This is the Philippines!

During the peak of the tourism boom in Albay and Tiwi in the mid 1970s and 1980s up until the early 1990s, the fame and beauty of the Japanese Garden in Tiwi was not only confined to local knowledge but was also renowned overseas. It was listed in many foreign tourism brochures and guidebooks (e.g. Japan) as a must-see in the Province of Albay for visitors.

The 1992 National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Handbook on Land and Other Physical Resources named the Japanese Garden in Tiwi as one of the premier tourist attractions in Albay, but its most notable inclusion was in a 1977 tourism book, This is the Philippines!

In the book, the author Lea T. Castelo talked about how Imelda R. Marcos’ support for the arts and culture inspired her...

“the writing of this book has been inspired by the First Lady whose consumate dedication to the development of the arts and culture in this country, in order to make it a land of vibrant and self-reliant people, is the pride of the Filipino race. Coming generations will also appreciate the wonders of their land, its history, and its destiny, from this book.”

She later expounded how “The residents’ participation in the national development came in the form of developing beaches, constructing resorts and building parks...”

And in the entry for Tiwi she described the Tiwi Japanese Garden as a —

“A beautiful place not only for the enjoyment of residents but even for tourists and domestic visitors is the Japanese Garden. This is almost a hectare in area. It was developed by the Japanese Peace Corps volunteers and landscape technicians. It is a charming blend of Japanese art and the use of native ornamental plants. Aside from its colorful attraction, the garden stands for the warm friendship of two peoples: the Japanese and the Filipinos.”

Tiwi Japanese Garden- Noboru & Hoshino

one balmy afternoon in the summer of ‘86, as was our usual wont in those days, we found ourselves hanging out at the Japanese Garden to pass the time, learning the chords of some folk songs to try to play them on the old acoustic guitar.

while we were singing, in the middle of doing a bit of the harmony part of Scarborough Fair in our best interpretation of the Simon and Garfunkel classic, out of the corner of my eye i saw a figure moving toward us. 

with a small book in hand, the first of the two men (who i could easily tell from looking at them were Japanese) approached us and asked us in halting English about what we knew about the garden while pointing to the Japanese tourist guidebook in his possession. 

i introduced myself and told them about the history of the garden — they were surprised at my Japanese name and at first thought that i was a descendant of a Japanese serviceman from WWII. so, i told them that i was the son of the Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) who designed the Filipino-Japanese Friendship Garden, and when they asked for the whereabouts of my father since they were interested in meeting him, I brought them home with me to Basag to meet my father Akihiko, where they spent the entire afternoon conversing about various subjects over tea and sinapot. 

I would learn that Noboru and Hoshino were philanthropists who frequented the Philippines and were helping finance the scholarships of Filipino students in Baguio. I would also learn that it was also their first sojourn in Albay and traveled straight to Tiwi upon learning of the existence of the Japanese Garden from their guidebook issued by the tourism agency in Japan. 

When my father and mother went back to Japan a year later, they again met Noboru and Hoshino in Tokyo. The hosts entertained and treated the visitors from the Philippines to a side trip to Tokyo Disneyland among other things.

As for me, a month after my chance encounter with Noboru and Hoshino, i received a letter from Japan and inside was the photo below which shows 16-year-old me and my friends, Josel Cano and Jing Villanueva, trying to look cool and dandy in front of the camera.

The Inauguration of Tiwi Japanese Garden

This 1970s-era black & white photograph of the inauguration of Tiwi’s Japanese Garden shows then-Tigbi Barangay Captain Edgar “Etan” Competente and Mrs. Salvacion Climaco leading the traditional ribbon cutting ceremonies.

Also in the photo were some of the prime movers and supporters that played a part in the realization of the Filipino-Japanese Friendship Garden in the heart of Tiwi— Mrs. Patria C. Gutierrez, Mrs. Naomi C. Corral, Mrs. Caring Dalde, Rev. Fr. Francisco (Parish Priest), Dr. Tomas Madrilejos, Mr. Akihiko Shimizu, Mr. Gavino Consuelo, Mrs. Salvacion Templado, Mrs. Dading Competente, Mrs. Lydia Cruel, Mrs. Pilar Consuelo, Mrs. Lydia Rodriguez and Mr. Fred Cariño.

Built with local labor and designed by Akihiko Shimizu, a Japanese landscape artist who arrived in Tiwi in 1968, the Japanese Garden is styled after the traditional strolling gardens popular during Japan’s Edo Period (1603-1868).

Akihiko Shimizu was a ceramics technician and one of the pioneering members of the Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) in the Bicol Region, as well as the first of the continuous pipeline of JOCVs (now JICA) that were sent by the Japanese government to Tiwi through the years as ambassadors of Goodwill and Friendship with the mandate to share their knowledge and expertise with the people and their industries.

Naomi Climaco Corral (1992-1995) and Patria Competente Gutierrez (1996-2004), would both be elected and served as mayors of Tiwi decades after this picture was taken.

History of Tiwi Japanese Garden (first in a series)

In 1968, Akihiko Ando Shimizu, a Japanese ceramic technician from Toki City, Gifu Prefecture and a Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV), was assigned to Tiwi, Albay to provide technical assistance to local potters at the Tiwi Ceramics Pilot Plant. During his supervision of the construction of the kiln at the Tiwi Ceramics building, he saw a nearby vacant lot and the idea of a Japanese Garden came to his mind.

He then relayed his vision to Mayor Oriel C. Clutario and the good mayor was receptive of the idea, seeing its potential to become a lasting symbol of Filipino-Japanese Friendship in Tiwi. The good mayor, together with the Japanese volunteer, in turn met and consulted the Barangay Officials of Tigbi as well as other prominent citizens of the town and informed them of the proposed project, and the people ultimately responded with a collective effort to make the Japanese garden in the heart of Tiwi a reality.

Funds were sourced both from the local government as well as private contributions like donations and fundraising activites to purchase the necessary materials needed for the project.

Akihiko scoured Tiwi and its environs for plants that he deemed suitable for the garden, and the populace gladly contributed the plants that caught his fancy. He picked and chose the stone slabs from Bariis and Joroan and collected smaller stones and pebbles from the shores of Matalibong. Sacks of coral sands were also brought in from Corangon. Some of the larger rocks were taken from the riverbed in Nagas while some volcanic rocks were transported from the town of Santo Domingo, Albay.

Construction soon followed with the local government of Tiwi providing the logistics and manpower, and by the summer of 1969, work at the Tiwi Japanese Garden was finished.

The Japanese carps (Kois) and gouramis were purchased from Manila and donated by Akihiko, who personally transported them by plane (Air Manila) and bus from the capital to Tiwi.

Tigbi 1968

This was the view in 1968 that Akihiko Shimizu, a Japanese Peace Corps Volunteer, saw from the window of the Tiwi Ceramics building that sparked the idea of installing a Japanese Garden in the vacant lot beside it.

He then told Mayor Oriel C. Clutario about his vision and the good mayor was receptive of the idea. They in turn gathered the Barangay Officials of Tigbi as well as other prominent citizens of the town for the project and they responded with a collective effort to make the Japanese garden in the heart of Tiwi a reality.