Advices: better to live, in Singapore or Japan?

Which is better to live, Singapore or Japan?

Initial response (4th July 2018):

I am one of the “fortunate few” to have worked and lived in both countries, as Singapore’s economy has always been highly open to people from abroad, while Abe’s government is also pushing for more foreigners to take up permanent residence in Japan, as well as citizenship, in recent years, to make Japanese companies more globally competitive again, as well as to attempt to ameliorate their ballooning deficit (more taxpayers needed to cover the increasing healthcare costs from and pension payouts to a greying population). Still, despite Abe’s push, it is majorly difficult for a foreigner to get the chance to live in Japan! Overall, I find that Singapore is a better place. Here are a few factors I considered:

1. Cost of living :

Property cost and the cost of private vehicle ownership in Singapore is simply crazy. As a foreigner, this translates to high rental costs in Singapore. In Tokyo, despite the population and impression people have of busy streets in large Japanese cities, rental of an apartment (a whole apartment) costs the equivalent of around US$800 if you live in the more popular areas like Azabu-Juban, Roppongi and Asakusa. In Singapore, rental of a room (yes, you read that right, only a room, not a whole apartment to yourself) in the central business district costs the same, and renting of an entire apartment is unlikely unless the homeowner has another property in Singapore (which is rare), or the homeowner is overseas. However, utility bills in Singapore are cheaper, and there is no need for heating as there is no winter in Singapore. [ * check here for today's utility rates ]In addition, eating out is very affordable in Singapore. It is probably the only place in the world where cooking for one person can be more expensive and wasteful than eating out! A decent meal in Singapore can cost as low as US$4, while in Japan, one of the cheapest meals (ramen) will be US$7. However, such “cheap” food is only available in Singapore when we do not take restaurants into consideration; “cheap” food is only found in what locals call the “hawker centres”, which are non air-conditioned, with lower hygiene standards. Interestingly, restaurants in Japan are generally cheaper than restaurants in Singapore as there is lower alcohol tax and no hidden mandatory service charge. Fruits and vegetables in Singapore are considerably cheap, given that Singapore imports from all over the world (largely from Malaysia, but South Africa, Korea, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Taiwan, USA and Japan feature heavily too), and Malaysia’s currency, Ringgit Malaysia ( RM) is three times lower than that of Singapore dollar SGD$, which helps tremendously. Fruits and vegetables in Japan are of a very high quality, but highly overpriced as their farmers have immense pride in their produce, and this is reflected in the prices. A cantaloupe (rock melon)マスクメロン , masukumeron , in Japan can set one back US$50 (though I’ll have to admit, the sweetness of it is unparalleled in this world). The cheapest fruit in Japan is the humble banana, imported from the Philippines. It is quite tough to find imported fruits and vegetables in Japan in the usual supermarkets aside from grapes and bananas.

Overall: Singapore has a lower cost of living, if you are speaking about “basic living”. For a higher standard of living, where you desire a large, rented apartment, a personal vehicle and fine dining in restaurants daily, Japan may be less costly.

2. Education (till pre-university):

If you have children / if you are a student, it is reassuring that both Singapore and Japan have high education standards. Singapore adopts a British education system, and is consistently rated among the top 5 in the world, while Japan’s education system is not too shabby either, rated consistently among the top 10. Singapore places a heavy emphasis on maths and sciences, given that those two disciplines are of the most practical use to the economy, while Japan has a more liberal education system when it comes to subjects and topics. Therefore, if your child is not attuned towards maths and sciences, an international school in Singapore is probably the best place to turn to. Both countries require extra-curricular activity, and there is the presence of external supplementary tuition classes in Singapore while there is the ubiquitous and infamous cram schools in Japan, so students in both countries are less able to explore their own interests and passion through their studies, and are somewhat forced to study to get good grades to advance. The classes in Singapore are pretty diverse, with classmates of different races and religions and nationalities (largely Asian though), while classes in Japan is all about cultural and racial homogeneity and conformance to Japanese customs. Students are increasingly made to speak up in Singapore and the curriculum is revised almost every few years, but in Japan, it is still highly traditional, and discipline levels are high and unyielding. A lot of money is visibly pumped into the education system in Singapore, since the country has no resources but children (and the abysmal birth rates is thus a concern), and the resources at the disposal of the education system in Singapore can be frankly embarrassing, which is, however, not a bad thing since most Japanese schools still come equipped with uncomfortable wooden tables and desks and chalkboards from decades ago (schools in Singapore are all required to use whiteboards to avoid chalk dust and most come with ergonomic chairs!). Bullying (イジメ , Iji meh) also remains a huge problem in Japan, unfortunately, and an Asian child who does not have a set of 2 Japanese parents will tend to be ostracised in school by the other Japanese children, especially if at least one parent is of Chinese or Korean descent.

Overall: Better in Singapore. Bullying can be nasty in Japan, leading to suicides.

3. Education (university) :

Japan has a saying: 大学生は人生の夏休み ( Daigakusei wa jinsei no natsuyasumi ) . Loosely translated, it means that being a university student is the summer vacation of one’s life. University is the time to fall in love (if you haven’t already done so), talk to foreigners as much as you can (with all the exchange programmes available), socialise like no tomorrow with your seniors (先輩 ; Senpai). Japanese students have studied very hard and attended cram school to get into famous universities of their choices, and it is now time to relax a little, since the brand name of universities are more important than the certificate you get, and it is almost impossible to fail to graduate from a university. I do know of Japanese who applied to unpopular courses (e.g., education studies) in top universities (e.g., Waseda) despite knowing that they will hate the course, as they need the brand name of the university on their resume (履歴書 ; Rire ki sho). It is fortunate that Japanese companies have an implicit understanding that fresh graduates learnt practically nothing in their undergraduate life (see Japanese saying above), and have their own training programmes as a result, else Japanese companies would be even less globally-competitive. Year 1 in university is to party, find love and rest, Year 2 is to do internships (Japanese internships are quite nonsensical though, generally, and the concept of internships is still somewhat new to Japan), Year 3 is to socialise with seniors (where one will understand what alcohol tolerance means), and Year 4 is to apply for jobs. Generally. The socialising part is very important for any Japanese, as their seniors can help to recommend them to certain companies when these Year 3s progress to Year 4. In Singapore, university life starts off with somewhat risque orientation camps with both sexes being made to have as much body contact with one another as legally possible (though this has been severely watered down in recent times due to complaints from parents), but it gets very tame and staid after that, and everybody seems to study all the time when the terms begins and to outdo one another in getting at least a Second Class Upper by the time of graduation, since salaries are tied to degree classifications, not merely the ranking of the university. Singaporean universities have pretty amazing exchange programmes and tie-ups with foreign universities, and their career services is supposedly not bad (though highly swamped with too many undergraduates as Singaporean universities have very high enrolment figures and too few career services staff).

Overall: If you want fun, go to Japan; if you want university to be an unofficial start to your career, go to Singapore.

4. Climate and topography :

No further elaboration needed. 4 seasons in Japan versus hot, humid and stormy in Singapore. Japan has great lakes, nice rivers, cool plantations, amazing mountain ranges and beautiful sights. Singapore does possess a couple of pretty large swathes of rainforests for its land mass, but that is it. It is telling when Singaporeans choose to drive north to Malaysia if they want to be close to nature.

Overall: Japan, by a large margin.

* Japanese experience many earthquakes in Japan , while Singaporeans don't experience any earthquake in Singapore.

5. Culture:

If you are mistaken as Japanese and speak Japanese, great for you in Japan. You get greeted by your neighbours, by service staff, by practically everybody, even if you are in Tokyo (where large cities breed unfriendliness, supposedly). This is because of homogeneity - you feel a togetherness in spirit and a bond with your countrymen due to a similar culture, upbringing and thought. Once you are found out as a foreigner, that is when the smiles become less sincere, there is more hesitance in assisting you, as you become an outsider, an anomaly and an enigma to them. In Singapore, people are less friendly at the start, but they will gradually warm up to you if you make the first move of introducing yourself. It is thus pretty interesting, the contrast between the two countries. In Japan, they go from warm to cool, once they get to know you better, while in Singapore, they go from cool to warm, once they get to know you better. Foreigners make up 2% of the population in Japan while this figure is 40% in Singapore, though most come from Malaysia, Indonesia, China, India and the Philippines, so the mix isn’t as diverse as other world cities, like Melbourne or Toronto. Culturally, Singapore is diverse, with slangs, customs and habits brought to the little island from various corners of the world, and this is amazing. However, this used to be something unique, but is no longer so. Places like London, New York and Vancouver are globalised too, and in a funny twist of irony, globalisation is making diversity less unique. As a result, Japan seems to have a more impressive culture to me, as it is unique, from her tea ceremonies to bushido to calligraphy… Some of the Chinese may sneer at these, saying that a large bit of Japanese culture stemmed from imports and modifications of original Chinese culture, but I would beg to differ, and occasionally find the Japanese resistance to outside norms and trends endearing, as that preserved its culture. Rather regrettably, unique Singaporean culture has already been more-or-less eradicated by globalisation and modernisation. Skilled craftsmen upholding Japanese tradition still exist in large (albeit gradually decreasing) numbers in Japan, but are definitely dying out in Singapore, with its push towards modernisation by the People's Action Party (PAP) government.

Overall: Japan, as the culture cannot be found elsewhere, unlike that of Singapore. Japan, too, for the history.

6. Work culture :

This warrants a 1000 word essay or more, so I’ll make it brief here. Topics I would have liked to cover include treatment to foreigners, treatment of women, mandatory overtime / unpaid overtime (サービス残業 / Sābisu zangyō), black companies (ブラック企業 / Burakku kigyō), sexual harrassment ( 性的嫌がらせ / Seiteki iyagarase ) , etc., in Japan. This topic is indeed all of Japan’s shame. Wouldn’t bore you all for now with more reading required from me. Perhaps next time.

Overall: Singapore, by miles. Then multiply those miles by a few times again.

