When people in Japan hear the word Mexico, it is relatively easy for them to picture things that feel unmistakably “Mexican.”
Tacos, cacti, sombreros, mariachi music, and brightly colored streets.
The Day of the Dead, with its vividly decorated skulls, has also become widely known in Japan through films such as Coco.
Even if someone cannot explain much about Mexico itself, they may still recognize colors, sounds, and foods that immediately feel “Mexican.”
That strong sense of identity is one of the clearest features of Mexico as seen from Japan.
Food is probably the most familiar entry point.
Tacos are widely known in Japan, although far fewer people know how many different kinds of tacos exist across Mexico or how they are eaten in different regions.
Japan also has taco rice.
Despite the name, it is not a traditional Mexican dish. It was created in Okinawa by serving taco-style fillings over rice. Even so, foods like this have helped Mexican-inspired flavors become familiar in Japan alongside more authentic Mexican cuisine.
Mexico’s image in Japan goes well beyond food.
In history, many Japanese people have heard of the Maya and Aztec civilizations. Through school history classes and television programs, some have seen images of huge ruins and pyramid-like structures associated with ancient Mexico.
As a travel destination, Cancún is also well known.
Its blue Caribbean waters and white beaches present a very different side of Mexico from cacti and ancient ruins.
Sports offer several other ways for Japanese people to encounter Mexico.
In football, Mexico is known as a regular World Cup participant, and the national team’s green jerseys are easy to recognize.
But one area where Mexico has had an especially strong presence in Japan is combat sports.
In professional wrestling, Mexico is closely associated with lucha libre and masked wrestlers.
Among them, Mil Máscaras became especially famous in Japan. He was nicknamed the “Prince of Masks” and helped create a lasting Japanese image of the Mexican masked wrestler.
Mexico also has a special place in boxing.
Boxing fans in Japan may know names such as Julio César Chávez, Salvador Sánchez, Juan Manuel Márquez, and Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez.
Anyone who has followed Japanese boxing for many years has repeatedly seen powerful Mexican fighters standing in the way of Japanese champions.
That history has helped create a strong impression in Japan that Mexico is a major boxing nation.
At the same time, the Japanese image of Mexico is not entirely bright and colorful.
Japanese news sometimes reports on drug cartels, shootings, and security problems. As a result, some people may hold two images of Mexico at once: a lively, colorful country and a place that seems somewhat dangerous.
The vivid colors of the Day of the Dead, Caribbean resorts, tacos, and mariachi music can exist in the same mental picture as concerns about safety.
That contrast is also part of how Mexico is seen from Japan.
Beyond these familiar images, Japan and Mexico also have a surprisingly long relationship.
In 1888, Japan and Mexico signed a treaty of friendship, commerce, and navigation. It was Japan’s first treaty on equal terms with a country outside Asia.
Most Japanese people probably do not think of this history when Mexico comes to mind.
They may know tacos. They may know lucha libre. They may have heard of the Maya and Aztecs.
Yet many do not know that the relationship between Japan and Mexico goes back so far.
In Japan, “Mexicanness” may actually be more widely recognized than Mexico itself.
Even from far away, Mexico has a remarkably distinct identity in the Japanese imagination.
At the same time, everyday life in Mexico and the long history of Japan-Mexico relations remain much less familiar.
For Japanese people, Mexico is a country with an exceptionally strong identity, but also one where the gap between what is familiar and what is still unknown remains quite large.
References
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, “Basic Data on the United Mexican States” and “Japan-Mexico Relations”
- UNESCO materials on traditional Mexican cuisine and the Day of the Dead
- Mexican government and tourism-related materials
- Okinawa Prefecture and Okinawa tourism materials on taco rice
- FIFA and Mexico national team materials
- Japanese professional wrestling sources on Mil Máscaras
- WBC and boxing-related materials
