This is Yoshiko's daughter. Thank you Ghib san for meeting with my mom and sharing her experience. And thank you to your viewers for their kind words. My mom truly loves Singapore and always says she is grateful for her life in Singapore. My grandparents also lived through the horrors of WWII but luckily, they knew to separate how they feel about the Japanese soldiers vs. Japanese people and treated her kindly. My mom was a toddler during WWII and her experience in Japan during that time was of poverty as all the food and supplies had gone to the war. She knew nothing about the horrible things that happened in Singapore until she moved there as an adult. When she learned about it, she helped the Japanese teachers who were teaching in Singapore to bring back historical documents back to Japan to help educate. I agree that we should never forget history as that's how we learn and hopefully do better for our future generation. All the best ~ Michelle
Thank you Michelle and Aunty for letting us have a glimpse into her life here all those years ago. I am grateful also that she tried to give voice to historical truths. It was a very heartfelt interview & I pray that her words will be heard by those who still suffer from the past. We should keep the past, in the past, even as we learn from it.
@@mamamememoo honestly there's hardly any anti-Jap sentiments in Sg as majority of population presently have not experienced WWII or only a minority heard stories from survivors to recount. Generally we've already moved on and also liked Japanese pple/culture so imo at least in the sg context, the focus is not on keeping the past in the past but learnings (ur last liner emphasized the former).
I'm Japanese. When I was living in SG before, every Singaporean friends, coworkers, neighbors and so on, always helped for me. Thanks to everyone in SG, I really enjoyed living SG. I appreciate every Singaporean's kindness.
what you need to do is to discover the truth of astrocieis commited by cruel Japanese soldiers. Unfortunately all the truth including how they killed the vulnerable (incl born and unborn babies) and how they raped for leisure have all been washed away by your country. Your school textbooks never even mentioned it. The crimes Jap committed was no lesser than those German did to Jews.
It's good that you had a good time in Singapore. We're not against all Japanese, just those that say that all the people they killed were for a good cause or those that try to get pity for the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and overlooked that Japan did a lot worse during that time of war. WWII was a bad time and Japan's military was out of control then. I suspect that no one, not even the Japanese government at that time could control them. Look at what happened to Prime Minister Tsuyoshi.
@@danielc2701 Yes insubordination was rampant in the Japanese army leading to many atrocities but most people had already forgiven them and younger gen are more accepting. Perhaps, Japan could also learn from this and apologise.
@@crispusallen3865 I won't say that it was insubordination, the orders for killings tend to be from the top down so it was the whole military that was corrupt. IMO, the Japanese government really had no control over their military and the military just acted like local warlords outside of Japan itself. They even issued their own money in military script, basically acting like their own government.
Her concluding remarks to Japanese is touching. "Singaporeans trust us Japanese even after those wartime atrocies were committed. I hope we Japanese keep in mind of such kindness and do not disappoint them." 😮
@@kageyamareijikun were you behaving like a mainland chinese? Because every single Japanese has been very kind to me regardless of the prefecture I am in. This is experience from multiple trips every year for 10 years.
@@Deadlyroll this guy probly never step foot in Japan before lol. The people are wonderful. Cant judge the whole country just from his own bad encounters.
@@limkimyaw8980 Ghib had a video re possible discrimination in Japan - may read the comments section of experiences (while I think it's not widespread it's also not as singular as u believe).
Thanks Michelle for bring her mom to the show. She's a treasure. Now, I wonder if an interview with Michelle is going to be interesting growing up with 2 cultures
I really liked this episode. Yoshiko-san, what she said at the end, was very moving. Thank you also to that unknown vegetable seller who never knew how his kind gesture would impact so many others who watched this episode. Kindess has such a great effect on hurts.
Her Malay pronunciation was so good and authentic.. She is so wise and mentally so positive. So true about the common phase of ‘the past is better’.. it may not be true coz we jus love the nostalgic memories. This is the era of another generation jus embrace and enjoy it with good health. Felt so emotional when she sang praises abt Singaporean kindness. Wishing you all the best of health auntie. 🤣🙏🏼💪🏼
This is a very good episode to understand Singapore's history from a different perspective. There are definitely differences in culture that make people from each country unique ... every place has its idiosyncracies... we just get along... the sins of our forefathers should never be carried by us.
As a local Singaporean, it was nice hearing about Singapore from someone coming to live in Singapore as a foreigner and all the great things she has to say about us. Hopefully we Singaporeans can continue to live as she as depicted and be kind, helpful and welcoming of the foreigners in our little red dot! Thank You for providing this interesting perspective Ghib!
