Japanese investors in Mindanao are planning to establish a sakura site somewhere in Mintal, which was once called as Little Tokyo.
Ichido Miyake, president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Mindanao Inc., said they have already presented the plain to the people of Mintal, and Barangay Captain Rey Amador Bargamento “is also very eager to plant Sakura.”
Sakura, or cherry blossom, is considered the national flower of Japan.
Mintal, a barangay in Tugbok District in the second congressional district, used to be a Japanese community before the World War II. Several Japanese landmarks still exist in the village.
Miyake, during the media conference in the on-going Davao Investment Conference 2019, said they are currently studying for the realization of their plans as they wanted to ensure high survival rate.
He said at least 800 seeds from Okinawa will be brought to the city for the project.
Miyake said Sakura in Okinawa, an island located in the southernmost part of Japan, is different from those grown in Tokyo, the country’s capital.
“The flowers from Okinawa is a little bit smaller than the sakura in the mainland of Japan,” he said. It is also more “strong rosy red” than white pink.
This plan, Miyake said, is “very nice for investment” as it is sure to increase the foreign visitors in Davao City as well as from the neighboring cities.
The Japanese investors said they are also considering other parts of the country that are suitable for the project.
Aside from Mintal, Miyake said they are planning on establishing one in Marawi City. He said, the other day he went to the ground zero in Marawi along with a Japanese agriculturist to visit and explore the site.
“We go to the ground zero in the area and maybe in some place near the ground zero area we want to develop an experimental plantation in the area,” he said. “Sakura in Japan is a symbol of peace.”
Miyake said they have already established Sakura plantation in England and United States. For the tropical countries, Philippines would be the first to grow cherry blossom.
Currently, Sakura is widely distributed in Japan and other countries in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere such as Taiwan, Korea, Mainland China, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Thailand and West Siberia.
