This time, we’re not taking you on a trip.
Well… technically.
Because for one weekend, we somehow managed to visit the Philippines without ever leaving Nagoya. 😂
That’s honestly what it felt like!
On August 29 and 30, Ikeda Park in Sakae, Nagoya, was transformed into a colorful, energetic little corner of the Philippines for KADAYAWAN SA NAGOYA 2026.
And ACT YOU TRAVEL was thrilled to join the celebration as one of the event sponsors!
Music, dancing, incredible food, colorful traditional costumes, familiar faces, new friends—and enough Filipino energy to make us occasionally forget that we were still in Japan.
So, what exactly happened over those two days?
Quite a lot, actually.
🌺 First Things First: What Does “KADAYAWAN” Mean?
If you’ve never heard the word Kadayawan before, you’re probably not alone.
The name comes from the famous Kadayawan Festival held every August in Davao City on the Philippine island of Mindanao.
“Kadayawan” is associated with the local word “Madayaw,” which conveys ideas such as good, valuable, beautiful, and worthy.
In Davao, the festival is a celebration of gratitude—for nature’s blessings and a bountiful harvest—as well as a celebration of the rich cultures and traditions of the region’s Indigenous communities.
Colorful.
Joyful.
Full of life.
And this time…
a little piece of Kadayawan came all the way to Nagoya!
☔ Morning at Ikeda Park: “Umm… Where Is Everybody?” 😂
The big day finally arrived.
Our ACT YOU TRAVEL booth was ready.
Flyers? Check.
Giveaways? Check.
Filipino snacks? Check.
Enthusiastic staff? Absolutely.
Customers?
…
Customers? 😂
We looked around the park that morning and, well…
things were still pretty quiet.
Add a little rain to the mix, and we couldn’t help wondering:
“Is everyone actually coming?”
But perhaps we had forgotten one very important detail.
We were at a Filipino event.
Maybe everyone was just running on a little Filipino time. 😂
Because, as it turned out…
the party hadn’t even started yet.
🔥 And Then Afternoon Arrived… BOOM. The Philippines!
As lunchtime approached, everything changed.
People started arriving.
Then more people.
And more.
Before long, Ikeda Park was absolutely buzzing.
What happened to that quiet little park from this morning!?
Everywhere we turned, we could hear Filipino languages and music.
The smell of grilled meat and Filipino dishes drifted through the park.
People were talking, laughing, eating and greeting old friends.
And then there were the smiles.
So. Many. Smiles.
For a moment, we genuinely had to remind ourselves:
“Wait… this is still Nagoya, right?” 😂
Because Ikeda Park certainly wasn’t feeling very Japanese anymore.
For those few hours, it felt like someone had picked up a little piece of the Philippines and dropped it right into the middle of Sakae.
And we loved it.
✈️ ACT YOU TRAVEL Booth Is Open!
Now, despite how much fun we were having, we promise we didn’t come just to eat and party. 😂
We did actually have some work to do!
At the ACT YOU TRAVEL booth, we shared information about travel to the Philippines and ran a special social media follow campaign.
And we had some fantastic help from Cebu Pacific! ✈️
Thanks to Cebu Pacific, we were able to give away their bright blue original bags and other goodies.
But we didn’t stop there.
On one of our recent trips to Manila, we had also stocked up on Filipino chocolates, snacks, gummies and other treats to bring along.
Because apparently our idea of “market research” involves buying large quantities of snacks.
We take our work very seriously. 😂
Thankfully, the goodies were a hit!
Lots of people stopped by the booth, chatted with us, followed our social media accounts and picked out their favorites.
“Which one should I get?”
“Oh! I know this snack!”
Those little conversations kept happening all day long.
To everyone who stopped by:
Maraming salamat po! ❤️
You made our booth a very happy place to be.
💪 Meanwhile, ANN Was in Full Sales Mode
There was one person at our booth who deserves a special mention.
Our very own ANN.
ANN is one of the important bridges between ACT YOU TRAVEL and our Filipino customers—and over these two days, she was everywhere.
See someone walking past?
ANN talks to them.
Another person arrives?
ANN talks to them too.
Take a photo.
Introduce ACT YOU TRAVEL.
Explain the campaign.
Help with social media.
Talk some more.
Take another photo.
Repeat.
ANN was WORKING. 😂
But what made the weekend especially meaningful was seeing so many familiar faces.
A lot of customers who already use ACT YOU TRAVEL came by to say hello.
And suddenly, from somewhere around the booth, you’d hear something along the lines of:
“Huy! Long time no see!”
…followed by a lot of Tagalog, laughter and another photo. 😂
Most of the time, our work as a travel agency happens through phone calls, messages, emails and reservations.
So having the opportunity to meet people face-to-face, catch up and simply spend some time together felt surprisingly special.
Watching all those conversations happening around our booth reminded us of something.
Travel isn’t really just about selling airline tickets or booking hotels.
It’s about connecting people.
Sometimes with places.
Sometimes with cultures.
And sometimes simply with each other.