Hi Ghib san. Wow this is my favourite video after seeing a lot of your videos. Yoshiko-san was so kind with her words. I am so touched. Thank you for your video.
As a young adult in Singapore, i have learnt alot from this video. That info about having to physically clear out poop was such a shock! Something i have long forgotten was a reality of the past! Our sewage systems have come a long way. It makes me proud of how far singapore has come & also more aware of certain positive aspects of singapore that may have been easily overlooked or forgotten as a local. This video is going do lots of good making the singaporean youth aware of the realities of the past and how far singapore has truely come. Perfect timing, seeing as national day is coming up! I never used to feel much for my own country during the annual national day celebrations, but this video has brought such pride by showing how the everyday lives of singaporeans has improved so drastically over afew decades and seeing how beautiful our people are in the eyes of others Thank you Ghib for making this video & the ladies for reaching out and sharing their experience of singapore in the past.
So nice to hear her memories of Singapore, thanks for sharing ❤And indeed, Singapore did change a lot since the 70s and 80s when I was a kid, we have come a long way!
A heartfelt interview. We humans should learn from each other, regardless of the old and young, the differences between cultures, learn from past mistakes, appreciate the present peace and create a better future for the next generation.
I am a Japanese living in Japan. This interview is amazing. Thank you for this very interesting story. I can't believe she knows Singapore from when there was an airport in Paya Lebar. I am very impressed.
I liked that this Japanese lady was so honest in the whole interview and I felt so proud being a Singaporean because of her honest opinions about how helpful we Singaporeans are towards the community which was even better than in Japan
Hello Ghib san! This is indeed a very interesting episode and hits close to me. My mother is Japanese and married my Singaporean Chinese father in the early 70s. She's been staying in SG for the past 45 years. Coincidentally, she knows Yoshiko-san too! My father also studied in Japan that was when he met my mum. Lots of culture shock stories I've heard from her due to language barrier and culture differences, after she married into SG. Thanks for this really refreshing episode!
If only my late father is still around, you should interview him. He had lots of experienced during the war. He used to be educated in Japanese school during the war and he was also one of the temples servants for Syonan Jinja and Chureto. He could write and speak very fluent Japanese too. Insights of what happned daily at the kempetai HQ at Orchard Road and Cathay building
@@ahwei23 i dun mind but i may not be detail than him .. 3 of his best frenz also share same fate ... sadly all had passed on .. My late grandfather used to stay at Kay Siang Road and Tanglin area was my dad playground that was where he befriended a Japanese spy who was disguised a slipper seller. The Japanese were interested in him bcz he had a Dutch education when he boy in Semarang and then to an eng sch in sgpore.
Thank you Ghib-san for such a wonderful video and interview with Yoshiko-san. It is one of the best and most touching RUclips video I have seen in a long time. I thank Yoshiko-san for her kind words. The pictures of Singapore decades ago shown in the video are useful to remind ourselves (Singaporeans) never to take for granted of what Singapore have achieved today that our forefathers left for us.
Ghib-san is doing such great work bridging Singapore and Japan. Helping each side understand more about the other side. I love to see more such frank and candid sharings. Sometimes it can feel awkward bringing up sensitive topics, but it is always better to face them than to run away from them. Other nationalities should also share and help bridge global communuties. I saw alot of other nationalities who have married Chinese men, and they are using Tiktok to share their cross-cultural experience, be it french, swedish, german, etc.....We need more mutual understanding for better world, better tomorrow.
This is one of the best interviews you've done Ghib-san! Thank you to Yoshiko-san who shared her memories living in Singapore since the 70s for 43 years, that's a very long time. Her stories are precious and I'm glad you managed to capture it and share to us on this channel.
I really love this episode. Yoshiko-san seems to be such a lovely, gracious lady and probably a resilient one too, leaving her own family, started her own in a new and totally unfamiliar country. I appreciate her brutal honesty and wisdom too!
Auntie so cute! I could listen to her talk for hours 🥰 Even as a Sgrean, I'm learning stuff that I never knew in the past. Thank you for this amazing and heartwarming interview Ghib!
It's quite interesting and symbolic to compare when the Japanese war started when the Japanese army invaded Singapore in 1942 on the 1st day of Chinese New Year. And now more than 80 years later, Mdm Yoshiko-san returns to Singapore from the US also during Chinese New Year, but this time bringing peace and warm greetings. Very meaningful indeed from my perspective.