7. Safety :

*Low crime does not mean no crime Empty houses do not get broken into. People can live on the ground floor and not have their laundry stolen. Women totter home drunk in Japan and are fine despite all the dark alleys they have to enter on their way home. However, there are many stories of molestation and groping or “chikan” (痴漢) in Japan, from both Japanese women and foreign women, which I thankfully did not experience (I am male), so still do be careful, ladies.

Overall: Same. Not sure of how bad chikan is in Japan though as I am male, but both countries have tough laws and people conform to rules, largely.

Ok, I will have to wrap this up for now despite my many other topics to share, such as taxes. There is no “better” place. It simply depends on what metrics you would like to use in your consideration over which is “better”.

As mentioned in the first paragraph, my personal opinion is Singapore. But, yeah, read the previous paragraph again lest you forgot - different people are looking out for different things. In my case, Singapore is better, but it may not be so for you. It depends. Make an informed choice, and do your best to get there.

Cheers.

(7th Oct 2018):

Wow, my first and only Quora response just received an Upvote from Adam D’Angelo, CEO of Quora. Thank you for the privilege and for enjoying the read! I’ll thus pen another answer to a Quora post to mark this achievement, and hope to contribute more in the future (whenever I can spare the time)!

● I lived in both places as well. When you live in Tokyo, you feel the sophistication and the civility of a great society. You feel that you are ahead as Tokyo is a trendy world’s capital. The city has seven philharmonic orchestras + those who are regularly touring Japan. No comparaison with Singapore ‘culturally’ speaking. Singapore has its own charms. You find yourself in a modern and clean city if Southeast Asia. It is a multicultural society with English as a common language. This is a big advantage for English speaking foreigners, over those living in Tokyo. Entertainment is Singapore is limited as shopping, eating and gambling are the most common activities. Many efforts have been made to make the city more attractive for tourists. In fact, Singapore foreign residents get often bored - so, they travel abroad to Bangkok, KL, Bali and Ho Ching Minh. Everywhere else in the region is cheaper that in Singapore. As for Japan, anywhere you go in the country, it’s expensive (hotel, food and Japan Railways). In conclusion, Tokyo is a great metropolis offering a variety of services and activities. It has its own culture and history and food is delicious. Singapore offers the charms of Southeast Asia. It is more relaxed, the hawker centers offer tasty, fresh and inexpensive food — as you’ll find a diversity of cuisine in Singapore. Going to restaurants could be expensive as it targets upmarket tourists and people attending conventions. Living in both places is a great experience as you can appreciate different lifestyles. Both cities are influenced by European culture at different levels. A better comparison would be between Singapore and Hong Kong, and Shanghai with Tokyo.

● Hello Marc! Great to see another person who have lived in both countries!

Yes, I fully concur with most of your points (perhaps the “entertainment in Singapore” part is a little too generalised since it depends on what are the activities one likes, but you are definitely “generally” correct!). Though our opinions are highly similar, it is refreshing nonetheless to see someone who has lived in both countries commenting! We would definitely have been buddies if we met in person. Very well-written and thank you for stopping by!

● You are right, Singapore is similar to a big industrial park, where citizens are worker bees.

Most of Singaporean are satisfied with saving money at all cost to buy an HDB, or condo, then buy a car, that’s the symbol of success. That’s why they do not have much time to spend on entertainment.

In addition, the education is biased towards math and science, plus the mentality that arts, literature, non-engineering subjects can not bring them money, wealth, plus the materialistic culture. Such mentality is cultivated by the pioneer politicians during the formation years after she was an independence state , in 1965. All of those things contribute to the lack of entertainment in Singapore.

● I would add to “work culture” that this can be mitigated here in Japan if one works (like I do) for a foreign-owned company (外資系) or a “young company” (post start-up phase), if not, yes, this can be quite tough…

For culture, there is also “available cultural activities” for which Tokyo is also better than Singapore (but obviously most other Japan cities would rank below Singapore).

That being said, both Tokyo and Singapore are great cities to live in!

● I wanted a full "Japanese" experience while in Japan (the entire foolish "doing what Romans do in Rome" thing), thus I directly competed with the Japanese for jobs in Japanese companies and did all my job applications and interviews in Japanese, rather than applying to foreign companies, English Language Schools or Embassies. I didn't even attempt to apply to Japanese companies that are known to be noticeably "friendly" to foreigners (such as the e-commerce giant starting with "R") just to see how working in Japan truly is for the average Japanese, and for foreigners who ended up in those companies and are unable to use the "gaijin" card for special privileges. I was usually the only foreigner in the team.

Yes, it was tough indeed. I never saw a sunset when I was in employment in Japan, and there were so many occasions when I had to sprint for the last train. Not your typical "gaijin" experience. I worked in Japanese companies ranging from a top IT company with over 800 employees to a startup with only 3 employees when I joined. The startup was actually the worst of the lot; I was easily clocking 100h a week, without taking into account a hurried daily 35-min lunch break and commuting time (which took 1.5h for each trip, making it 3h of commute per day). Consultants in McKinsey and lawyers earning four to six times my salary have an easier time and better work-life balance than I did, plus way more perks. That startup didn't even allow me to do entertainment claims and transportation claims, which meant I footed those costs out of my already meagre salary.

Yes, you are absolutely right to consider the different Japanese cities. Great insight there, which I missed. Tokyo and Osaka are considered Tier 1 in a sense and both cities contain many sights and sounds to explore. I rank both above Singapore, with Tokyo ahead of Osaka. Most international artists and events stop by these two cities when they swing by Japan, making these two cities pretty vibrant. The other Japanese cities lose out as a result. I do profess a little love towards some Tier 2 cities like Nagoya, since these cities are less crowded and people are slightly nicer than in Tokyo, but I wouldn't exactly rank these cities as "vibrant".

It's cool that we share the same opinion on this!

● I would take the food in Singapore any day. And the cultural diversity so tops Japan, that I don’t see how you could rate Japan and culture higher. Much of that ‘culture’ is really just theatrics staged for tourists anyway, so you don’t need to live here to enjoy it. Indeed, if you live here, you pretty soon get tired of it.

● Yes, South East Asian cuisine is wonderful. I can tolerate spices used in practically every meal in South East Asia, thus it is always a treat to eat out inexpensively in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Food in Japan is delicious and meticulously prepared (kudos to the chefs who take immense pride in their craft), but it is indeed pretty bland to me if you compare it to South East Asian food. For example, Japanese curry is sweet rather than spicy, and that is absolutely appalling to my tastebuds! I once ordered a “Level 10” spiciness for my curry in Japan, and the waiter taking my order nearly fainted. He then told me that “Level 10” was the spiciest, not the most mild, as if I was the one who didn’t understand Japanese between the two of us. That assumption (that I am foreign, thus I don’t understand Japanese) stung more than the “Level 10” curry eventually did.

You are definitely right about the “theatrics”. Most visitors to Japan are unable to see this, thinking that all paying customers are being sincerely revered in Japan, as their guide books mentioned. It is apparent to me (and to you) as I have lived in Japan for an extended period before leaving, and worked in traditional Japanese firms. Every nuance and expression of the Japanese does not go unnoticed by me. I see smiles plastered onto the faces of Japanese shopkeepers when swathes of Chinese tourists swarm into their stores, but also the flash of anger and annoyance in their eyes behind those smiles since the displays will definitely get messed up and the Chinese tourists from those bus tours tend to be middle aged and loud, as opposed to the more respectful and culturally-mindful younger Chinese. I see foreigners in restaurants being greeted warmly in Japanese just like every other Japanese customer, but I see only wariness, fatigue and nervousness in the eyes of the waitresses as more effort and gesticulation will be needed to explain the menu to the typically ignorant foreigners if there is no simplified English menu available in that restaurant.

I did mention that cultural diversity is apparent in Singapore but much less in Japan. I celebrate diversity, having grown up in a culturally diverse environment. What I meant was that Japan’s culture is a lot more unique in the sense that one can only experience it in Japan. Singapore has a somewhat unique culture, accepting a blend of religions, languages and customs from all over the world and making it a cacophonous but complete culture of its own, but this cultural assimilation is taking place in many other cities too due to globalisation, such as in Toronto, where many Indians, Chinese and Filipinos are attempting to migrate to in recent years after the United States... Well, you know what is happening in the United States. Back to Singapore. Peranakan culture, for example, is fast fading from the lives of ordinary Singaporeans, though it used to be a distinct and proudly unique culture just two generations ago. In addition, globalisation is not fully done with Singapore and is taking yet another immense toll on Singapore, with the numbers of local skilled craftsmen dwindling and almost everything produced in Singapore being slapped together by machines these days, or outsourced to neighbouring countries to reduce cost. I love the diverse culture and palette of Singapore, but the unique flavours of traditional Singapore are dying out, and the continued globalisation of Singapore doesn’t make it a lot more different than the globalisation happening elsewhere. This point is essentially a lament of mine!

● No, peranakan foods are not disappearing, there are still places serving them, esp around Joo Chiat area, which used to be a peranakan enclave in the past. I personally love peranakan food despite not being a straits Chinese myself.

Singapore may be losing some of its traditions (and some of its traditional food culture) but there are new things added in as the country evolves. One thing about Singapore - one need not travel too far within the country to have access to a great varieties of cuisines from all over the world.

And, there're also the Japanese, the Koreans, Taiwanese, Thais, Indonesians, and Hongkongers living among us for quite some time now, followed later by the Filipinnos and then the Burmese, before the recent influx of mainland Chinese, Indians and Vietnamese. Not to mention, the British and American presence, and also the European presence right from the early 1970s or 80s during our industrialisation years.

Of course if we dig further into our early history, we have the presence of Arab merchants, the Portuguese etc and etc.

All of the above, have enriched our culture, making it a multicultural one or even a cosmopolitan one, and I do feel the locals ie the ethnic Chinese, Malays and Indians here are still preserving many of their traditions brought down through the generations.