That may have been one of our favorite parts of the entire weekend.
🍖 Yes, We Were Working. No, That Did Not Stop Us from Eating.
There was one major distraction at KADAYAWAN SA NAGOYA.
Actually, there were many of them.
And they all smelled delicious.
FILIPINO FOOD.
Food trucks and stalls surrounded the park, serving up all kinds of Filipino favorites.
Grilled meat sizzling away.
Chicken.
Pork.
Rice.
Street food.
Every few minutes another incredible smell would drift past our booth.
Frankly…
it was becoming very difficult to concentrate on work. 😂
So we did the responsible thing.
We ate.
For research purposes, obviously.
We had chicken, pork and a very respectable amount of rice, followed by some Filipino street-food favorites.
And naturally, no Filipino food adventure would be complete without dessert.
Which brings us to…
🍧 HALO-HALO! Because There Is Always Room for Dessert.
Look at that beautiful purple scoop of ube ice cream.
This is halo-halo, one of the Philippines’ most iconic desserts.
The name literally means something along the lines of “mix-mix.”
And that is exactly what you’re supposed to do.
Ice, sweet ingredients, jellies, beans, fruit, creamy goodness, ube ice cream…
Mix everything together and dig in.
The result?
SO GOOD.
Somewhere along the way, our “event sponsorship duties” had turned into a full Filipino food tour.
But that’s fine.
We’re a travel company.
Understanding local cuisine is important.
Very important. 😂
👑 A Special Moment: Joining the Miss KADAYAWAN Awards Ceremony
Another highlight of the weekend was something we definitely don’t get to do every day.
I had the honor of taking part in the Miss KADAYAWAN awards ceremony!
As the contestants stepped onto the stage in their beautiful, colorful outfits, the atmosphere around the park immediately changed.
The craftsmanship.
The colors.
The details.
The pride behind every outfit.
Seeing everything up close made us realize that Kadayawan isn’t simply about having a good time.
It’s a celebration of culture, heritage and identity.
And being able to experience a little of that here in Nagoya made the moment even more special.
😎 And Then I Saw the Traditional Costume…
At some point, I spotted an absolutely spectacular traditional headdress.
And once I saw it, there was really only one thought going through my mind:
“I need to try that on.”
So…
I did. 😂
What do you think?
Personally, I think I pulled it off rather well.
At this point, our event report was rapidly becoming less about “ACT YOU TRAVEL exhibiting at Kadayawan” and more about “ACT YOU TRAVEL completely embracing Kadayawan.”
But that’s exactly the point, isn’t it?
You can watch a culture from a distance.
You can read about it.
You can take photos of it.
But the moment you actually join in, something changes.
It becomes a memory.
Travel works exactly the same way.
Sometimes you just have to say:
“Why not?”
…and give it a try.
💃 And How Did the Festival End? By Dancing, Of Course.
By late afternoon, the energy around the stage had gone up another level.
Music starts.
Someone dances.
Another person joins.
Then another.
And suddenly…
EVERYBODY IS DANCING.
Staff, performers, visitors—it didn’t really matter anymore.
People who had never met before were laughing and dancing together as though they had known one another for years.
One person starts moving and somehow the circle just keeps getting bigger.
There is something wonderfully Filipino about that.
The warmth.
The openness.
The energy.
The ability to turn an ordinary moment into a celebration.
And perhaps most of all…
Filipinos really know how to enjoy life.
❤️ “Maybe I Need to Enjoy Life a Little More, Too.”
When we think back on KADAYAWAN SA NAGOYA 2026, the thing we remember most isn’t the stage.
It isn’t the food.
It isn’t even the halo-halo.
It’s the faces of the people who were there.
So many of the people we met are living far away from the country they call home.
They have jobs.
Families.
Responsibilities.
Good days and difficult days, just like everyone else.
But for those two days, they came together.
They ate.
They sang.
They danced.
They laughed.
And they enjoyed the moment with everything they had.
Watching that made me think:
“Maybe I need to enjoy life a little more, too.”
Because perhaps life doesn’t always need to be so complicated.
Meet people.
Experience a culture you don’t know.
Eat something delicious.
Laugh a lot.
Go somewhere you’ve never been.
Make memories.
That’s what travel gives us.
And strangely enough, it’s also what a weekend in a little park in Nagoya reminded us.
Salamat Po, Everyone!!
To everyone who stopped by the ACT YOU TRAVEL booth,
to all of our customers who came to see us,
to the performers, vendors and organizers who brought the festival to life,
and to Cebu Pacific for providing the wonderful giveaways:
Maraming salamat po!
Thank you so much for making us part of such a memorable weekend.
Ikeda Park may have started the morning a little quiet—and a little rainy.
But by the end?
It was filled with music.
Dancing.
Food.
Laughter.
And a whole lot of Filipino heart. ❤️
For two days, we got to experience the warmth, energy and hospitality of the Philippines without ever leaving Nagoya.
We hope to see everyone again very soon.
But next time…
how about we meet in the actual Philippines? ✈️
Maraming salamat po, everyone!
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