (loyalty to their own circles), and an air of mystery. I hold nothing against them—just profound curiosity.

The naive Hokkaido boy and the Toyota heiress

The revelation came through a young woman I met at an English conversation school I attended every weekend. She was a university student at the time, and I am truly embarrassed to admit it took the naive me a very long time to realize she was from this noble class.

She casually mentioned her father worked for TOYOTA. When I saw her driving a new TOYOTA sports car, I genuinely pitied her father, imagining a desperate salesperson buying a car for his daughter just to hit his monthly quota. The reality, as I later discovered, was that her father was one of the top executives at TOYOTA headquarters.

When I heard her university was an “escalator school“—where students proceed from kindergarten straight through to university with the same classmates—I pitied her again for having such a boring, unchanging school life. How utterly silly was I? I didn’t even know that such an escalator system is, in Japan, a powerful symbol of celebrity and pedigree.

The moment of realization: A castle on a different planet

I did notice she always wore items from brands like Hermès and Louis Vuitton, but I paid little attention, as Nagoya residents are famously known as brand chasers.

Then, one day, she invited me to a dinner party hosted by her father’s friend, an executive at Boeing. Once I saw his house, I finally understood everything. It was like walking into a castle. She acted completely naturally there, while I froze up, feeling like I had arrived on a completely different planet.

While I readily admit I was silly and naive, the deeper truth—and the reason it took me so long to notice—is that these Japanese noble-class individuals, including her, behave with such modesty and normality. They seem perfectly adapted to common life, even though they actually inhabit a completely different world. It is this ability to blend seamlessly that is truly the mark of their hidden status.

The marketing blind spot: How do you sell to the unknowable?

I did notice she always wore items from brands like Hermès and Louis Vuitton, but I paid little attention, as Nagoya residents are famously known as brand chasers.

Then, one day, she invited me to a dinner party hosted by her father’s friend, an executive at Boeing. Once I saw his house, I finally understood everything. It was like walking into a castle. She acted completely naturally there, while I froze up, feeling like I had arrived on a completely different planet.

While I readily admit I was silly and naive, the deeper truth—and the reason it took me so long to notice—is that these Japanese noble-class individuals, including her, behave with such modesty and normality. They seem perfectly adapted to common life, even though they actually inhabit a completely different world. It is this ability to blend seamlessly that is truly the mark of their hidden status.

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