Davao Unveils Furosato Japanese Heritage Tour Celebrating Japan’s Legacy In The Philippines

Published on September 1, 2025

Davao City is astir to connection a unsocial taste acquisition pinch nan motorboat of its caller Japanese practice tourism circuit. The City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) will negociate this circuit, which will characteristic respective historically important sites related to nan erstwhile Japanese organization successful nan area. The practice tour, called Furosato (which intends hometown successful Japanese), intends to showcase nan power of Japanese settlers connected Davao City. It will attraction connected nan community’s humanities beingness successful nan early 20th century. The circuit will unfastened successful stages, starting this September for Tourism Month, and is expected to tie some section and world visitors willing successful nan city’s rich | taste history.

Discovering Davao’s Old “Little Tokyo”

One of nan first attractions connected nan Furosato circuit will beryllium nan historical “Little Tokyo”, located successful Barangay Mintal and Calinan. This area was erstwhile location to a thriving Japanese community, peculiarly successful nan pre-war era erstwhile abaca farming was nan cornerstone of nan section economy. The Japanese settlers contributed importantly to nan city’s development, and nan practice circuit will supply a glimpse into their regular lives and lasting effect connected nan region.

The Little Tokyo circuit will see a sojourn to respective cardinal locations, specified arsenic nan Barangay Mintal Hall, which is 1 of nan community’s important landmarks. It is besides location to a assortment of artefacts and memorabilia from nan era, which person been preserved to springiness visitors a tangible relationship to nan past. Another cardinal tract is nan Ohta Kyozaburo Shrine, which honours a salient fig successful nan Japanese organization who was influential during that time.

Other basal stops successful this portion of nan circuit see Mintal Elementary School and nan adjacent Mintal Cemetery. The cemetery holds humanities value arsenic nan last resting spot for galore Japanese nationals who lived and worked successful nan area. A extremity astatine nan Monument of Eternal Peace successful Catalunan Grande, besides known arsenic nan Japanese Peace Memorial Shrine, will adhd a deeper furniture of reflection for visitors, marking nan humanities ties betwixt Japan and Davao City.

The Imin Philippine-Japan Historical Museum: A Glimpse into nan Past

An basal extremity connected nan Furosato circuit is nan Imin Philippine-Japan Historical Museum, located wrong nan Philippine Nikkei Jin School successful Mintal. This depository offers valuable insights into nan lives of Japanese settlers successful Davao, peculiarly during nan tallness of their migration to nan region successful nan 1930s. At its peak, nan Japanese organization successful Davao numbered complete 20,000 migrants, a truth that shaped nan area’s societal and economical landscape.

The depository showcases various exhibits, including photographs, artefacts, and documents that show nan communicative of nan Japanese community’s contributions to Davao. Visitors will summation an knowing of really nan settlers worked nan land, created businesses, and interacted pinch section Filipino communities. The depository besides highlights nan challenges nan organization faced during World War II, including displacement and nan hardships they endured.

Historical Landmarks and Remnants of Japanese Influence

Other notable stops successful nan circuit will see nan Japanese-built irrigation canal successful Barangay Mintal, which remains successful usage coming by a section powerfulness company. This functional portion of infrastructure speaks to nan engineering skills of nan Japanese settlers, whose contributions helped style nan cultivation scenery of Davao. A sojourn to nan Barangay Hall will besides connection a chance to position different humanities relics, including World War II-era memorabilia and aged photographs that thief overgarment a image of a bygone era.

Additionally, nan circuit will statesman astatine Sta. Ana Port, an important tract wherever galore Japanese settlers first disembarked upon arriving successful Davao. The larboard served arsenic a gateway for those who sought a caller life successful nan Philippines, making it an integral portion of nan humanities narrative. The University of Mindanao-Bolton, different extremity successful nan tour, is located connected nan tract of nan erstwhile Japanese consulate, further deepening nan tour’s relationship to Davao’s rich | Japanese history.

The circuit besides includes a extremity astatine City Hall successful San Pedro, wherever visitors tin trace nan locations of aged Japanese businesses, specified arsenic nan Osaka Bazaar. This area erstwhile served arsenic nan commercialized hub for nan Japanese organization successful Davao, pinch various stores, markets, and businesses that contributed to nan section economy.

Future Expansions: A Tour of Toril’s Japanese Heritage Sites

While nan Mintal and Calinan areas will beryllium nan attraction of nan first circuit launch, further description is already successful nan works. Research is being conducted to see sites successful Toril, different portion of Davao that was erstwhile location to Japanese-owned warehouses. These warehouses were integral to nan business operations of Japanese abaca magnate Yoshizo Furukawa, who played a awesome domiciled successful nan region’s cultivation sector.

In Toril, visitors will soon beryllium capable to research different humanities landmarks, including Furukawa’s warehouses and agency and nan graves of Japanese workers who contributed to nan abaca industry. These sites are presently nether study and will beryllium included successful a early circuit that will grow nan tour’s scope, adding caller layers of history and stories from nan region’s past.

Emphasizing Cultural Preservation and Education

The motorboat of nan Furosato Japanese Heritage Tour reflects Davao City’s ongoing committedness to preserving and promoting its divers taste heritage. By showcasing nan humanities ties betwixt Japan and nan Philippines, nan circuit offers an opportunity for section and world visitors to study astir nan communal influences betwixt nan 2 countries. It besides serves arsenic an acquisition instrumentality for younger generations to understand nan value of taste preservation and nan domiciled of immigrants successful shaping nan city’s development.

The circuit will unfastened successful September, coinciding pinch Tourism Month, and will beryllium a item for anyone seeking to acquisition nan history and bequest of nan Japanese organization successful Davao City. Through thoughtful investigation and observant planning, nan City Tourism Operations Office intends to proceed expanding nan circuit successful nan future, making it a cardinal portion of Davao’s taste tourism offerings.

A Rich Historical Experience Awaits

The Furosato Japanese Heritage Tour offers a unsocial acquisition for visitors who want to study astir Davao’s history and nan important domiciled that Japanese settlers played. As nan circuit grows to see caller sites, it promises to supply much insights into nan taste speech betwixt Japan and nan Philippines. With a attraction connected preservation, education, and tourism, Davao City is ensuring that nan bequest of nan Japanese organization remains a captious portion of its rich | history for early generations.

For much accusation connected nan Furosato Japanese Heritage Tour and different taste events successful Davao, visitors tin cheque nan charismatic website of nan City Tourism Operations Office for nan latest specifications connected circuit dates and updates.

[Image Source: Davao City Tourism Website]