● I was referring to the Peranakan culture, not cuisine. Food does immediately come to anyone’s mind when speaking about culture, but I was referring to the unfortunate overall decline of the entire Peranakan culture as an example. For instance, most people only think about Peranakan food when speaking about preservation of the Peranakan culture, but I was also referring to other facets, such as Peranakan crafts and languages (if these do not register at all, that does indicate that people have indeed forgotten). Most people in Singapore are also only aware of the Chinese Peranakan culture and this is almost synonymous with the word “Peranakan” in Singapore, even though the Peranakans include many other races and is way more diverse than that.

I fully respect your views and your belief that the locals are preserving many of their ethnic traditions, but as someone who has lived in many other countries and has experienced other cultures firsthand and how deeply ingrained and passionate those cultures are to their people, my opinion is that Singapore hasn’t been able to preserve its culture as much. You might not agree with my opinion but that is fair enough. No doubt, as you rightfully pointed out, this is because of the constant addition of new cultures to Singapore, and as such, dilution or changes to the local culture cannot be helped, but there could be various schemes to better promote or cement the Singaporean heritage, and not just the ethnic Chinese heritage. Museums are one of such “preservations” which Singapore has done exceptionally well, but in other areas, more could definitely be done.

● Most of the food supply in Japan is based on importing huge amounts of GM corn and GM soy. There are certain things they do really well—fresh seafood, but a lot of it comes at a huge expense of oceanic fish stocks worldwide since estuarties and local waters have long been wiped out.

● I'd disagree with two points here.

On education. Yes, Japan is famously homogeneous, and bullying can be a problem in schools. However, to say “Asian children tend to get bullied” is unfair. I've taught in Japanese schools for ten years, and the students who are bullied are the same as anywhere else, the kids who are a bit socially awkward etc.

Generally mixed race and foreign kids who've grown up in Japan have no problems, if anything the seem to often be the class hero. It's the returnee kids that have a hard time, kids with Japanese parents who were either born or spent a large part of their early education abroad.

On culture. I don't understand what you say about Japanese people gradually becoming colder. I've heard a lot of foreigners living here say the feel like they “will never be accepted” into Japanese culture. But in my experience it's very much to do with your own attitude. If you make an effort to get to know people and speak the language, in my experience people are incredibly welcoming.

● Fantastic input there and everyone is welcome to have a different opinion here, with regard to any of my points. Everyone has a different experience, thus there will be a variety of opinions on any given topic, and that is only fair.

I am not presently teaching in a Japanese school, so you are the expert on this matter, definitely. My statement that “an Asian child who does not have a set of 2 Japanese parents will tend to be ostracised in school by the other Japanese children, especially if at least one parent is of Chinese or Korean descent” arose from my discussions with mixed-raced children who grew up and studied in Japan, most of them with at least a parent of Chinese or Korean descent. (Purely anecdotal, I will freely admit, but Quora is about sharing your opinion and experience, isn’t it.) I spoke to those “half-children” (for lack of a better word, I am using the Japanese transliteration, so pardon me for this) with at least one Western parent, and those “half-children” with at least one Asian parent who is not Japanese… And the result is that those in the latter group did have more horror stories of bullying and discrimination from their Japanese classmates, or other similar negative experiences. One of them had it worse because she has an English-sounding name but she is obviously Asian, and she was always being teased (nastily) or ridiculed because of that. Note that I also used the word “tend to” in the original post instead of the word “definitely”. I’ll agree that the ones getting bullied would most likely be the socially awkward ones, which is the same anywhere else, but from the anecdotes from my friends, race may play a part too, and I thus did not discount that. I have never heard of my Asian friends who grew up in Japan mentioning that they were well-received in class, or anything really positive, for that matter. As mentioned, I am not an expert in what goes on in Japanese schools right now, and those I spoke to are all working adults now, so your input may be more credible than mine. Thanks for sharing anyway!

On the second point, I guess your experience differed from mine, but I don’t believe that it is due to my attitude (and it is perhaps a little too easy for you to switch to a mentality believing that it is a problem of the attitude). I speak business-level Japanese and try my utmost best to fit in and get along with the Japanese. Never broke a law, never littered, always separated my trash with a religious fevour though it isn’t exactly a tradition in my home country to do so, greeted my Japanese neighbours when I moved in, never got into a brawl in a pub, etc. After all, I am but a guest to the country, and will never forget that I am neither owed a living nor happiness in Japan. What I mentioned was merely an interesting thing I noted, at least in my experience, which is that once the novelty of a foreigner speaking Japanese slowly fades away, the Japanese whom you meet on somewhat regular occasions seem to get less friendly (for the Japanese who are exceptions to this, well, I definitely made them my friends!). I’m not saying that I’m right and you are wrong, I’m merely stating an observation in comparison to other foreign places I have lived in, including New York, Taiwan, Singapore and York (the beautiful city in the UK), where people do not seem as warm initially, but warm up quickly thereafter when I do the exact same things (speak the local language, try my best to fit in and get along). I somehow got the feeling of a foreigner obviously outstaying my welcome in Japan after having spent some time there (perhaps it was because I was doing well in all the Japanese firms I was in, outperforming the Japanese and becoming seen as a threat to their promotions - it may be different in a school setting, as in your case), as opposed to those other places where I get the feeling of becoming an integral part of the lives of the locals after having spent some time there. You may feel free to disagree, of course, based on your experiences in Japan, and I will fully respect that. I was merely sharing my own comparisons based on where else I have lived. No right or wrong answers here.

● I’ll definitely look forward to the day when Japanese society and schools treat children who have one or two foreign parent equally!

It is great that you feel accepted by your friends (definitely with you on this point, else those Japanese wouldn’t be considered as our friends, would they?), neighbours and your girlfriend’s family; you seem pretty settled in and I am happy for you. Discrimination against a foreign spouse is still pretty prevalent in modern Japan, especially if said spouse is not White! Even my Japanese friends have regaled me with horror stories of the family of their spouses actually doing a private background check on them to ensure that they are “pure Japanese” before they got married to their spouses.

● “Whole” apartment in Azabu Juban for Yen ¥86,000/month?? The cheapest I could find (for a place of only 22 sqm) was Yen ¥130,500 (plus Yen ¥120,000 ‘key money’, which is just a non-returnable gift to the owner). It may be a “whole” apartment, but it’s tiny and way over Yen ¥86,000.

You can see other examples here (most of which are much more expensive):

Foreigner-Friendly Apartments for Rent in Minato , click here

● Yes, it is definitely possible to get an apartment for JPY90,000/mth in the Ebisu/Azabu/Meguro area, it is not an exaggeration. True, I did not include “key money” or guarantors’ deposit, etc., all of the possible nonsense present in Japan, you will need to negotiate that bit yourself (I managed to successfully negotiate away the key money somehow along with my agent, never give up)! Such apartments will not be listed in sites that are friendly to or catering to foreigners. Don’t go to gaijinpot, Leopalace, etc. You need to go to those typical Japanese property agents (不動産) that service only Japanese-speaking clientele to get the best deals, where the entire office will go into shocked silence when a foreigner appears at their doorstep, and use a ton of Japanese to negotiate. Renting an apartment in Japan would be a topic I could write an entire essay on too! Countless times I have endured having the property agent call up the owner of the apartment, who then refuse to loan out his/her apartment (which is not earning any money for the owner, by the way, sitting there empty) once s/he heard that I am not Japanese. Also, try to get apartments only in May or November if you can. Virtually all company orientations for new graduate hires take place in April (major) and October (minor). For the apartments that are still unoccupied by then, home owners will be more willing to rent them out to foreigners, rather than letting the house sit empty for 6 months or a year. There are many little tips and tricks to everything. On a personal note, I dislike renting from women homeowners. They are usually a lot more fussy and obsessive-compulsive. They can be highly rude too even though their language used is flowery and polite on the surface. Male homeowners are easier to deal with to me; however, they seem more discriminatory towards foreigners when it comes to the immediate phone call rejection bit I spoke of earlier. Well, that’s just my experience. Hope you’ll find your dream place!

● sorry but you’re moving the goalposts. I was talking specifically about your claim that you can get a ‘whole’ apartment (and I would have said that means something of at the very least 25 sqm, including bathroom and kitchen) in Azabu Juban (not Meguro) for Y88,300 (at today’s exchange rate). I would be absolutely astonished if you could find a place like that.

I live in Hiroo (very close to Azabu Juban) and from time to time look in the windows of the ubiquitous不動産屋さん, which are aimed almost entirely at Japanese, and I can’t remember seeing anything (other than a ‘one room’ (ワンルーム）place) for less than about Y120,000 per month (+ key money, + agency fee, + renewal fee, + a deposit it’s almost impossible to get returned - I had to resort to the law to get money back from previous landlord who tried to deduct Y1.4 mill out of a Y1.5 mill deposit; after a lengthy process, ending up in court in Kasumigaseki, I managed to to get about Y1.2 mill back).

If you’re talking about parts of Meguro or a place of only 20 sqm (which I would have a hard time describing as a ‘whole apartment’), I wouldn’t necessarily argue so much . . .

● Thanks for elaborating, Tony.

(Hiroo, JPY90,000 for monthly rent - if you do not include the cost of key money and miscellaneous “nonsensical” fees paid to the owner upfront just to thank him/her for letting you pay monthly rent to him/her and profit from your expense… Definitely possible, mate.)

My ex-colleague who got that apartment in Azabu Juban… Well, you are right, it is indeed a “one room” (ワンルーム) in Japanese terms. His apartment is indeed under 20sqm. No separate kitchen - the kitchen is that sort situated at the corridor leading to the room (廊下), but fortunately for him, the toilet is separated from the bathroom.

