PH Embassy in Tokyo shares the Filipino Christmas spirit through Philippine dishes at Hard Rock and Tony Romas
As an early Christmas celebration, Hard Rock Café and Tony Roma’s, both located at Roppongi, Tokyo, will be offering Filipino desserts for the “Christmas Flavor of the Philippines,” which runs until December.
Philippine dishes such as bibingka, ube cheesecake, and biko are being served at both restaurants.
“As Filipinos, our two great loves are Christmas and food,” remarked Philippine Embassy in Japan chargé d’affaires Robespierre L. Bolivar. “We hope that through food and our colorful Yuletide traditions, we are able to promote in Japan a deeper appreciation of our rich cultural heritage and encourage all of you to further explore the Philippines and know the Filipino people more.”
Giving a toast at the event, secretary general of the ASEAN-Japan Center (AJC) Kunihiko Hirabayashi mentioned the recent tourism programs on recipes and cooking programs posted on social media, which were supported by the center. “I hope that many people will join this campaign to enjoy the Christmas desserts, have a taste of the Philippines, and think about the beautiful beaches, towns, natural views, and other fun things in the Philippines,” he said.
‘As Filipinos, our two great loves are Christmas and food.’
The initiative is part of the efforts of the Philippine Embassy, through its tourism section. Philippine tourism attaché Niel Ballesteros notes the project intends “to keep the Philippines top of mind in the travel plans of the Japanese public when international borders open and tourism travel returns to normal”. Also present was Cebu Pacific Japan country manager Tomohiko Matsumoto and Hard Rock Café manager Ken Shimada.
Aside from members of the media, influencers Yuki Sonoda, Sato Kohei, Mai Murakami, Misato Ichiki, Natsuko Tsutsui, Arisa Suzuki, Tiffany, and Kazuki Horike, as well as actor/model Shogen and artist Beverly, also attended the event.
The launch was hosted by singer and DJ Maria Theresa Gow and PBB alumnus Fumiya Sankai.
The event was made possible through the funding support from the AJC. AJC is an international organization that promotes trade, investment, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges among the ASEAN member countries, including the Philippines and Japan.
For more information, visit tokyo.philembassy.net or tokyope.dfa.gov.ph, or facebook.com/PHLinJapan/.