Japanese Ambassador to Manila Kazuhiko Koshikawa on Monday, June 19, commemorated Dr. Jose Rizal’s 162nd birth anniversary by posting a photo beside his monument at Hibiya Park in Tokyo, Japan.
Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa stands beside Jose Rizal's statue at Hibiya Park in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo from Amb. Kazuhiko/Twitter)
“Today is the 162nd birthday of Dr. Jose Rizal. In Hibiya Park; his monument stands as a reminder of our deep ties. While his travel to Japan was short, we honor his legacy that ties our heritage together to be closer,” the envoy wrote.
The photo showed him standing beside a bronze statue in one corner of the park. His post was accompanied by emojis of Japanese and Philippine flags.
The plaque on the monument read, “Dr. Jose Rizal, national hero of the Philippines, stayed in 1888 at Tokyo Hotel located at this site.”
The said hotel, where he stayed eight years before his death, was near the park.
Historians said the national hero, who stood against the Spanish colonizers through his writings, transited through Japan in 1888 on his way to Europe.
He ended up staying there for six weeks—from February 28 to April 13–and wrote to his family and friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt, about his admiration of the Japanese people and their culture.
In his letters, Rizal spoke of how the Japanese were honest, jolly, and industrious people. He even lamented that he did not know how to speak Japanese, though history books said he learned enough to express himself in their language.