“We’ve been friends since elementary school. She’s Japanese (left) and I’m half Japanese, half Filipina (right). My mom’s from the Philippines, dad’s Japanese, and I’ve been coming back and forth here since I was a kid. The Philippine community in Japan is so huge that whenever there’s a festival like here today, everybody comes. No matter how far, you can be sure they’ll be here. In fact we’re meeting our friends in a bit. As someone with a mixed Japanese-Filipino background, part of me identifies with Japanese culture and the other side of me with the Philippines. Although to be honest, I prefer the system and rules in Japan while I think the sweetness and kindness of Filipinos are what makes us special.”