This year marks my fourth time spending the New Year holiday in Mexico, and my first spending it in Monterrey. Mexico is a Catholic country, so the New Year isn’t the most important holiday of the year here like it is in Japan. In Mexico, families gather to celebrate Christmas rather than the New Year. Since I was in Mexico again this year, the holiday came without much fanfare as usual. Monterrey was quieter than Mexico City, which may have partially been due to the emergence of the omicron variant and the fact that we’re still dealing with the pandemic. I actually kind of missed the fireworks that they set off around Mexico City on New Year’s Eve.
So after four years celebrating the New Year away from Japan, my family finally decided to get some traditional Japanese New Year’s food (osechi) this year. Diving into some old-fashioned Japanese flavors reminded me that osechi is truly at the heart of the New Year and that no matter what country I live in and how long I live there, I’ll always be Japanese at heart. And I doubt that will ever change.
Here’s the osechi I got this year.


This year’s osechi
This traditional Japanese New Year’s food comes from Maruchan Bento, a popular place in Monterrey. I just got ours in simple takeout trays, but you can also order it in a traditional tiered box. It’s not exactly the same as you’d get in Japan, of course, but it included things like a wonderful salt-grilled sea bream (which is a big deal in Mexico, since there aren’t that many kinds of fish and they’re expensive to get), and salmon roe. Everything was delicious, too, so it was a satisfying New Year’s feast. I’m just really grateful that I was able to get osechi this good outside of Japan.
Maruchan Bento apparently got its start in the kitchen of the Japanese woman who owns it, but the restaurant has now been around for more than a year and has become a favorite of both Mexicans and Japanese alike. I even heard that there were some Mexican customers who ordered the osechi this year. As a Japanese person, it makes me happy to think that they decided to celebrate the New Year with traditional Japanese food. Maruchan Bento offers delivery service as well as dine-in and takeout, which was a huge relief to me since I don’t drive. You can also place your order in Japanese, which is another relief, and if you actually go to the restaurant you get an energy boost just from meeting the cheerful, friendly owner when she comes out to greet you.


The restaurant, which is located in one of the bottom floors of a condominium
Their bento boxes are delicious and a huge hit with my family. They have a lot of menu options, too.


There are weekly specials in addition to the regular menu
To be honest, I often compare my life abroad with life in Japan, where you can get anything you want. It may just be the most convenient place to live in the world. But the fact that I’m able to get traditional Japanese New Year’s food in Mexico and eat delicious Japanese bento boxes has reminded me that I need to be more grateful for the things I do have. The pandemic may keep us in its grip in 2022, but I still pray that we’re gradually able to return to normal life. Meanwhile, I’m going to enjoy my life in Mexico as best I can and keep telling you about my experiences here. Happy New Year!