PH Embassy, UMUT, and National Museum of the Philippines Open First-ever Mobile Photo Museum in Japan’s Oldest Botanical Garden For 70th Year of PH-JP Friendship
Above photo: Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene J. Garcia-Albano (3rd from left) with featured Filipino photographer Jan Zoilo Rafael Mayo (3rd from right), Professor Jin Murata, Professor Emeritus of The University of Tokyo and former Director of the Botanical Gardens, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo (leftmost); Mr. Kenji Kano, Specially Appointed Expert at the Botanical Gardens, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo (2nd from right); Dr. Hirohisa Mori, Associate Professor of The University Museum, The University of Tokyo and Senior Staff of the Department of Intermediatheque (rightmost); and Ms. Ayumi Terada, Project Associate Professor of The University Museum, The University of Tokyo and curator of the exhibition (2nd from left) during her visit to the mobile museum entitled “Faces and Flora: Japan’s Native Tree Photography at Koishikawa Botanical Garden” on 20 May 2026.
Above photo: Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene J. Garcia-Albano (3rd from left) with featured Filipino photographer Jan Zoilo Rafael Mayo (3rd from right), Professor Jin Murata, Professor Emeritus of The University of Tokyo and former Director of the Botanical Gardens, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo (2nd from right); Mr. Kenji Kano, Specially Appointed Expert at the Botanical Gardens, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo (leftmost); Dr. Hirohisa Mori, Associate Professor of The University Museum, The University of Tokyo and Senior Staff of the Department of Intermediatheque (rightmost); and Ms. Ayumi Terada, Project Associate Professor of The University Museum, The University of Tokyo and curator of the exhibition (2nd from left) during her visit to the mobile museum entitled “Faces and Flora: Japan’s Native Tree Photography at Koishikawa Botanical Garden” on 20 May 2026.
TOKYO, 28 May 2026 – In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Japan this year, the Philippine Embassy in Japan partnered with the University Museum, The University of Tokyo (UMUT), and the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) to present a mobile museum entitled “Faces and Flora: Japan’s Native Tree Photography at Koishikawa Botanical Garden”.
The mobile museum opened on 19 May 2026 at the Koishikawa Botanical Garden, Japan’s oldest botanical garden which was established in the 17th century. The project is also the first of its kind to be held in the historic botanical garden.
The exhibition, which builds on the ongoing institutional collaboration between UMUT and NMP, showcases the photographs of renowned Filipino photographer Jan Zoilo Rafael Mayo, focusing on Japan’s native trees, together with visual materials related to herbarium specimens.
Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene J. Garcia-Albano and Filipino photographer Jan Zoilo Rafael Mayo during the Philippine Embassy visit to the mobile museum entitled “Faces and Flora: Japan’s Native Tree Photography at Koishikawa Botanical Garden” on 20 May 2026.
“The Faces and Flora photography exhibition is a fitting tribute to the vibrant and longstanding relations between the Philippines and Japan, particularly the extensive cultural and academic exchanges between our two countries. Filipino photographer Jan Zoilo Rafael Mayo has perfectly captured Japan’s native flora in a place of scenic beauty and a national historic site which is the Koishikawa Botanical Garden. This is especially meaningful as we commemorate this year the 70th anniversary of Philippines-Japan friendship,” Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene J. Garcia-Albano highlighted following her visit to the exhibition on 20 May 2026.
Photos of Japan’s native trees by renowned FIlipino photographer Jan Zoilo Rafael Mayo, together with visual materials related to herbarium specimens at the mobile museum entitled “Faces and Flora: Japan’s Native Tree Photography at Koishikawa Botanical Garden”.
Mr. Mayo, together with Professor Jin Murata, Professor Emeritus of The University of Tokyo and former Director of the Botanical Gardens, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo; Mr. Kenji Kano, Specially Appointed Expert at the Botanical Gardens, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo; Dr. Hirohisa Mori, Associate Professor at The University Museum, The University of Tokyo and Senior Staff of the Department of Intermediatheque; and Ms. Ayumi Terada, Project Associate Professor at The University Museum, The University of Tokyo and curator of the Faces and Flora exhibition, welcomed Ambassador Garcia-Albano and Embassy personnel during said visit.
Aside from the exhibition, the Embassy also had the opportunity to visit the garden’s extensive botanical collections, including the tayabak (Strongylodon macrobotrys) – a rare woody vine endemic to the tropical rainforests of the Philippines.
Above photo: Tayabak (Strongylodon macrobotrys) – a rare woody vine endemic to the tropical rainforests of the Philippines is among the botanical species in the historic Koshikawa Botanical Garden.
The Koishikawa Botanical Garden covers more than 160,000 square meters of lush greenery, and is the center of botanical research in Japan. It was designated as a Place of Scenic Beauty and Historic Site of Japan in 2012.
The mobile museum entitled “Faces and Flora: Japan’s Native Tree Photography at Koishikawa Botanical Garden”, an event in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Japan this year, opened on 19 May 2026 and will run until 16 August 2026. For more details on the exhibition, please visit: https://www.intermediatheque.jp/en/schedule/view/id/IMT0301 (English), or https://www.intermediatheque.jp/ja/schedule/view/id/IMT0301 (Japanese).
The mobile museum, which runs until 16 August 2026, is a follow-up to the success of the “Faces and Flora” exhibition held from 11 July to 31 October 2025 by Mr. Mayo, UMUT and NMP at the Intermediatheque Museum, where the Embassy was a major partner, in celebration of Philippines-Japan Friendship Month.
