Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene J. Garcia-Albano (in red) and Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Yohei Onishi (on the right of Ambassador Garcia-Albano) led the Opening Ceremony of the 28th Philippine Festival on 29 November 2025 at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, Tokyo. Also in the photo are (from left to right) Social Security System of the Philippines Commissioner Jesus P. Sale, Jr.; Mr. Berlito “Toots” Capulong, Chairman of the Philippine Assistance Group (PAG) and the Philippine Festival Committee; Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Deputy Administrator Rosalia Susana S. Bahia-Catapang; Vice Mayor Sumiichi Takamizawa of Minamimakimura, Nagano Prefecture; Department of Migrant Workers of the Philippines Assistant Secretary Maria Regina Angela Galias; SMILES CEO & Founder Digital Wallet Corporation Eiji Miyazawa; and – Director & EVP of Digital Wallet Corporation Mr. Alex Rapi Milan.

TOKYO, 05 December 2025 – The Filipino community in Tokyo celebrated Philippine culture, products, performing arts, and culinary heritage at the 28th Philippine Festival Tokyo 2025 on 29-30 November 2025 at Yoyogi Park, Shibuya, Tokyo. The Festival was organized by the Philippine Festival Committee of the Philippine Assistance Group (PAG) and supported by the Philippine Embassy in Japan.

More than 500,000 guests from the Filipino and local communities, as well as international visitors, attended the highly-anticipated Festival.

Ambassador Garcia-Albano during her remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the 28th Philippine Festival.

Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Onishi delivered remarks as guest of honor at the Opening Ceremony of the 28th Philippine Festival.

Mr. Capulong delivered the toast remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the 28th Philippine Festival.

“The Philippine Festival has always been the most awaited annual event of the Filipinos here in Japan, and one which highlights the Filipino spirit of community and camaraderie. Months of hard work by the Festival Committee and our many volunteers have brought us to this weekend filled with fun, festivities and friendship,” Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene J. Garcia-Albano said in her remarks at the opening ceremony of the Festival held on 29 November 2025.

“Through the various booths and activities, we proudly showcase the very best of the Philippines, and the deep and dynamic ties between the Philippines and Japan – indeed, a fitting prelude to the 70th anniversary of the normalization of the diplomatic relations between our two countries in 2026,” she added.

Ambassador Garcia-Albano (center) with members of the diplomatic corps, other officials, and Philippine Festival Committee officers during the Opening Ceremony of the 28th Philippine Festival.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Festival’s guest of honor, Hon. Yohei ONISHI, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, who underscored the strong people-to-people ties between the Philippines and Japan. Members of the diplomatic corps, officials of the Municipality of Minamimaki in Nagano Prefecture, representatives from Philippine government agencies, civil society and Festival partners also graced the event and participated in a toast led by Mr. Berlito Capulong, Chair of the Philippine Festival Committee of PAG. The ceremony was followed by a reception where guests enjoyed a buffet of signature Filipino dishes.

Guests of the Philippine Festival Opening Ceremony sample Filipino food and drinks.

Ambassador Garcia-Albano (center) welcomed the officials of Minamimaki in Nagano Prefecture, led by Mayor Yoshito Arisaka. Also in the photo are Philippine Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Christian L. De Jesus (5th from left), Consul General Mary Joy B. Ramirez (second from right), Agriculture Attaché Maria Alilia G. Maghirang (4th from left) and Mr. Erwin Brunio, Vice-Chair of the Philippine Festival Committee of PAG (leftmost) at the Philippine Christmas Village of the Embassy’s Tourism Section at the 28th Philippine Festival.

The two-day cultural and culinary extravaganza featured the Embassy’s booths which showcased a Philippine Christmas village with a stamp rally course, as well as promoted agricultural products and creative industries.

The Embassy extended services for the Filipino community at the Festival through the government services caravan, which was operated by the Embassy’s consular and migrant workers’ sections, along with representatives from the Social Security System, Philippine Statistics Authority, Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG), and National Bureau of Investigation. The caravan processed a total of 1,564 public service transactions during the Festival.

The Embassy’s participation in the Festival was supported by the ASEAN-Japan Centre.

Scenes from the Philippine Embassy booths at the 28th Philippine Festival, featuring various government services, and activities promoting Philippine culture, produce, creative industries, cuisine and heritage.

The Festival showcased an array of performances including the world-renowned Philippine choral group, the University of Santo Tomas Singers, who serenaded audiences with their renditions of well-loved Filipino songs and Christmas carols on 30 November 2025. Philippine- and Japan-based artists, such as Gabby Concepcion and Klarisse De Guzman, and various Filipino and Japanese performing groups, entertained the festival-goers with vibrant song and dance numbers. The Filipino community also participated in the Festival’s competitions that celebrated Philippine culture, talent, and performing arts. END

The University of Santo Tomas Singers sang well-loved Filipino songs and Christmas carols to the audience’s delight during their performance on the second day of the 28th Philippine Festival on 30 November 2025.

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