My family has been living in Singapore/KL since my great-grandparents came here in the 1900s from Nagasaki. I'd say that the modern Singapore we live in now is so much more educated and understanding to things of the past. Though there are still holdouts here and there, the vast majority of the people that we have met here have become lifelong friends and even family. Having grown up here, it's so nice to see other nationalities being able to get along so well. That multi-racial harmony becoming part and parcel with the Singaporean identity that has been ingrained in us since a long time ago. =)
My late grandmother was caught by the Japanese during WW2 and they released her after the surrender. But for the rest of her life, she became very fearful of being outside, especially on her own due to the trauma. And I'm so touched by Yoshiko-san, she is so lovely. I think this is the best video Ghib has ever made 😂. It's hard to appreciate how far Singapore has come until you talk to ppl who lived through it.
I am more than 70 years old n both my parents are no longer around. Sporean n our gov seldom or didnt want to bring up the past wound because for many it is too painful to recollect what really happened during Japanese occupation, My dad was slapped so badly n lost his hearing for weeks just because he didnt bow to the Japanese when he was crossing a bridge. My mom lost her two year sister where she carried her in her arm n ran to hide under a bridge n got injured by a fragment from a bomb that slashed a piece of meat from my mom's shoulder. Both were taken to the KK hospital by the Red Cross ambulance but on the 3rd day, my mom couldnt find her sister as they were separated in the hospital n she was lost forever. My wife's youngest uncle( english educated) was picked up by the Japanese from their house n put in an army truck n the family never see him again. Same as a friend of my mom where his brother also English educated n was picked up by the Japanese soldier n their family never saw him again. News was that they were all brought to Changi Beach n gunned down alive by the Japanese soldiers. Another friend of mine told me that her mother will never forgive the Japanese as they burned his brother( my friend uncle) alive infront of her eye. These are just some experience which happened to my family n friend i know. But such incidents happened across all Asia esp to the chinese.population. However, like the Chinese gov often said, we can forgive but we cannot forget because forgotten about history will only likely cause it to happen again n today the Japanese gov is buying arm n weapons under the excuse that they are being threaten by the Chinese to built up their military power again
@@tamachan5695 There was no anti Britsh activity in Spore as most of not all the residents in Spore were migrants. Many were from very poor countries like India, China n Indonesia . There were also other minority group like the Japanese, Burmese, Europeans... All came here to make a living n many didnt consider this as their country as their country were their motherland where they came from.. like India n China . The British other than maintaining law n order n encourage trade which they taxed upon, they were infact very fair n treated the people rather well. I have my primary education under the British n it is almost like free education. So if you think the people are badly treated by the British n the Japanese wee here to liberate the people, you are very wrong as you most likely have been brainwashed by yr gov propaganda.
@@tamachan5695 and if you think the Japanese was the one that liberate the Asian countries from the European colonial master, you are wrong. They defeated the European coloniser but they became the coloniser themselves as they establish the Japanese empire n officially called Spore Syonan Island 昭南島 .. They infact have overhaul the school n started introducing Japanese language into the school.
Our schools and grandparents teach us about WW2 and they sounded way too traumatic for anyone to bear. While I sympathise the older generation who had to go through it, I never hated the Japanese becos we didn’t personally experience it, it’s difficult to have such a strong sentiments based on someone else’s statements. I never understood why some governments use it politically to influence their people to hate Japan that way, it doesn’t benefit anyone. All I know from our education is how terrible a war is and should never be a solution. Spread love, not hate. She sound so wise and appreciative about SG since she’s seen different worlds, also love how genuine and optimistic about this generation and our future. ❤
Perhaps they should apologise to every country that they have invaded and colonized. Up to now, not only they didn't do that, they changed their history books and denied their terrible wrong doing.
@@Truthstelling it's always the gov. they would say modern society we choose our gov, but not all people are strong enough to challenge the gov. even in sg, who dare to say the ruling party is wrong? most local japanese didnt wanna fight ww2, but the gov wanna fight. end up the bomb dropped on common ppl. the angmoh shd have dropped the 2 boys on the japanese gov, not the citizens. until today, most japanese citizens, again it's the commoners that, know abt the truth of ww2 and they admit it, except the gov.