The original post from me was in comparison to Singapore. I get where you are coming from now - terms are used differently between both countries. For those who have lived/are living in Singapore, a Japanese ワンルーム is considered as an apartment (or if you wish to be very specific, perhaps a “studio apartment”). I now understand that you have a different definition for what an “apartment” entails (the Japanese definition and not the Singaporean definition I used in my post), which is your reason for consternation, but that is okay, mate. In Singapore, a rental of “one room” literally means “one bedroom” in a shared house (no, not exactly a “share-house” in Japanese terms once again, the Japanese always have a different definition for words in katakana, don’t they, despite those loan words sounding like their foreign counterpart), and that one, single bedroom costs USD800 in the central business district of Singapore. Forget about that room being 20sqm too, the rooms in Singapore are only slightly larger than those in Hong Kong due to land scarcity (and you would have mistakenly raged at Tokyo for having tiny rooms - wait till you see those in Singapore and Hong Kong). In contrast with the ワンルーム in Japan, which comes equipped with its own kitchen/counter kitchen, yard/tiny balcony and private bathroom with a tub in it, to what you get when you rent “one room” in Singapore, I have differentiated this by terming the ワンルーム in Japan as an apartment. Apologies for any confusion here, it is simply a different definition between two countries, and I used the definition more familiar to people of Singapore (it would be a bit tougher for those living in Singapore to understand what a “one room” means in Japan). Anyway, despite all the above, you definitely still get more bang for your buck when renting a “one room” in Japan, as compared to renting a “one room” in Singapore!

P.S. Sad to hear about your deposit issues, mate. Heard too many of such stories and legal wrangle between foreigners and Japanese landlords.

● That all makes sense, although I would still have a hard time considering a place of under 20sqm to really be anything other than a room! But the Japanese are very adept at squeezing all the essential stuff in very small areas. Having said that, I’m not quite sure why they think it so important to separate bathrooms and toilets, when other countries don’t (and even the most expensive hotels in the world don’t either . . . .).

The widespread non-refunding of deposits here (which most Japanese seem to expect) is a disgrace, especially combined with key money. Surely, part of the cost of owning and renting out a place is that you should build up a reserve to redecorate it at the end, if need be, not try to scam your tenant into paying. Key money does, in some cases, now appear to be negotiable, also the agency renewal fee can sometimes be negotiated down to half a month.

● No worries at all, Tony; I’m glad for your input and for the chance both of us had in our exchanges to clarify matters! 20sqm is scarily considered a privilege for most people renting in Singapore; it is indeed really difficult to imagine what it is like!

Yeah, renting a place in Japan as a foreigner definitely requires a separate topic of its own! I’ve had my share of unpleasant experiences, which most Japanese, when I relate such incidences to them, simply dismiss these as “ah, you wouldn’t understand because you are not Japanese”. It does reek of a scam on many occasions, and from what I know, it is usually the foreign tenants who (unfairly) run into such issues with the landlord. My suspicion is that this arises because the landlord tries to take advantage of the situation, where s/he deems that the foreigner will not dare to pursue legal means to settle disputes in Japan (for fear of jeopardising their visas, due to the cost, due to language barriers, etc.). I’ll even joke that dealing with the yakuzas would be an easier matter than trying to get your deposit back from a Japanese landlord! Hopefully, this discriminatory mentality would change in the future, but I seriously doubt it.

Nonetheless, despite the negative bits, I hope that you are having a great time in Japan.

Cheers mate.

● Which is better to live, Singapore or Japan?

Initial response (4th July 2018):

1. Cost of living

Property cost and the cost of private vehicle ownership in Singapore is simply crazy. As a foreigner, this translates to high rental costs in Singapore. In Tokyo, despite the population and impression people have of busy streets in large Japanese cities, rental of an apartment (a whole apartment) costs the equivalent of around US$800 if you live in the more popular areas like Azabu-Juban, Roppongi and Asakusa. In Singapore, rental of a room (yes, you read that right, only a room, not a whole apartment to yourself) in the central business district costs the same, and renting of an entire apartment is unlikely unless the homeowner has another property in Singapore (which is rare), or the homeowner is overseas. However, utility bills in Singapore are cheaper, and there is no need for heating as there is no winter in Singapore. In addition, eating out is very affordable in Singapore. It is probably the only place in the world where cooking for one person can be more expensive and wasteful than eating out! A decent meal in Singapore can cost as low as US$4, while in Japan, one of the cheapest meals (ramen) will be US$7. However, such “cheap” food is only available in Singapore when we do not take restaurants into consideration; “cheap” food is only found in what locals call the “hawker centres”, which are non air-conditioned, with lower hygiene standards. Interestingly, restaurants in Japan are generally cheaper than restaurants in Singapore as there is lower alcohol tax and no hidden mandatory service charge. Fruits and vegetables in Singapore are considerably cheap, given that Singapore imports from all over the world (largely from Malaysia, but South Africa, Korea, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Taiwan, USA and Japan feature heavily too), and Malaysia’s currency is three times lower than that of Singapore, which helps tremendously. Fruits and vegetables in Japan are of a very high quality, but highly overpriced as their farmers have immense pride in their produce, and this is reflected in the prices. A cantaloupe (rock melon) in Japan can set one back US$50 (though I’ll have to admit, the sweetness of it is unparalleled in this world). The cheapest fruit in Japan is the humble banana, imported from the Philippines. It is quite tough to find imported fruits and vegetables in Japan in the usual supermarkets aside from grapes and bananas.

2. Education (till pre-university)

If you have children/if you are a student, it is reassuring that both Singapore and Japan have high education standards. Singapore adopts a British education system, and is consistently rated among the top 5 in the world, while Japan’s education system is not too shabby either, rated consistently among the top 10. Singapore places a heavy emphasis on maths and sciences, given that those two disciplines are of the most practical use to the economy, while Japan has a more liberal education system when it comes to subjects and topics. Therefore, if your child is not attuned towards maths and sciences, an international school in Singapore is probably the best place to turn to. Both countries require extra-curricular activity, and there is the presence of external supplementary tuition classes in Singapore while there is the ubiquitous and infamous cram schools in Japan, so students in both countries are less able to explore their own interests and passion through their studies, and are somewhat forced to study to get good grades to advance. The classes in Singapore are pretty diverse, with classmates of different races and religions and nationalities (largely Asian though), while classes in Japan is all about cultural and racial homogeneity and conformance to Japanese customs. Students are increasingly made to speak up in Singapore and the curriculum is revised almost every few years, but in Japan, it is still highly traditional, and discipline levels are high and unyielding. A lot of money is visibly pumped into the education system in Singapore, since the country has no resources but children (and the abysmal birth rates is thus a concern), and the resources at the disposal of the education system in Singapore can be frankly embarrassing, which is, however, not a bad thing since most Japanese schools still come equipped with uncomfortable wooden tables and desks and chalkboards from decades ago (schools in Singapore are all required to use whiteboards to avoid chalk dust and most come with ergonomic chairs!). Bullying (イジメ) also remains a huge problem in Japan, unfortunately, and an Asian child who does not have a set of 2 Japanese parents will tend to be ostracised in school by the other Japanese children, especially if at least one parent is of Chinese or Korean descent.

Overall: Better in Singapore. Bullying can be nasty in Japan, leading to suicides.

3. Education (university)

Japan has a saying: 大学生は人生の夏休み. Loosely translated, it means that being a university student is the summer vacation of one’s life. University is the time to fall in love (if you haven’t already done so), talk to foreigners as much as you can (with all the exchange programmes available), socialise like no tomorrow with your seniors (先輩). Japanese students have studied very hard and attended cram school to get into famous universities of their choices, and it is now time to relax a little, since the brand name of universities are more important than the certificate you get, and it is almost impossible to fail to graduate from a university. I do know of Japanese who applied to unpopular courses (e.g., education studies) in top universities (e.g., Waseda) despite knowing that they will hate the course, as they need the brand name of the university on their resume (履歴書). It is fortunate that Japanese companies have an implicit understanding that fresh graduates learnt practically nothing in their undergraduate life (see Japanese saying above), and have their own training programmes as a result, else Japanese companies would be even less globally-competitive. Year 1 in university is to party, find love and rest, Year 2 is to do internships (Japanese internships are quite nonsensical though, generally, and the concept of internships is still somewhat new to Japan), Year 3 is to socialise with seniors (where one will understand what alcohol tolerance means), and Year 4 is to apply for jobs. Generally. The socialising part is very important for any Japanese, as their seniors can help to recommend them to certain companies when these Year 3s progress to Year 4. In Singapore, university life starts off with somewhat risque orientation camps with both sexes being made to have as much body contact with one another as legally possible (though this has been severely watered down in recent times due to complaints from parents), but it gets very tame and staid after that, and everybody seems to study all the time when the terms begins and to outdo one another in getting at least a Second Class Upper by the time of graduation, since salaries are tied to degree classifications, not merely the ranking of the university. Singaporean universities have pretty amazing exchange programmes and tie-ups with foreign universities, and their career services is supposedly not bad (though highly swamped with too many undergraduates as Singaporean universities have very high enrolment figures and too few career services staff).

Overall: If you want fun, go to Japan; if you want university to be an unofficial start to your career, go to Singapore.

4. Climate and topography

Overall: Japan, by a large margin.

5. Culture

If you are mistaken as Japanese and speak Japanese, great for you in Japan. You get greeted by your neighbours, by service staff, by practically everybody, even if you are in Tokyo (where large cities breed unfriendliness, supposedly). This is because of homogeneity - you feel a togetherness in spirit and a bond with your countrymen due to a similar culture, upbringing and thought. Once you are found out as a foreigner, that is when the smiles become less sincere, there is more hesitance in assisting you, as you become an outsider, an anomaly and an enigma to them. In Singapore, people are less friendly at the start, but they will gradually warm up to you if you make the first move of introducing yourself. It is thus pretty interesting, the contrast between the two countries. In Japan, they go from warm to cool, once they get to know you better, while in Singapore, they go from cool to warm, once they get to know you better. Foreigners make up 2% of the population in Japan while this figure is 40% in Singapore, though most come from Malaysia, Indonesia, China, India and the Philippines, so the mix isn’t as diverse as other world cities, like Melbourne or Toronto. Culturally, Singapore is diverse, with slangs, customs and habits brought to the little island from various corners of the world, and this is amazing. However, this used to be something unique, but is no longer so. Places like London, New York and Vancouver are globalised too, and in a funny twist of irony, globalisation is making diversity less unique. As a result, Japan seems to have a more impressive culture to me, as it is unique, from her tea ceremonies to bushido to calligraphy… Some of the Chinese may sneer at these, saying that a large bit of Japanese culture stemmed from imports and modifications of original Chinese culture, but I would beg to differ, and occasionally find the Japanese resistance to outside norms and trends endearing, as that preserved its culture. Rather regrettably, unique Singaporean culture has already been more-or-less eradicated by globalisation and modernisation. Skilled craftsmen upholding Japanese tradition still exist in large (albeit gradually decreasing) numbers in Japan, but are definitely dying out in Singapore, with its push towards modernisation by the government.

