On Saturday night, a popular nightclub in Mexico City charged Mexican and Latin American people roughly $15 to attend its Marraneo party, roughly translated to “act like a mess (pig).” It charged the general public roughly $20 to attend. Americans? They would have to pay around $288 to get in.
The nightclub, Japan, is located about a mile and half southeast of the Monument to the Revolution in the trendy Roma Norte neighborhood of Mexico City. And it’s been the subject of a lot of interest lately because if you’re an American, you’ll have to pay a lot more to get in.
Japan owner Federico Crespo instituted a price hike for Americans specifically last year in response to President Donald Trump’s tariff hike on products from Mexico, according to the Los Angeles Times. He raised that fee after the U.S. invaded Venezuela in January.
Crespo told the Times if Americans do in fact pay to get into Japan, he splits the fee among his staff. He also noted that the fee is due to a combination of factors: intense gentrification by Americans, plus Trump’s words and actions in regards to Mexico and Latin America. In previous stories about the surcharge, the club claimed that the nearly $300 price is the general admission to get in, while everyone who’s not American is getting a discount.
Either way, Mexico City residents who are coming to Japan seem to agree with him.
“Hay gringos?” asks a woman in an Instagram video posted to Japan’s feed on Saturday night. In the video, the interviewer speaks to multiple young folks in line to enter Japan, many of whom in complete support of the policy. They cite large amounts of gentrification from foreign groups, which have caused rising prices and changes across communities.
Crespo told the Times he would lower the charge if Trump lowers the tariffs and perceived vitriol. And he has in social media posts noted that the charge is “a political positioning” and not a message of animosity to Americans individually.
According to the U.S. State Department, via Fox26 Houston, the population of U.S. citizens living in Mexico increased 70 percent from 2019 to ’22, and it continues to increase.
