Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene J. Garcia-Albano visited the Philippine Christmas House at Former Bluff No. 68 at the Yokohama Yamate Seiyoukan (Western-style houses) for the “Christmas Around The World” project during its opening date on 01 December 2025. The house was decorated by the family of Ambassador Garcia-Albano.

Highlights of the Philippine Christmas House include decorations sourced from the Philippines and eco-friendly materials, as well as the traditional nativity scene (belen).

To further promote the Philippines and its tourist destinations, brochures courtesy of the Embassy’s Tourism Section were made available at the Philippine Christmas House.

Visitors were immersed in the ornate Filipino Christmas decorations at the Philippine Christmas House.

TOKYO, 16 December 2025 – In celebration of the 60^th anniversary of the sister-city friendship between Manila, Philippines and Yokohama, Japan, the Philippine Embassy in Japan, in partnership with the Yokohama City Government, through its International Affairs Bureau, and the Yokohama community, organized a series of cultural activities highlighting Philippine heritage, traditions and the Filipino Christmas spirit, to further strengthen people-to-people ties between the two sister cities.

As the inaugural event, the Embassy participated in the “Christmas Around The World” project upon the invitation of the Yokohama Greenery Foundation, with the Philippines featured as one of the participating countries at the Yokohama Yamate Seiyoukan (Western-style houses). Former Bluff No. 68 was lovingly transformed into a Philippine Christmas House by the family of Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene J. Garcia-Albano.

“Christmas is a time-honored holiday in the Philippines. As early as September, Filipinos would also start putting up their Christmas decors and spend much time, care and effort to bring the festive holiday spirit into our homes. Thus, I made the Philippine Christmas House at Former Bluff No. 68 as my personal project and brought in my own family to transform the historic and already beautiful house into a place that showcases all things Filipino, and the beauty and festivities of Philippine Christmas,” said Ambassador Garcia-Albano during the Thank-You Event of the Christmas Around The World project held on 01 December 2025 at the British House in Yokohama.

Ambassador Garcia-Albano delivers her remarks during the Thank-You Event of the “Christmas Around The World” project held on 01 December 2025 at the British House in Yokohama.

Ms. Sarah Ledesma (4th from right), representing the family of Ambassador Garcia-Albano who decorated the Philippine Christmas House at Former Bluff No. 68 at the Yokohama Yamate Seiyoukan (Western-style houses) for the “Christmas Around The World” project, with the other decorators during the Thank-You Event of the project held on 01 December 2025 at the British House in Yokohama.

Ambassador Garcia-Albano (2nd from left) with officials from the Yokohama City Government, Yokohama Greenery Foundation, and Philippine Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Christian L. De Jesus (5th from left) and Japan-based Filipino flower designer, Ms. Anna Budich (3rd from left) during the Thank-You Event of the “Christmas Around The World” project.

The Philippine Christmas House was adorned with the country’s traditional star-shaped Christmas lanterns(parol), eco-friendly decor, and the nativity scene (belen) –a staple in Filipino homes during the holiday season – as the centerpiece of the house. To further promote the Philippine Christmas House, a parol-making workshop was conducted by the Japan-based Filipino flower designer, Ms. Anna Budich, on 07 December 2025. Dried mangoes and coconut products courtesy of the Embassy’s Trade and Investment Section were given out as tokens to the workshop participants.

Japan-based Filipino flower designer, Ms. Anna Budich, conducted a “parol” (Filipino Christmas lantern)-making workshop, organized by the Yokohama Greenery Foundation and the Yokohama International Affairs Bureau on 07 December 2025 at the Philippine Christmas House at Former Bluff No. 68. (Photo courtesy of the Yokohama International Affairs Bureau)

The Yokohama Yamate Seiyoukan is a collection of early 1900s Western-style houses that were originally built for traders and foreign diplomats. The event, which opened on 01 December and runs until 25 December 2025, also featured other participating countries, namely, Norway, Australia, France, United States, United Kingdom and the Republic of Korea. The Philippines was previously featured at the Yokohama Yamate Seiyoukan in 2013.

To showcase Philippine performing arts and music, the Embassy brought the world-renowned University of Santo Tomas (UST) Singers for their first-ever performance in Yokohama on 01 December 2025 at the Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal, where they delighted the audiences with renditions of well-loved Christmas carols. The UST Singers also serenaded the attendees of the Thank-You Event of the Christmas Around The World project, earning resounding applause from the attendees.

The world-renowned Filipino choral group, University of Santo Tomas (UST) Singers, performed on 01 December 2025 at the Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal and at the Thank-You Event of the “Christmas Around The World” project.

To promote Filipino cuisine, Hard Rock Café – Yokohama featured popular Philippine dishes, namely, chicken inasal (grilled chicken), lechon kawali (crispy deep fried pork belly) and bibingka (traditional rice cake) in its menu from 01 to 30 November 2025. The Embassy, through its Tourism Section, helped develop the special Filipino menu at Hard Rock Café – Yokohama.

Capping off the milestone celebration, the Embassy conducted a country presentation for kindergarten students of Americayama Tokuiiku Kodomoen, introducing Philippine culture, language, agricultural products and music. The Embassy’s Cultural Section taught the kindergarteners the popular Filipino folk song “Bahay Kubo” which they sang to their hearts’ content. A short Filipino language lesson was also included in the program. Filipino bananas, which account for approximately 75% of the market share in Japan, were also distributed to the students as souvenirs. The country presentation was covered by TV Kanagawa, one of Japan’s local news channels.

Philippine Embassy Cultural Officer, Ms. Ma. Alyssa Jo A. Bacongco, and translator/interpreter, Ms. Chihiro Watanabe taught the kindergarteners at Americayama Tokuiiku Kodomoen the famous Filipino folk song “Bahay Kubo” during the Embassy’s country presentation on 08 December 2025.

Kindergarten students at Americayama Tokuiiku Kodomoen, with their Philippine bananas courtesy of the Philippine Embassy, enjoy looking at the Philippine cultural display during the Embassy’s country presentation on 08 December 2025. The country presentation was covered by TV Kanagawa, one of Japan’s local news channels.

In a statement following the series of activities for the milestone celebration, Ambassador Garcia-Albano underscored that the Embassy’s collaborative events with Yokohama City reflect the deep and longstanding friendship not only between Manila and Yokohama, but more broadly between the Philippines and Japan. She noted that the celebrations also serve as a fitting prelude to the 70th anniversary of the normalization of Philippines-Japan diplomatic relations in 2026.

The sister-city agreement between Manila and Yokohama was signed on 01 July 1965, making it the oldest formalized sister-city relations between cities/provinces in the Philippines and Japan.

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