yung's potpourri: Konnichiwa

My host family in Japan whom I stayed with for a few weeks during high school finally visited Singapore for the first time! Haven't met them for so many years...It was Kanako and her mum together. They only had Monday free in their 3-day tour so I took leave to accompany them.

It was their request to experience more 'Singaporean' stuff rather than 'tourist-y' things only. So I brought them around by train and bus. We managed to squeeze in Sentosa, lunch at Chinatown hawker centre (porridge and Hainanese chicken rice, yummy), St Andrew's Cathedral, shopping at Orchard Rd (with special request to go to the Heeren!) and dinner at food-court (Ba Kut Teh, Pig's Trotters and dessert).

My rusty Japanese didn't fare too badly and we could communicate pretty well. The best part was seeing the two of them enjoying each other's company perfectly, with the occasional chiding and jokes. And nearly all the clothes they saw were 'kawaii' (cute) and 'yasuii' (cheap), with both mother and daughter making many last minute purchases despite their initial assertion that they were only going to 'look' but not 'buy'! They definitely share a close bond, 十分難得。