@@Truthstelling Not the fault of their students though, it's the older generation that is slowly dying out. Once they have all gone, the younger generation would probably be more receptive to the idea that Imperial Japan screwed up by the numbers. It's a self correcting problem, just need to wait 100 years until all the old holdouts have all gone into the grave.
@@Truthstelling Japan has apologized and many times over. Did the Europeans like the British and Dutch apologize to Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The irony is that if Japan didn’t fight the US and other European nation to drive them out of Asia then what would Asia look like today? Would it have happened anyway? De-colonization. The Dutch King ruled over Indonesia. After WW2, the Dutch wanted everything back. Indonesia fought back and Japanese soldiers stayed and helped. When Japanese soldiers first arrived to the Dutch East Indies they were seen as liberators.
Ghib makes his first Oral History recording. You should submit this to National Archives Singapore! 🙂 I liked her answer (@11:12) about how Singapore has changed.and whether it is good or bad. I liked that she recognised the yearning for the old ways is "Nostalgia", which is like "historical discrimination". I like her "sho ga nai" about the present - it is for the people of Today (the present) to decide what is good and what is appropriate. In this, she shows her willingness to experience progress and change without reluctance or attempting to cling to the past. Singaporeans, older Singaporeans could learn that, too. If she is representative of Japanese, then I can understand a little of how the Japanese can adapt to changes and progress, and adopt new ways and move forward.
Ghib San, we all share a common humanity and want peace, love and the ability to cope with the minutiae of life. As Yoshiko rightly pointed out there should be no animosity shown to anyone as regardless of whether they are Japanese or not. We want to have a one world where kindness, generosity and to be the best we can be or to be represented by the best in us. Thank you for sharing this touching tale.
The best interview so far! Great to hear from an older Japanese who had lived in Singapore because their are story is rich in history and insightful than the younger interviewees. Well done!
It isn't easy washing away spilled blood. In fact, the hurtful memories will linger forever. All we can do is look forward and make sure those hurtful memories will never occur again.
Thank you for this interview. It's really very heartwarming to listen to the stories of Michelle's mother, how she felt when she first came here 49 years ago and so on. Ghib, please interview more people. Perhaps on the topic of how the elderly Singaporeans feel towards the Japanese?
This country will remain liveable if the people don't take things for granted and stay grounded in realities. Small and resource-poor make it vulnerable to external events. Good that Yoshiko-san has fond memories of this place.
As a Japanese American, my first visit to SG was in the late 70's for work. I was treated great by my Singaporean co workers but I was shocked as to how they talked about some Japanese visitors we would see in a restaurant. They laughed at how they would bowl to each other. I asked what they thought of me and they said I was OK as I was an American. About 10 years later and many subsequent trips to SG I ended up a expat in SG. By then, enough time had passed from WW2 that I witnessed no such incidents and in my view the citizens of SG are the nicest, most friendliest, considerate, and any other positive descriptions I can think of. Not to crazy about the year round heat and humidity.
Hi Ghib n Yoshiko san n michele,,, wow 43 years,,, i lived in japan n always think it was like a home too when i went to japan,, but now singapore is like my home too,, that no la ok lah,, is good lah 🤣,, interesting interview Ghib,, Huat Ah,, 😬👍
" Love's not love when it is mingled with regards that stand aloof from the entire point " - W. Shakespeare. This so called " Kind " officer could have been assigned to that local community to pull a PR Stunt, we will never know. But one thing for sure, just like any organisations , there are Good , Bad & the Genuinely Kind.
Yoshiko-san experience is somewhat I can relate to. My cousin married a Japanese and even went to live there...but our grandmother never once forbid or got agitated. I think Singapore was practical and we forgive easily but never forget. Japan also did a lot to try to turn away to improve from its war past...starting from our grandparents generation we don't get such a political complexity (compared to china or korea).
The WW II was more than 70 years ago. Those who did wrong had mostly passed away. The younger generation of Singapore and Japan should live their own lives and not carry the guilt or hatred of the past. Only this way can the relationship between two countries flourish. Let’s talk but must move forward. This video brings healing. Ghib , well done.
Have you any family or friends who was taken away by the Japanese Army and never seen them again? Talk to these people. Then go read the way the Japanese history textbooks address this issue. Go ask ordinary Japanese if any of them know of the 40,000 civilians that were killed during the occupation?
@@keffinsg My grandmother died in a bombing while my granduncle never returned during the Soo Ching massacre. My father was brought up by his grandmother. My great grandmother hated the Japanese for losing her son. Japanese should 謝罪 しゃざい。
Actually people don't hate Japan, they just hate it when the current Japanese officials deny the atrocities committed in the past and try to whitewash this part of their history.
