Map of Mexican restaurants across Japan created by Mexican embassy

Ayush May 12, 2024

Despite the depth and deliciousness of Japan’s culinary traditions and domestic innovations, it’s not at all a country that’s immerse to foreign cuisines. Chinese, Indian, and Italian food are so broadly popular that they’re hardly considered ethnic foods, and Vietnamese, Thai, and French options are common parts of the big-city restaurant landscape too.

But many people will tell you that the hard mode of looking for a place to eat in Japan is searching for a Mexican restaurant. Compared to cooking from Europe and elsewhere in Asia, Mexican food hasn’t made nearly as deep of inroads into the dining scene in Japan, as is often lamented by North American expats when cravings for a taco or quesadilla hit.

Of course, it falls to the Mexican embassy in Japan to address this cultural crisis, and they’ve done so with the creation of a map of Mexican restaurants across Japan.

“Let’s enjoy Mexican food in Japan!” begins the tweet from the embassy’s official account, along with a link to the pin-studded Google Map they’ve created that shows more than 200 Mexican restaurants in Japan, and which can be seen below.

The densest clusters, as you might expect, can be found in Japan’s biggest cities, such as Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. But even if you find yourself in the mood for Mexican food as far north as Hokkaido or as far south as the tip of Kagoshima or even down in Okinawa, the embassy’s map has a recommended restaurant for you.

As if often the case when cooking styles cross international borders, some of these restaurants have adapted their recipes in the interest of better appealing to Japanese palates, but the embassy says the map represents everything “from traditional to fusion Mexican cuisine,” so wherever your tastes lie on the orthodox-to-arranged scale, the map can help you. And if you’re more of the do-it-yourself type, who says “I could make my own Mexican food, if only I could find some good tortillas,” then we’ve got just the place for you too.

Source: Twitter/@EmbamexJP