Overall: Japan, as the culture cannot be found elsewhere, unlike that of Singapore. Japan, too, for the history.

6. Work culture

This warrants a 1000 word essay or more, so I’ll make it brief here. Topics I would have liked to cover include treatment to foreigners, treatment of women, mandatory overtime (サービス残業), black companies (ブラック企業), sexual harrassment, etc., in Japan. This topic is indeed all of Japan’s shame. Wouldn’t bore you all for now with more reading required from me. Perhaps next time.

Overall: Singapore, by miles. Then multiply those miles by a few times again.

7. Safety

Both places are generally safe for children, women and the elderly. Women go running at 2am in Singapore with headphones on in empty parks (they seem to have no fear of any attackers/stalkers as their headphones tune out any approaching footfalls). Empty houses do not get broken into. People can live on the ground floor and not have their laundry stolen. Women totter home drunk in Japan and are fine despite all the dark alleys they have to enter on their way home. However, there are many stories of molestation and groping or “chikan” (痴漢) in Japan, from both Japanese women and foreign women, which I thankfully did not experience (I am male), so still do be careful, ladies.

Overall: Same. Not sure of how bad chikan is in Japan though as I am male, but both countries have tough laws and people conform to rules, largely.

Ok, will have to wrap this up for now despite my many other topics to share, such as taxes. There is no “better” place. It simply depends on what metrics you would like to use in your consideration over which is “better”.

Cheers.

Edit (7th Oct 2018):

I lived in both places as well. When you live in Tokyo, you feel the sophistication and the civility of a great society. You feel that you are ahead as Tokyo is a trendy world’s capital. The city has seven philharmonic orchestras + those who are regularly touring Japan. No comparaison with Singapore ‘culturally’ speaking. Singapore has its own charms. You find yourself in a modern and clean city if Southeast Asia. It is a multicultural society with English as a common language. This is a big advantage for English speaking foreigners, over those living in Tokyo. Entertainment is Singapore is limited as shopping, eating and gambling are the most common activities. Many efforts have been made to make the city more attractive for tourists. In fact, Singapore foreign residents get often bored - so, they travel abroad to Bangkok, KL, Bali and Ho Ching Minh. Everywhere else in the region is cheaper that in Singapore. As for Japan, anywhere you go in the country, it’s expensive (hotel, food and Japan Railways). In conclusion, Tokyo is a great metropolis offering a variety of services and activities. It has its own culture and history and food is delicious. Singapore offers the charms of Southeast Asia. It is more relaxed, the hawker centers offer tasty, fresh and inexpensive food — as you’ll find a diversity of cuisine in Singapore. Going to restaurants could be expensive as it targets upmarket tourists and people attending conventions. Living in both places is a great experience as you can appreciate different lifestyles. Both cities are influenced by European culture at different levels. A better comparison would be between Singapore and Hong Kong, and Shanghai with Tokyo.

Hello Marc! Great to see another person who have lived in both countries!

You are right, Singapore is similar to a big industrial park, where citizens are worker bees.

In addition, the education is biased towards math and science, plus the mentality that arts, literature,… can not bring them money, wealth, plus the materialistic culture. All of those things contribute to the lack of entertainment in Singapore.

Great answer. Would love to read your detailed answer on Japanese work culture.

Thank you for the upvote, Dhananjay! I'll try to write a follow-up with regard to the work culture in both countries shortly, as well as any other topics anyone may be concerned with or interested in! Currently thinking of topics like work culture, entertainment, arts and taxes in both countries and how they are similar or different.

Nice summary.

I would add to “work culture” that this can be mitigated here in Japan if one works (like I do) for a foreign-owned company (外資系) or a “young company” (post start-up phase), if not, yes, this can be quite tough…

For culture, there is also “available cultural activities” for which Tokyo is also better than Singapore (but obviously most other Japan cities would rank below Singapore).

That being said, both Tokyo and Singapore are great cities to live in!

Thank you, Alain! That's very kind of you.

I wanted a full "Japanese" experience while in Japan (the entire foolish "doing what Romans do in Rome" thing), thus I directly competed with the Japanese for jobs in Japanese companies and did all my job applications and interviews in Japanese, rather than applying to foreign companies, English Language Schools or Embassies. I didn't even attempt to apply to Japanese companies that are known to be noticeably "friendly" to foreigners (such as the e-commerce giant starting with "R") just to see how working in Japan truly is for the average Japanese, and for foreigners who ended up in those companies and are unable to use the "gaijin" card for special privileges. I was usually the only foreigner in the team.

It's cool that we share the same opinion on this!

I would take the food in Singapore any day. And the cultural diversity so tops Japan, that I don’t see how you could rate Japan and culture higher. Much of that ‘culture’ is really just theatrics staged for tourists anyway, so you don’t need to live here to enjoy it. Indeed, if you live here, you pretty soon get tired of it.

Hello Charles! Apologies for the late response; seems that Quora failed to notify me of some of the comments.

Yes, South East Asian cuisine is wonderful. I can tolerate spices used in practically every meal in South East Asia, thus it is always a treat to eat out inexpensively in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Food in Japan is delicious and meticulously prepared (kudos to the chefs who take immense pride in their craft), but it is indeed pretty bland to me if you compare it to South East Asian food. For example, Japanese curry is sweet rather than spicy, and that is absolutely appalling to my tastebuds! I once ordered a “Level 10” spiciness for my curry in Japan, and the waiter taking my order nearly fainted. He then told me that “Level 10” was the spiciest, not the most mild, as if I was the one who didn’t understand Japanese between the two of us. That assumption (that I am foreign, thus I don’t understand Japanese) stung more than the “Level 10” curry eventually did.

No, peranakan foods are not disappearing, there are still places serving them, esp around Joo Chiat area, which used to be a peranakan enclave in the past. I personally love peranakan food despite not being a straits Chinese myself.

Of course if we dig further into our early history, we have the presence of Arab merchants, the Portuguese etc and etc.

Thanks for your reply, Cynthia!

I was referring to the Peranakan culture, not cuisine. Food does immediately come to anyone’s mind when speaking about culture, but I was referring to the unfortunate overall decline of the entire Peranakan culture as an example. For instance, most people only think about Peranakan food when speaking about preservation of the Peranakan culture, but I was also referring to other facets, such as Peranakan crafts and languages (if these do not register at all, that does indicate that people have indeed forgotten). Most people in Singapore are also only aware of the Chinese Peranakan culture and this is almost synonymous with the word “Peranakan” in Singapore, even though the Peranakans include many other races and is way more diverse than that.

Most of the food supply in Japan is based on importing huge amounts of GM corn and GM soy. There are certain things they do really well—fresh seafoof, but a lot of it comes at a huge expense of oceanic fish stocks worldwide since estuarties and local waters have long been wiped out.

If a 10 years kid would go to live there their feedback would be the same, congrats!

I'd disagree with two points here.

Hello Danny. Fantastic input there and everyone is welcome to have a different opinion here, with regard to any of my points. Everyone has a different experience, thus there will be a variety of opinions on any given topic, and that is only fair.

Josh,

I definitely think you could be right that things were worse for mixed race kids in the past than now. I was really surprised by this article a few years back

One in 29 babies in 2014 had at least one non-Japanese parent | The Japan Times

I would think increasing numbers of mixed race kids in school is having a positive effect on their acceptance.

As to bring accepted myself, the one place I did feel very “other” was working in schools. I work in university now where Japanese and non-Japanese staff seem to be treated the same, but the cannot be said for the high school I worked in before. But outside of work, I've always felt very accepted by friends, neighbors, my girlfriend's family etc.

I’ll definitely look forward to the day when Japanese society and schools treat children who have one or two foreign parent equally!

“Whole” apartment in Azabu Juban for Yen86,000/month?? The cheapest I could find (for a place of only 22 sqm) was Yen 130,500 (plus Yen 120,000 ‘key money’, which is just a non-returnable gift to the owner). It may be a “whole” apartment, but it’s tiny and way over Yen 86,000.

You can see other examples here (most of which are much more expensive):

Foreigner-Friendly Apartments for Rent in Minato

Hey there, Tony! Yes, it is definitely possible to get an apartment for JPY90,000/mth in the Ebisu/Azabu/Meguro area, it is not an exaggeration. True, I did not include “key money” or guarantors’ deposit, etc., all of the possible nonsense present in Japan, you will need to negotiate that bit yourself (I managed to successfully negotiate away the key money somehow along with my agent, never give up)! Such apartments will not be listed in sites that are friendly to or catering to foreigners. Don’t go to gaijinpot, Leopalace, etc. You need to go to those typical Japanese property agents (不動産) that service only Japanese-speaking clientele to get the best deals, where the entire office will go into shocked silence when a foreigner appears at their doorstep, and use a ton of Japanese to negotiate. Renting an apartment in Japan would be a topic I could write an entire essay on too! Countless times I have endured having the property agent call up the owner of the apartment, who then refuse to loan out his/her apartment (which is not earning any money for the owner, by the way, sitting there empty) once s/he heard that I am not Japanese. Also, try to get apartments only in May or November if you can. Virtually all company orientations for new graduate hires take place in April (major) and October (minor). For the apartments that are still unoccupied by then, home owners will be more willing to rent them out to foreigners, rather than letting the house sit empty for 6 months or a year. There are many little tips and tricks to everything. On a personal note, I dislike renting from women homeowners. They are usually a lot more fussy and obsessive-compulsive. They can be highly rude too even though their language used is flowery and polite on the surface. Male homeowners are easier to deal with to me; however, they seem more discriminatory towards foreigners when it comes to the immediate phone call rejection bit I spoke of earlier. Well, that’s just my experience. Hope you’ll find your dream place!