My grandmother used to live in fear of the japanese and my grandfather died during the japanese occupation but i'm glad that we were not taught to hate the japanese. Because look at japan now... it couldn't be more different.
Yeah that is good. Just sometimes some idiots will come in and tell everyone that Japan is being bullied and the victim of "war crimes" and piss everyone off as they know what wasn't told to these idiots, that they did even worse. When people are being kind enough not to bring it up, don't charge in and paint black into white. Sometimes these idiots do more damage to Japan's image than the "help" they think they are doing.
Some Japanese woman exp love Singapore weather .. the weather in Japan is either extremes HOT ! hotter than spore or cold .. the amount of clothes u got to have and laundry you have to do for the whole family is crazy. Singapore just make life simpler .. also the homes.. in Japan the earthquakes can destroy everything you build.
Ive been to various parts of Japan. I was in Hokkaido and Tokyo in 1980 and in 2021 I was again in Tokyo and visited Takayama and other places and I find the Japanese both the seniors and the young ones very polite and helpful. From the suburbs to the city, they are all very very warm and helpful. The War is in the past. We live for the present and the future.
The atrocities of the Japanese during world war 2 were well-documented but it was more than 70 years ago, so let bygones be bygones. Fact is after the war, Japan has become a peaceful nation. It is true than in the seventies, Singapore was at least 20 years behind Japan in terms of technology and infrastructure development. During this period, Singapore was already wooing investments from both America and Japan. Our founding father, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew who experienced the miseries of the Japanese Occupation, did not hate Japan but was then Impressed by the diligence and discipline of the Japanese. Yes, like Yoshiko-San, we should know the facts, be truthful and stay humble and grateful.
3:38 being someone who served in the RSAF at Paya Lebar Airbase, it's amazing how Paya Lebar airport was like. That image is the Mushroom counter and it's still there and the mural too! Except of course civilians wouldn't be able to enter but yeah it's amazing!
Older generation has a lot of hatred for the Japanese, but some had also experienced kindness from the better educated Japanese soldiers who had helped them weathered those terrible years during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore. I'd heard stories about how a Japanese officers who took pity on locals, exchanged their rice for sweet potatoes, found jobs for them in hospitals, gave (hawker) work permits to struggling families. War is evil and men do terrible things to each other, my father fought against the Imperial Japanese Army, but he never hated the Japanese people. We shouldn't let the past hatred of our people rule our lives to live in a better world.
She’s so cute sia! And that ending comment for Japanese is a new perspective I’ve heard. It’s always been to Singaporeans - aiya so long ago liao, don’t grudge. But nv thought of it the other way for Japanese to be appreciative. Tyvm!
I was a wee kid in the early 80s, i grew up learning about the war from my grandparents and from school, But never once did my grandparents talk about it with hatred for the japanese people. In fact, they have come to love so many japanese things like products and food etc etc. Now they are gone, i wish i could talk to them more about how in the world did they find such forgiveness. I really hope the new generation of Singaporeans keep this peace we have here in SG. So its really up to our generation to raise the next one well. Best regards
Very good memories. I was living in Chinatown in the 60s and we rented a flat unit from the government at Outram Park. My father was still renting the Chinatown unit and we walked home to Outram Park to sleep. 25 minutes every night going by the back of Outram Primary? and the narcotics building?
After the war, we paid Singapore huge post-war reparations and invested huge amounts of money to help Singapore develop its economy. And we have been sincere with the people of this country to build up trust, which has resulted in the good relations we have today. We have played our part too. When living in a foreign country, it is important to live with a sense of humble gratitude for being allowed to live there, but from the title (in Japanese) and the woman's words, "Don't forget what Japan has done", I felt that the Japanese living in Singapore are asking us to live with a sense of atonement. The argument is the opposite of what Mr Abe advocated in his break from the post-war regime, that "future children who have nothing to do with the war should not be doomed to have to keep apologising". I have the impression that the video was made by someone who was influenced by the JTU（日教組）'s self-defeating historical education, or Dupes or left-wing ideology. I felt indescribably disgusted. It is putting a damper on the good relations between the two countries that have been built up over a long period of time. .. (I'm Japanese SPR and have been living in Singapore for 22 years..)
