BEIRUT, Lebanon — Five days after his triumphant homecoming to Beirut, Carlos Ghosn is all but invisible.

A crowd of journalists from around the world lines up in the chilly rain on the sidewalk opposite his pink villa in Beirut each day, only to be disappointed. He is unlikely to be inside, and only a couple of people have gone in and out. Even close friends say they have not seen him.

[Latest updates on Mr. Ghosn’s press conference in Beirut.]

A photo has circulated showing Mr. Ghosn celebrating New Year’s Eve at what a friend said was a dinner for eight people, including his wife and some of his wife’s friends. But in a country about the size of Connecticut, no word has leaked of where exactly Mr. Ghosn is staying while he prepares for — well — nobody really knows.