Josh, sorry but you’re moving the goalposts. I was talking specifically about your claim that you can get a ‘whole’ apartment (and I would have said that means something of at the very least 25 sqm, including bathroom and kitchen) in Azabu Juban (not Meguro) for Y88,300 (at today’s exchange rate). I would be absolutely astonished if you could find a place like that.

If you’re talking about parts of Meguro or a place of only 20 sqm (which I would have a hard time describing as a ‘whole apartment’), I wouldn’t necessarily argue so much . . .

Thanks for elaborating, Tony.

P.S. Sad to hear about your deposit issues, mate. Heard too many of such stories and legal wrangle between foreigners and Japanese landlords.

That all makes sense, although I would still have a hard time considering a place of under 20sqm to really be anything other than a room! But the Japanese are very adept at squeezing all the essential stuff in very small areas. Having said that, I’m not quite sure why they think it so important to separate bathrooms and toilets, when other countries don’t (and even the most expensive hotels in the world don’t either . . . .).

No worries at all, Tony; I’m glad for your input and for the chance both of us had in our exchanges to clarify matters! 20sqm is scarily considered a privilege for most people renting in Singapore; it is indeed really difficult to imagine what it is like!

Nonetheless, despite the negative bits, I hope that you are having a great time in Japan.

Cheers mate.

Josh,

You are entirely correct. My son, worked for an American military operation and the rent was covered by the government. The landlords almost doubled the rent when they discovered the government was paying. When he learned the language, made Japanese friends and had the friends negotiate for him, the rent was cut in half. He left Japan after 7 years so he never had the chance to negotiate for himself, but his friends told him their rents and he visited their places of residence. Extreme differences.

I'm not sure about the cultural issues you discuss as he found the Japanese people his age very warm and inviting. We are from the US. If you go out with them all the people you interact with are open and friendly also. He was almost fluentin the language when he left and married a Japanese young lady. They practice language of both their backgrounds with each other. Their new son will be fluent in both languages. They hope to return to Japan for his high school years.

Even as a father, at 68 I had no issues getting around or with communication as the Olympics will be in Tokyo in 2020 and there is a huge push for Tokyo and the surrounding areas to learn English. Even the trains have English signages posted for stops, directions, etc.

I only visited Singapore once, so my preference of Japan is prejudiced. I love Japan for its safety, culture, food, architecture, festivals as you define. Japan is my favorite country in the world and I am a travel blogger.

● Hello Mike! Those landlords your son encountered were devious indeed. The practice of discriminatory pricing is indeed commonplace, unfortunately, when it comes to renting out of apartments to foreigners. I always had to negotiate deals on my own (which took weeks!), aside from my very first rental, which was negotiated on my behalf by my very-pleasant-but-no-nonsense HR lady, who is Japanese but lived in Canada for 10 years (she studied in a Canadian university and stayed on for 6 more years). That experience was eye-opening and left me in awe; as much as I got pretty disgusted by the way things were in Tokyo with regard to property renting, I guess I picked up some negotiating skills from her, and got to know that negotiation was a necessary evil as a foreign tenant!

Your son might not have experienced cold and aloof Japanese as he was working for a foreign operation (you mentioned that he was working for an American military operation). My experience differed, as I was competing with Japanese graduates for jobs in Japanese companies, and subsequently, competing with Japanese co-workers for promotions within those Japanese companies. Even in “metropolitan” Tokyo, foreigners usually comprise only around 5% of employees in those companies. As I was doing relatively well in the company and getting noticed by one or two Directors in the top management, I became an anomaly to what the Japanese believed in (that foreigners are simply unable to survive the Japanese working culture), and was thus viewed as a threat to their promotions. The working conditions deteriorated sharply after that. When I entered those Japanese companies, I was always viewed as an exotic species as I am foreign, and when the co-workers realised belatedly that I have no issues with Japanese and can assume my roles well, I became a threat to them. It would have been a slap in the face to my male Japanese co-workers if a foreigner were promoted before they were! There were a handful of exceptions, naturally, and I happily made these exceptions my friends. This sort of xenophobic mentality is fortunately not generally present in other global cities like New York and Singapore, where people are promoted based on merit, not nationality.

Congratulations to your son on a cross-cultural marriage! I’m a huge fan of that. In fact, I do have mixed ancestry too. The borders of the world are getting increasingly blurred due to globalisation, and it is worth rejoicing. Just a little side note - Japanese schoolchildren may not be too welcoming to classmates who did not grow up in Japan. This is well documented through anecdotes with my foreign and Japanese friends. I hope this would not happen to your grandson, but it is still something worth noting and preparing for.

Yes, I can definitely understand why Japan is your favourite country in the world. It is wonderful that you have a daughter-in-law who hails from that country!

● Currently trying to secure an apartment in Hamamatsucho, and I would LOVE to hear any additional tips you might have on renting places that won’t accept 外国人; Gaikoku hito (foreigner). The perfect apartment which I want has 3 vacant rooms in a building of 12 rooms, and those rooms have been available for weeks now. I’ve had 2 Japanese real estate companies and 2 foreigner friendly companies call the owner and they said they don’t allow foreigners. That was 2 weeks ago and the rooms are still available. Should I try again?

● Hello Jan! I commiserate with your plight indeed.

It is rather unfortunate, but I am pretty certain that the owners are adamant about not renting to foreigners. It is not that uncommon in Japan to face this manner of discrimination. The owners will be happier earning zero income than let the place be rented out to you. No harm trying again and again, but based on my experience, such displays of sincerity will not succeed in making them budge, since you hold the “wrong” passport. You can negotiate away key money, reduce your deposit, etc., if you can plead well in Japanese, but if they do not even accept your rent money, there is no space to negotiate at all. (I have never tried offering more rent money than what the owners advertised though! I always got ticked off over such blatant racism and went off in a huff to find somewhere else. However, I am pretty sure that the Japanese will feel offended if you tried to offer more money.) You can keep trying, but my honest suggestion will be for you to take your business elsewhere and find another place, hopefully a way better one.

Alternatively, if you have a Japanese spouse or relative (in Japan), you will find that everything suddenly works out. However, I guess this isn’t an option for you either since I am pretty sure that you would have figured this out on your own!

● Thanks for your reply!! Yeah I have a Japanese fiancée, but that hasn’t helped since her job is up in Sapporo. She was shocked though when I suggested offering more for rent, saying “we don’t do that here” hahaha 😆

● No problem, Jan!

I cannot predict the future and say that the following would work, but this may stand a little chance of success: Your fiancée might be able to help if she were to drop by Tokyo for a couple of days and appeared next to you at the offices of those housing agents, and if the rental is done in both of your names. Of course, this only works if the place you are eyeing is not a tiny “one-room” or studio apartment obviously meant for only one dweller. I think the home owners may grudgingly accept you as a result (and your fiancée can return to Sapporo after that). This case will be helped to a greater extent if both of you are already legally married to each other. However, do note that I have never tried the above myself! What I did experience was my Human Resource manager, a sympathetic Japanese lady who spent 10 years of her life abroad, helping me to negotiate away some of the deposits when I rented in Japan for the very first time, fresh off the plane. Without her help, I wouldn’t have known that this was possible, and wouldn’t have thought to do so for my future rentals! Having a Japanese with you in the office of the housing agents may thus be helpful.

Yes, as mentioned, I doubt that offering more money would work! This is because the owners are happier earning zero income than renting the place to you, as stated in my previous response. My apologies if I somehow indirectly instigated you to give your fiancée a shock!

● Tend to agree with most things but food in Singapore is much more expensive. So will add more information on that below:

Yes, it is possible to get a meal for 4 bucks but it has a very low nutrition content (and better don't look at their kitchen). It also might be not for everyones taste as for 4 bucks you get only local hawker food.

Average lunch in CBD is SGD 8 to 20 be it European food, just healthy /clean takeaway salad, some basic dimsum or Japanese ramen.

Indeee, cooking at home maybe even more expensive especially if you shop at most high end supermarkets (think of buying a good steak meat or a duck) but a good meal for two with wholefoods, good proteins and high nutrition ingridiends (without involving meat) that tastes good and keeps your belly full for a few houts can be done for as low as 10 bucks.

A bit depends on personal preferences and health consciousness. Food in Singapore can be very expensive but also quite cheap.

● If you expect a full European meal in Singapore, it is guranteed to be considerably more expensive. CBDAA (Central Business District 'A' Areas)prices are also much higher than in the heartlands, so it’s highly recomended to get meals in the heartlands instead.

Also, hawker centre food actually tends to have pretty good nutrition content (depending on the type of food - the food choices are very diverse and although some food options are unhealthy, there are many more choices that are very healthy). The NEA (National Environment Agency) has also encouraged healthy eating in recent years, meaning that meals are even more nutritious now.

In addition, I should add that the NEA has very strict hygiene guidelines. As “common” and “low-class” as hawker centres may appear, a very high hygienic standard must be maintained in the preparation of the food to pass the food hygienic guidelines. A messy kitchen does not equal an unhygienic kitchen.

( ** Currently, all food retail establishments are graded either ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ or ‘D’ based on an annual snapshot assessment of the premises’ hygiene standards that is conducted independently of the regular inspection regime. Under the new Scheme, operators which maintain a consistent track record in our regular inspections with no major hygiene lapses for at least 2, 5 or 10 years will be given a Bronze, Silver or Gold award decal respectively. Details here )

● Thank you for your input, Hua En.