This is Yoshiko's daughter. Thank you Ghib san for meeting with my mom and sharing her experience. And thank you to your viewers for their kind words. My mom truly loves Singapore and always says she is grateful for her life in Singapore. My grandparents also lived through the horrors of WWII but luckily, they knew to separate how they feel about the Japanese soldiers vs. Japanese people and treated her kindly. My mom was a toddler during WWII and her experience in Japan during that time was of poverty as all the food and supplies had gone to the war. She knew nothing about the horrible things that happened in Singapore until she moved there as an adult. When she learned about it, she helped the Japanese teachers who were teaching in Singapore to bring back historical documents back to Japan to help educate. I agree that we should never forget history as that's how we learn and hopefully do better for our future generation.
All the best ~ Michelle
Ghib, would u consider pinning this comment pls?
Thank you Michelle and Aunty for letting us have a glimpse into her life here all those years ago. I am grateful also that she tried to give voice to historical truths. It was a very heartfelt interview & I pray that her words will be heard by those who still suffer from the past. We should keep the past, in the past, even as we learn from it.
@@mamamememoo honestly there's hardly any anti-Jap sentiments in Sg as majority of population presently have not experienced WWII or only a minority heard stories from survivors to recount. Generally we've already moved on and also liked Japanese pple/culture so imo at least in the sg context, the focus is not on keeping the past in the past but learnings (ur last liner emphasized the former).
Yes, the past is gone so are most of the people of that time. Politicians will make war, but not ordinary people.
History is about to repeat itself as the politicians in Japan have whitewashed the war horrors in school textbooks and want to build nukes.
I'm Japanese. When I was living in SG before, every Singaporean friends, coworkers, neighbors and so on, always helped for me.
Thanks to everyone in SG, I really enjoyed living SG. I appreciate every Singaporean's kindness.
what you need to do is to discover the truth of astrocieis commited by cruel Japanese soldiers. Unfortunately all the truth including how they killed the vulnerable (incl born and unborn babies) and how they raped for leisure have all been washed away by your country. Your school textbooks never even mentioned it. The crimes Jap committed was no lesser than those German did to Jews.
It's good that you had a good time in Singapore. We're not against all Japanese, just those that say that all the people they killed were for a good cause or those that try to get pity for the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and overlooked that Japan did a lot worse during that time of war.
WWII was a bad time and Japan's military was out of control then. I suspect that no one, not even the Japanese government at that time could control them. Look at what happened to Prime Minister Tsuyoshi.
@@danielc2701 Yes insubordination was rampant in the Japanese army leading to many atrocities but most people had already forgiven them and younger gen are more accepting. Perhaps, Japan could also learn from this and apologise.
@@crispusallen3865 I won't say that it was insubordination, the orders for killings tend to be from the top down so it was the whole military that was corrupt. IMO, the Japanese government really had no control over their military and the military just acted like local warlords outside of Japan itself. They even issued their own money in military script, basically acting like their own government.
Her concluding remarks to Japanese is touching. "Singaporeans trust us Japanese even after those wartime atrocies were committed. I hope we Japanese keep in mind of such kindness and do not disappoint them." 😮
@@kageyamareijikun i feel very welcoming each time i'm in Japan ...mate
@@kageyamareijikun were you behaving like a mainland chinese? Because every single Japanese has been very kind to me regardless of the prefecture I am in. This is experience from multiple trips every year for 10 years.
@@Deadlyroll this guy probly never step foot in Japan before lol. The people are wonderful.
Cant judge the whole country just from his own bad encounters.
@@kageyamareijikun I believe the problem is you alone.
@@limkimyaw8980 Ghib had a video re possible discrimination in Japan - may read the comments section of experiences (while I think it's not widespread it's also not as singular as u believe).
Thanks Michelle for bring her mom to the show. She's a treasure.
Now, I wonder if an interview with Michelle is going to be interesting growing up with 2 cultures
I second that.
I really liked this episode. Yoshiko-san, what she said at the end, was very moving. Thank you also to that unknown vegetable seller who never knew how his kind gesture would impact so many others who watched this episode. Kindess has such a great effect on hurts.
What the heck. Totally didn’t expect the twist at the end. Her conclusion was absolutely tear jerking. Here’s wishing her good health and longevity!
Her Malay pronunciation was so good and authentic..
She is so wise and mentally so positive. So true about the common phase of ‘the past is better’.. it may not be true coz we jus love the nostalgic memories. This is the era of another generation jus embrace and enjoy it with good health.
