Before World War II, the Philippines had the largest community of Japanese immigrants in Southeast Asia. However, not much is known about this heritage in the Philippines due to its sensitive and painful history.
One of the Japanese economic influences in the country was the establishment of Bazaars. Japanese Bazaars were famous and run branches in Manila, Cebu, and Davao during Pre-WWII Philippines. To name a few are Nippon Bazaar, Tokyo Bazaar, Kobe Bazaar, Taisho Bazaar, Sakura Bazaar, and the Osaka Bazaar.
The Osaka Bazaar was considered the most modern department store during the Pre-World War II Philippines. The picture shows the Davao branch of Osaka Bazaar, owned by Osaka Boeki Kaisha/Osaka Boeki Trading House of the Matsui family in Osaka, Japan. This Bazaar also had a Manila Branch.
Reference:
Yu-Jose, L. (1996). World War II and the Japanese in the Prewar Philippines. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 27(1), 64-81. doi:10.1017/S0022463400010687
“DAVAO HISTORY” by Ernesto I. Corcino, where Marcy Dans Lee took the Original Photograph.
Admin. “The Rise of Davao City.” ByahengDo30, March 14, 2018. http://byahengdo30.com/local-government/the-rise-of-davao-city/.