Yes, it is usual for the Central/Downtown district of any city to be more expensive when it comes to food and rent. A meal in Manhattan is usually up to twice the price of a similar meal in Queens, a borough 30 minutes away from Manhattan by train, unless you are purchasing from franchised food chains. I will, however, have to politely disagree that a push towards healthy eating is entirely equivalent to having adequate nutrition. One can cut down on salt and fat in one’s diet but still be lacking in nutrition. For example, one who consumes a bland sweet potato porridge for every meal lacks a great deal of nutrition even though consuming that porridge can be considered as healthy eating, with little salt and fat content.

I accept that the hawkers in Singapore face strict hygiene guidelines, given that practically everything in Singapore is regulated. I also understand how fiercely proud the locals are of the ubiquitous hawker centres here and will fight tooth-and-nail to defend them and the hawker culture here. I love the hawker centres myself, as a fan of street food. Still, beyond rose-tinted glasses, it is actually common for food poisoning to occur, even among the locals, and this should not be happening at all. Those cases which get reported in the local press are largely limited to mass-poisoning cases. My Singaporean colleagues do get food poisoning around once or twice a year on average, ranging from the mild to the serious, and everyone simply shrugs these episodes off with comments like “Well, it is hawker food, what would you expect? If you want to avoid food poisoning, pay more to dine at the restaurants.” A somewhat nonchalant response to me, who believe that as someone whose profession is to earn a living through the sale of cooked food, hawkers should be entirely responsible for food hygiene and be well versed in proper food preparation practices. As mentioned, I frequent hawker centres too, and have found anything ranging from flies (and a bee on one occasion), housefly eggs, cockroaches, caterpillars, snails, plastic wrappings and an assortment of human hair in my food. It is also very common for hawkers to cook without putting on gloves after handling money or handling money while having gloves on, while hairnets, masks and aprons are never seen due to the tropical heat. I wouldn’t wish to compare between countries, but this simply boils down to culture - the locals are perfectly happy with and immune to such arrangements (that is perfectly fine). In Europe and Japan, however, the locals will definitely freak out if they find even an eyelash in their food, even from “cheap” pushcart stalls.

● That is a fascinating outlook on hawker centre food. I have to say that I have not encountered such low hygene standards coming from hawker centre food, and I too would freak out at such occurences. It’s not just europeans who freak out! Out of curiosity, which hawker centres does this occur in? I have not gotten food poisoning from hawker centre food for years, and all the hawker centres near my home certainly do not put flies, bees, eggs or cockroaches in my food. I would turn up such food with disgust! (I’m one of those people who freak out if I find even an eyelash in my food too). Not to mention getting food poisoning twice a year is unheard of where I live. I have not heard of any of my friends getting food poisoning from hawker centre food for a long time.

Anyway, not all hawker centres are made equal. The ones in the malls, called “food courts”, are the cleaner versions of hawker centres that do not serve such atrocities. The neighbourhood hawker centres can sometimes fall victim to less hygenic practices - although I have to be thankful that my local estate does not have this problem and the kind stall owners have given me nothing but good health over the years.

I do agree that the healthy movement needs more effort. As much as NEA puts in the effort to make food healthy, we still have a way to go before all options are healthy. As of the moment though, there are already “healthy options” avaliable in many stalls. I tend to make sure I eat those, avoiding the certainly “unhealthy” (or less nutritous) options like the sweet potato porridge you mention. (Thankfully the hawker centres near my home serve alternative, much nicer, porridge dishes too).

● Sweet potato porridge is normally not eaten on its own but accompanied by dishes - can be vegetables, fish, chicken or other meat dishes. Singaporeans are generally financially better off than just having only sweet potato porridge and nothing else!

I agree that nowadays, the hawker centres are generally with better hygiene compared to say ten years ago or earlier. The newer ones especially are cleaner, more airy and I do notice that some hawkers are younger and no longer using bare hands to handle raw food before cooking. And, more and more cashless payments too even at hawker centre.

Food courts are air conditioned, so food sold there are generally more expensive compared to hawker centres but not necessarily taste better. There are also coffee shops (not the Western style coffee houses), which also sell food (can be local or western food) and drinks/beverages (hot drinks are mainly coffee and tea and milo). I personally feel that some coffee shops in older housing estates are lacking in hygiene, the newer ones tend to be cleaner.

** 2023, few occasions, rats were photographed in food courts, too.

●Wednesday, 29 Nov 2023

SINGAPORE, Nov 29 — Tangs Market food court along Orchard Road and some of its vendors will face enforcement action after the authorities found rat infestation in the ceiling areas of its premises as well as hygiene lapses at food stalls.

This came after a video, which shows a rat lying on a tray at the food court, was posted on a Facebook page called Singapore Laughs on Monday and circulated online.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said earlier that it was investigating the incident.

In a joint statement last night, the National Environmental Agency (NEA) and SFA said that officers from both agencies conducted two rounds of joint inspection at the food court upon learning of the incident.

The officers inspected takeaway food shops as well as common areas and ceilings for signs of pest and rat infestation.

“NEA will be taking enforcement action against the building management for rat infestation at the ceiling areas. SFA will also be taking enforcement action against five food shops found with hygiene lapses,” they added.

“SFA and NEA will continue to monitor the effectiveness of measures taken by the parties involved to safeguard food safety and eradicate the rodent issue.”

Tangs Market is a food court brand under Fei Siong Group and is located at the basement level of Tangs department store.

TODAY has sought comments from Tangs Singapore and Fei Siong Group.

NEA and SFA said that while the authorities put in place and enforce regulatory measures, operators and premise owners must play their part as well.

“Food safety and vector control is a joint responsibility.” — TODAY

See photos here

● Thanks for your input, Nik.

Definite and absolute agreement with everything you mentioned. If you are fine with Asian street food (e.g., those of Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, etc.), where you literally order from a push cart with a stove, pull up a cheap plastic chair and wait for your food to be served to you on a rickety folding table placed under a tree next to a fairly busy road, hygiene standards in hawker centres in Singapore will largely not be an issue. If you are used to dining options more commonly found outside Asia, and can afford such options in Singapore, then these options are also plentiful, just like in any other city. I have expat friends who have never stepped into a hawker centre, and who will never agree to, and I can fully understand where they are coming from. I, too, recall having street food in Taiwan and ended up having the runs - when such occurrences happen, it is nasty indeed!

Agreed on the nutrition content bit you commented on as well; the hawker food in Singapore is usually a little lacking if you are used to main courses of meat paired with side courses of salads, soup and starches with a little alcohol to complement, but it seems the Asians fare pretty well with that type of fare commonly found in hawker centres. That may be the secret to why most Asians are considerably slim!

● Comparing the hygene standards of street food in other parts of SEA to Singapore’s hawker centres is an insult to the strict hygene standards stall owners need to adhere to to sell food. As rudimentary and unhygenic hawker centres may appear, they still follow the same hygene standards set for more sophisticated locations like restaurants and hotels. Most hawker centre food in Singapore is hygenic at the very least, and it shows by how ubitiquous and popular hawker centres are in Singapore and the constantly low rate of food poisoning.

What you are correct on though is the perception of Singapore’s hawker centre food. Despite the high food safety standards, it certainly appears from the outside that the hawker centre food is just like typical street food, which may deter those who are used to dining in a typical establishment from ever setting foot in a hawker centre, fearing for the safety standards of places that look so rudimentary. (As much as I feel sorry for those who miss out on the brilliant hawker centre food, I am thankful they don’t add to the already long queues!)

■ World Scientific

Browse the 2024 Asian

Leaders of Singapore

https://doi.org/10.1142/9768 | July 2015

Pages: 336

By (author): Melanie Chew

Description:

Singapore is a unique city-state, an economic miracle, a political phenomenon. Many marvel at her very existence. How did Singapore survive? Who built this country? What is the secret of her success?

Leaders of Singapore is a fascinating account of the history and development of Singapore from 1945 to 1995, narrated in personal, forthright terms by her most prominent citizens. In a series of remarkable and revealing interviews, Singapore's most famous, most powerful and wealthiest men and women reveal the mysteries and intrigues of the past, describe the triumphs and tragedies which shaped their lives, and share their strategies for success and achievement.

This is a pioneering work. It goes beyond any other work in exploring and explaining, through the voices of her people, the source of Singapore's achievements: the Leaders of Singapore and their relentless, uncompromising and often brutal fight for survival.

Prominent personalities in LEADERS OF SINGAPORE include the founders of the People's Action Party: Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee, Toh Chin Chye and S Rajaratnam, Lim Chin Siong, David Marshall, Devan Nair and Ong Pang Boon, who gathered in Lee Kuan Yew's smoke-filled Oxley Road basement ** , plotting revolution. [** read here more details with ohitos] They appear side-by-side with the original billionaires Lee Kong Chian, Tan Lark Sye, Tan Siak Kew, Runme Shaw, CK Tang, Ko Teck Kin, Kwek Hong Png, Ng Teng Fong, YC Chang, Tan Chin Tuan and Wee Cho Yaw. and a generation of nation-builders, activists, and artists who braved the initial shock of independence in 1966, and worked to ensure that Singapore survived, thrived, and prospered. Singapore's sages — men like Lim Kim San, Michael Wong Pakshong, Wee Chong Jin, Lim Chong Yah, Arthur Lim and Liu Kang — describe their challenges, failures and successes, and share nuggets of wisdom on survival, success, and life.

Contents:

Leaders of Singapore

Brave New World 1945–1955:

○Tan Lark Sye

○Lee Kong Chian

○Ko Teck Kin

○Parkcane C Hwang

○Tan Siak Kew

○Runme Shaw

○Tang Choon Keng

○Rajabali Jumabhoy

○David Marshall

The Struggle for Singapore 1955–1965:

○Toh Chin Chye

○C V Devan Nair

○Lim Chin Siong

○Lee Siew Choh

Creating a Nation 1965–1975:

○Lee Kuan Yew

○Goh Keng Swee

○S Rajaratnam

○Lim Kim San

○Ong Pang Boon

○Yusof Ishak

○Wee Chong Jin

○Tan Boon Teik

○Lim Chong Yah

○Winston Choo

●Global City 1975–1985:

○Tan Chin Tuan

○Wee Cho Yaw

○Ng Teng Fong

○Kwek Hong Png

○Michael Fam

○Michael Wong Pakshong

○Chang Yun Chung

○Alfred Wong

○Ng Cheong Ling

○Arthur S M Lim

○S Shan Ratnam

○Choo Hoey

○Liu Kang

○Lee Seok Tin

○Syed Isa bin Semait

●Thoughts on Retirement 1985–1995

○Endnotes

○Bibliography

○Indices

○Glossary

A distinguished economist, who knows all three PMs, had launched an autobiography that revealed much about politics and academia in Singapore.