Felt so emotional when she sang praises abt Singaporean kindness. Wishing you all the best of health auntie. 🤣🙏🏼💪🏼
some people underestimate aunty wisdom...
This is a very good episode to understand Singapore's history from a different perspective. There are definitely differences in culture that make people from each country unique ... every place has its idiosyncracies... we just get along... the sins of our forefathers should never be carried by us.
Lies again? Sunday Bell + Spotify Barcelona + Spank Bang + Sell Backside + Small Boy
Your grandfather didn’t go through the Japanese war.
Singaporeansはとても親切で温かい・・とても感謝しています。15年前シンガポールで出産子育てをしました。困っていたら直ぐに助けてくれて、娘が泣いていたら大丈夫？って言ってくれて、ベビーカーが畳めなかったら、抱っこしてあげるって言ってくれたり。この感謝の気もちは東京で困っているママが居たら気が付いてあげて、声を掛けたいと言う原動力になっています。
As a local Singaporean, it was nice hearing about Singapore from someone coming to live in Singapore as a foreigner and all the great things she has to say about us. Hopefully we Singaporeans can continue to live as she as depicted and be kind, helpful and welcoming of the foreigners in our little red dot! Thank You for providing this interesting perspective Ghib!
Hi Ghib san. Wow this is my favourite video after seeing a lot of your videos. Yoshiko-san was so kind with her words. I am so touched. Thank you for your video.
the way she speaks is so sweet. Just by her tone, u can tell she’s such an understanding and kind lady.
this is honestly your best interview yet! thank you for sharing your story Yoshiko san
As a young adult in Singapore, i have learnt alot from this video. That info about having to physically clear out poop was such a shock! Something i have long forgotten was a reality of the past! Our sewage systems have come a long way. It makes me proud of how far singapore has come & also more aware of certain positive aspects of singapore that may have been easily overlooked or forgotten as a local. This video is going do lots of good making the singaporean youth aware of the realities of the past and how far singapore has truely come. Perfect timing, seeing as national day is coming up!
I never used to feel much for my own country during the annual national day celebrations, but this video has brought such pride by showing how the everyday lives of singaporeans has improved so drastically over afew decades and seeing how beautiful our people are in the eyes of others
Thank you Ghib for making this video & the ladies for reaching out and sharing their experience of singapore in the past.
So nice to hear her memories of Singapore, thanks for sharing ❤And indeed, Singapore did change a lot since the 70s and 80s when I was a kid, we have come a long way!
What Yoshiko San shared brings some form of healing to Singaporeans.
@SGsupremacist yeah guess only a few will remember. Most of us only rely on history books to know what happened.
You can feel the LOVE when she said the word "laksa"
Such a sweet lady. Thank you for staying in SG for 43 years.
A heartfelt interview. We humans should learn from each other, regardless of the old and young, the differences between cultures, learn from past mistakes, appreciate the present peace and create a better future for the next generation.
Lots of respect for her
I am a Japanese living in Japan. This interview is amazing. Thank you for this very interesting story. I can't believe she knows Singapore from when there was an airport in Paya Lebar. I am very impressed.
I liked that this Japanese lady was so honest in the whole interview and I felt so proud being a Singaporean because of her honest opinions about how helpful we Singaporeans are towards the community which was even better than in Japan
I can't love this video more. I am still in my 30's and I learned I still have huge to learn about Singapore. Thanks Ghib, this lady and the daughter.
Hello Ghib san! This is indeed a very interesting episode and hits close to me. My mother is Japanese and married my Singaporean Chinese father in the early 70s. She's been staying in SG for the past 45 years. Coincidentally, she knows Yoshiko-san too! My father also studied in Japan that was when he met my mum. Lots of culture shock stories I've heard from her due to language barrier and culture differences, after she married into SG. Thanks for this really refreshing episode!
Such a nice interview. Brings me back to the old days. I love her candour, and openness in sharing her experience. Really nice episode!
Yoshiko-san is a very pleasant and nice lady. Hope she visit again soon.
If only my late father is still around, you should interview him. He had lots of experienced during the war. He used to be educated in Japanese school during the war and he was also one of the temples servants for Syonan Jinja and Chureto. He could write and speak very fluent Japanese too. Insights of what happned daily at the kempetai HQ at Orchard Road and Cathay building
so is he a collaborator?
@@jeannelim2164 nope in fact he was sent to the death railwy but managed to escape and hid in tg karang selangor 6 mth before war ended
Would you consider sharing his stories? A secondary source is still valuable.
