When Japanese people hear “Egypt,” many probably think of ancient Egypt first.
The pyramids, the Sphinx, Tutankhamun, mummies, hieroglyphs.
There are not many countries where simply hearing the name brings so many specific images to mind.
What is especially interesting is that many Japanese people know far more about Egypt thousands of years ago than they do about Egypt today.
They know what the pyramids look like.
They have seen Tutankhamun’s golden mask.
Some even know the word “pharaoh.”
But when it comes to the streets of modern Cairo or what everyday life is like for people in Egypt today, the image suddenly becomes much less clear.
In Japan, ancient Egypt often seems much larger than modern Egypt.
One reason is school.
Japanese students encounter ancient Egyptian civilization while studying the ancient world.
The Nile, the pyramids, hieroglyphs.
Even people who are not especially interested in history are likely to have come across these words at school.
Exhibitions have also played an important role.
Japan has hosted many exhibitions devoted to ancient Egypt. Exhibitions featuring Tutankhamun, mummies, royal tombs, and burial objects sometimes receive major media attention.
Some Japanese people have visited an “Ancient Egypt” exhibition at a museum themselves.
Television has also had a strong influence.
Programs about the mysteries of the pyramids, newly discovered tombs, and research on mummies have been made for many years.
And in Japan, the Egyptologist Sakuji Yoshimura is also widely known.
He has spent many years conducting archaeological research in Egypt and has frequently appeared on television to talk about ancient Egyptian history. For some Japanese people, the phrase “Egyptology” may even bring Yoshimura’s face to mind.
So Japanese people encounter ancient Egypt again and again: at school, on television, and in museums.
That is why Egypt can become a country they somehow feel they know, even if they have never been there.
But that knowledge is heavily unbalanced.
The Nile is famous, for example, but far fewer Japanese people could describe how people in Cairo commute, where they shop, or what ordinary homes and neighborhoods are like today.
Food is similar.
If asked to name several Egyptian dishes, many Japanese people would probably struggle.
They may know the names of ancient kings, yet know very little about everyday life in modern Egypt.
The gap is surprisingly large.
For Japanese people who are interested in ancient Egypt, that can also make Egypt especially attractive as a travel destination.
They may want to see the pyramids, the Nile, or ancient ruins for themselves.
For them, traveling to Egypt can feel less like visiting a completely unfamiliar country and more like finally seeing a world they have already encountered in textbooks, books, museums, and television programs.
A pyramid they had seen countless times in textbooks is suddenly standing in front of them.
The Sphinx they have known from photographs for years is suddenly there at its actual scale.
In that sense, Egypt can feel like a place you visit for the first time, yet somehow feel you have known for years.
And only after looking beyond the ancient monuments does modern Egypt begin to come into view.
Beyond the ruins is Cairo, a vast living city filled with people going about ordinary daily life.
Ancient Egypt is simply so large in the Japanese imagination that the present-day country can easily remain in its shadow.
For Japanese people, Egypt is a country whose ancient past can feel remarkably familiar long before its modern reality becomes clear.
References
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, “Arab Republic of Egypt” and Japan–Egypt relations
- Japanese education materials related to world history
- Higashi Nippon International University and materials related to Sakuji Yoshimura
- Egyptian Museum and Egyptian tourism-related materials
- Japanese museums and exhibitions related to ancient Egypt
- UNESCO materials on Egyptian cultural heritage