You will be interested to know more about his life even if you are not interested in economics.

Lim Chong Yah -- a name that many Singaporeans would have heard if they studied economics for their GCE "A" levels examinations.

Afterall, Lim, 84, is the author of two significant economic textbooks -- Elements of Economic Theory and Economic Structure and Organisation -- which are into their third editions and many reprints.

Lim's accomplishments as an academic do not just end here, as he holds the rare distinction of being professor emeritus at both the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

His would have been a life well-lived even if he did not venture out from his ivory tower.

However, this economist is not a typical academic.

Like many founding fathers of Singapore, Lim has also devoted his life to public service.

In 1972, he was asked to chair a newly formed National Wages Council (NWC), an institution that he went on to serve for 29 years. The NWC is made up of representatives from the government, employers' association and trade unions and they deal with issues related to wages and wage policy.

Between 1973 to 1991, Lim was president of the Economic Society of Singapore (ESS). He was also a member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights (PCMR) for 20 years from 1992 to 2012.

Such a distinguished life is worthy of a rich autobiography, which the octogenarian duly rewarded us at a book launch (“Lim Chong Yah: An Autobiography, Life Journey of a Singaporean Professor”) on Jan. 21.

Below are 8 personal snippets from one of the most consequential economist in Singapore, who is incidentally the father-in-law of a member of the Lee family:

1. On his eldest daughter, Suet Fern, a prominent lawyer, who is now the managing partner of Morgan Lewis Stamford in Singapore:

"Fern's academic talents showed at an early age...[she] studied law at the University of Cambridge, completing her degree with a double first, and scooping up most of the prizes for law students.

It was in Cambridge that she was very thick with Lee Hsien Yang whom she came to know when they were both studying in Singapore's National Junior College (NJC). Yang was a year her senior.

I was told during her final examination, he would queue up for her in the snow for the exam room to open, an episode that showed they were in a serious relationship.

Lim is the father to two daughters -- Suet Fern and Suet Lynn -- and two sons -- Suet Wun and Suet Ron.

2. On the late Mrs Lee Kuan Yew:

"We discussed about arrangements for the marriage (between Suet Fern and Hsien Yang). I only insisted that they had to be married in church -- Barker Road Methodist Church. She agreed...

Whenever there was a call from Mrs Lee to me or my wife, she always referred to her husband as Harry or Kuan Yew. We tried not to use these terms...We always refer to Yang's mother as Mrs Lee, not Geok Choo, in part because they were about 10 years older than we were."

3. On the late Lee Kuan Yew's personal touch when he became PM:

"He (Lee Kuan Yew) visited every ministry to get to grips with what it was doing. When he came to our ministry, we briefed him on our work. He spent time talking to us...

It was a shrewd move on the part of the Prime Minister then to visit the Civil Service as he wanted to direct the machinery that would be implementing government policy to ensure an effective government".

Lim had joined the Singapore administrative service, where his posts included assistant financial secretary and second assistant economic adviser.

4. On coaching Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong before his 'A'- levels:

"I was given the honour, at the request of his mother, Mrs Lee Kuan Yew, of coaching him in Economics for his A-level examination...

He was hard-working and brillant. He completed all his essay assignments in good time reading all the materials given to him. His mother later wrote me a personal note thanking me very much for the help in coaching her son."

5. On meeting a young Goh Chok Tong, who was contemplating a life in academia:

"It was 1960 when I first met him (Goh) at the Goodwood Park Hotel where he had been presenting a paper on Singapore to the Lester Pearson Commission that had been appointed by the World Bank to deal with aid and global development...

Goh confided in me when we met in the hotel car park that he wished to continue with doctoral studies with the view of becoming an academic. He even had a topic which he discussed with me."

6. On meeting a young Tharman Shanmugaratnam just back from his studies in UK:

"It was in the 1980s when he first came to see me in my office. He said, "My father told me to do so". He (Tharman) had just returned from the University of Cambridge where he was awarded a Master's degree in economics...

I looked at his results and said, 'I see you are a brilliant scholar but my first duty is to send you to an Ivy League university in the US to get your PhD. You will be able to go under the senior tutorship scheme on full pay and on a scholarship but it will take four to five years to complete a PhD programme.'

The thought of having to spend another four to five years to obtain a doctorate just to come under the tutorship scheme came as a shock to him. He said he would think about the proposal but he did not pursue it."

7. On his first meeting with Goh Keng Swee when he was a civil servant:

"One day soon after his appointment, I received a call from Dr Goh to go to his office to discuss some important matters. The direct call was rather unusual, as I was quite junior...

Dr Goh said that the purpose of the meeting was to brainstorm and explore other lines of action other than industralisation to develop Singapore's economy...

I remember mentioning the possibility of developing tourism. He laughed, "Do you know who would come here? Drunken sailors! We have instability, disorder, poverty, who would come?"

8. And finally on his wife, See Nah Nah, whom he married sixty years ago (May 1957):

"She loved poems while I loved composing them, so I took the opportunity to pen some verses to woo her. I still remember the first poem I wrote for her...

And being an economist, I could not resist introducing economic jargon in one particular later poem:

My love for you multiplies

As the days go by

My love for you is the multiplicand

And yours the multiplier

And let the multiplier and the multiplicand roll into one

To produce a new product

Closer to the Divine"

Such an eventful life is without some controversies, so here are two top picks of the lot:

1. Report on CPF withdrawal age

In 1986, Lim set up a CPF study group report to analyse the CPF withdrawal age. This was after the adverse public reaction to the government's suggestion in 1984 to increase the age for CPF withdrawal from 55 to 60 years old.

Lim speculated three possible reasons that made the report controversial then -- the report proposed:

1) that the CPF withdrawal age should remain at age 55;

2) for the institution of an insurance policy for catastrophic illnesses; and

3) the implementation of a CPF minimum sum scheme.

He recalled in his autobiography,

"[W]hen the report was ready, we were told not to publish it. This went against academic thinking and practice as traditionally academics are expected to make public their research work...

A reporter from The Straits Times somehow got hold of our report and it was serialised in the newspaper, making almost daily headline news.

I asked the Minister, since it was already made public, perhaps our department could publish the report but he referred me to another Minister who then referred me to yet another...I took matters into my own hands and published the report as a special issue of the Singapore Economic Review...

To my astonishment, I heard through the grapevine that then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew told the members of his Cabinet to read the issue as 'there were a lot of good ideas in the report'.

So from something that was considered unpublishable and problematic, the report had made it to the 'must read' list for Cabinet Ministers..."

2. An advocate for wage "shock therapy"

In 2012, Lim called for a "shock therapy" to raise wages for the very low-income workers, while proposing an across-the-board voluntary three-year wage freeze for top executives earning more than $1 million a year. That was what he shared five years later:

"The reaction of some of our government political leaders and top trade unionists was very negative. However, it generated a great deal of positive support from the public particularly on social media.

Eventually, our political leadership had second thoughts on the matter. They soon also expressed concern over the phenomenon of the deterioration of income inequality".

Do not dismiss the hardcover book as yet another boring economic textbook.

Source: World Scientific.Source: World Scientific.

As probably the best salesman for his own book, Lim told his audience at the book launch that "one should not judge a book by its cover".

He added that the "autobiography is event-oriented and episode-oriented" and highlight six interesting episodes -- initiating his first successful strike for instance -- to whet their appetites.

And if you are still wondering whether to get the book, all proceeds from the books' royalties will be given to the NTU Professor Lim Chong Yah Bursary Fund, which have benefited 111 NTU undergraduates from less privileged backgrounds.

Eminent S'pore economist Lim Chong Yah dies at age 91. He died on Saturday morning ; (born in 1932, Malacca, Malaysia–died on 8th July 2023, Republic of Singapore)

RIP. Read more here

● Yes, a good or decent meal can cost above S$10 at hawkers’ centres. That meal consists of nice glass of fruit juices without ice ($4), good nice portion of fish/chicken meat with 2 vegetables such as broccoli and spinach ($6–8). Today, Singapore hawker’s food are no longer cheap. More GST increased, more expensive hawker cooked food .

● From what I gather the big advantages of Singapore is the work culture while in Japan its the unique and amazing culture. Sounds like a though choice but id take Japan because I think I'd find it less boring Singapore has too many malls and people say it's a bit boring because of that.

● This is indeed a sentiment shared by many other people! However, as I have indicated, it does really depend on your situation; whether you are a student or working professional, which country you came from, etc. An American may be more privileged in the workplace and can leave work on time while his/her Asian counterpart has to slave away in the office with other Japanese co-workers till midnight, while the same American may find that homeowners are highly reluctant to rent their apartments to him/her because Westerners are thought to be inconsiderate folks who have no idea how to separate their rubbish and are all drunken louts by 7pm in the evening, whereas his/her Asian co-worker has fewer problems finding a cheap place to rent. Such misconceptions and discrimination are pretty rampant.

● In SG ( SinGapore), we got caning punishment which is not in Japan ! So nobody dares to do crime that could lead for caning !

● Easy to check on food hygiene. They have a rating system and will be displayed on the hawker stall.

The old system of ABCs will be superseded with the new one.

●What you are correct on though is the perception of Singapore’s hawker centre food. Despite the high food safety standards, it certainly appears from the outside that the hawker centre food is just like typical street food, which may deter those who are used to dining in a typical establishment from

Advices

Monday, January 15, 2024

better to live, in Singapore or Japan?

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