Mexican cuisine, culture, and community — from Mexico to Japan
Nippon Viajero is a culinary cultural project by Vanessa a Mexican-American chef and author living in Hayama, Japan. She explores how Mexican food can be adapted to local ingredients, seasons, and small cooking spaces. Founded in 2017 Nippon Viajero has nurtured a platform where diverse communities can come together to create, experience, and learn.
In late 2025 her debut was cookbook released. Featuring a collection of 50 plus mexican recipes adapted for Japan. Shipping available in Japan & the US.
The Cookbook
This cookbook was created for people living in Japan who love Mexican food but struggle with ingredient availability, seasonality, and authenticity. It offers practical recipes, cultural context, and flexible techniques designed for japanese kitchens.
Why this cookbook?
- Cook Mexican food with ingredients available in Japan
- Understand culture, not just recipes
- Designed for home cooks and mexican food enthusiasts
- Vegan and Vegetarian friendly!
- Japanese version coming soon (2027)
Why Nippon Viajero?
Nippon Viajero exists to build cultural understanding through food. By sharing Mexican cuisine in a Japanese context, this project creates space for learning, adaptation, and connection — whether through a recipe, a workshop, or a shared meal. Over our years cooking in Japan we have hosted hundreds of cooking workshops, corporate team building experiences, cultural events, private chefs services, and pop ups. Though the cooking workshops have been paused, you can still book private experiences through the services page.
CULTURE & RESPONSIBILITY
Cooking Mexican food outside Mexico carries responsibility, not performance.
Authenticity is not a fixed result; it is a relationship built over time.
Cultural cooking abroad begins with listening — to ingredients, to guests, and to place.
Respect is shown not by copying, but by understanding.
ADAPTATION & INGREDIENTS
Substitution is not erasure when it is done with care and cultural context.
Working with local ingredients is not compromise but rather continuity.
Seasonality in Japan reshapes how Mexican food is cooked, served, and understood.
Cooking abroad requires flexibility without losing cultural grounding.
COMMUNITY & THE TABLE
Shared tables create understanding faster than explanations.
Food becomes a bridge when it is offered with context and care.
Community forms not through spectacle, but through consistency.
Cooking is a way of belonging — even far from home.
Public response to the cookbook
I have been looking for a way to reconnect to my roots and was excited when I found Nippon Viajero. The book is a guide on how to cook Mexican food in Japan. It is now part of my collection.
Japan resident
Cookbook Release Party
We just released our cookbook and hosted a celebration in Hayama! Thank you all for supporting this culinary journey
