Pop quiz: The first Western diplomat to set foot in Japan came from what country? Portugal? Holland? England? Actually, the correct answer is Mexico.
The diplomat in question was Rodrigo de Vivero, a high-ranking official who was returning from a post in the Philippines when he was shipwrecked on Sept. 30, 1609, off the coast of present-day Chiba.
Surviving the disaster, he ended up spending 10 months in Japan, during which time he traveled widely and negotiated with the shogun on establishing trade and diplomatic relations. He also wrote a detailed record of his stay.