@@ahwei23 i dun mind but i may not be detail than him .. 3 of his best frenz also share same fate ... sadly all had passed on .. My late grandfather used to stay at Kay Siang Road and Tanglin area was my dad playground that was where he befriended a Japanese spy who was disguised a slipper seller. The Japanese were interested in him bcz he had a Dutch education when he boy in Semarang and then to an eng sch in sgpore.
I very touched when she was asked what is Singapore to her,She said home
Thank you Ghib-san for such a wonderful video and interview with Yoshiko-san. It is one of the best and most touching RUclips video I have seen in a long time. I thank Yoshiko-san for her kind words. The pictures of Singapore decades ago shown in the video are useful to remind ourselves (Singaporeans) never to take for granted of what Singapore have achieved today that our forefathers left for us.
Ghib-san is doing such great work bridging Singapore and Japan. Helping each side understand more about the other side. I love to see more such frank and candid sharings. Sometimes it can feel awkward bringing up sensitive topics, but it is always better to face them than to run away from them. Other nationalities should also share and help bridge global communuties. I saw alot of other nationalities who have married Chinese men, and they are using Tiktok to share their cross-cultural experience, be it french, swedish, german, etc.....We need more mutual understanding for better world, better tomorrow.
This is one of the best interviews you've done Ghib-san! Thank you to Yoshiko-san who shared her memories living in Singapore since the 70s for 43 years, that's a very long time. Her stories are precious and I'm glad you managed to capture it and share to us on this channel.
Wow this is the best interview you have, at least a very special one.
Thank you very much to Yoshiko, Michelle and Ghib for the sharing
I really love this episode. Yoshiko-san seems to be such a lovely, gracious lady and probably a resilient one too, leaving her own family, started her own in a new and totally unfamiliar country. I appreciate her brutal honesty and wisdom too!
Auntie so cute! I could listen to her talk for hours 🥰 Even as a Sgrean, I'm learning stuff that I never knew in the past. Thank you for this amazing and heartwarming interview Ghib!
Can't imagine how tough it was for her living in those times. My respect to her for still calling Singapore her home. Tq❤
It's quite interesting and symbolic to compare when the Japanese war started when the Japanese army invaded Singapore in 1942 on the 1st day of Chinese New Year. And now more than 80 years later, Mdm Yoshiko-san returns to Singapore from the US also during Chinese New Year, but this time bringing peace and warm greetings. Very meaningful indeed from my perspective.
A very good video.. Thank u Michelle for approaching Ghib Ojisan for this video. And of cos to Auntie for her words of wisdom and experience.
My family has been living in Singapore/KL since my great-grandparents came here in the 1900s from Nagasaki. I'd say that the modern Singapore we live in now is so much more educated and understanding to things of the past. Though there are still holdouts here and there, the vast majority of the people that we have met here have become lifelong friends and even family. Having grown up here, it's so nice to see other nationalities being able to get along so well. That multi-racial harmony becoming part and parcel with the Singaporean identity that has been ingrained in us since a long time ago. =)
This is the best video and it brought back memories. She said Singapore is home and this is home truely. Her Ok lah sounds original.
Damn as a singaporean I feel like I learn so much of our heritage from her
My late grandmother was caught by the Japanese during WW2 and they released her after the surrender. But for the rest of her life, she became very fearful of being outside, especially on her own due to the trauma.
And I'm so touched by Yoshiko-san, she is so lovely. I think this is the best video Ghib has ever made 😂. It's hard to appreciate how far Singapore has come until you talk to ppl who lived through it.
They probably did nasty things to her that she never wanted to talk about.
I am more than 70 years old n both my parents are no longer around. Sporean n our gov seldom or didnt want to bring up the past wound because for many it is too painful to recollect what really happened during Japanese occupation,
My dad was slapped so badly n lost his hearing for weeks just because he didnt bow to the Japanese when he was crossing a bridge. My mom lost her two year sister where she carried her in her arm n ran to hide under a bridge n got injured by a fragment from a bomb that slashed a piece of meat from my mom's shoulder. Both were taken to the KK hospital by the Red Cross ambulance but on the 3rd day, my mom couldnt find her sister as they were separated in the hospital n she was lost forever. My wife's youngest uncle( english educated) was picked up by the Japanese from their house n put in an army truck n the family never see him again. Same as a friend of my mom where his brother also English educated n was picked up by the Japanese soldier n their family never saw him again. News was that they were all brought to Changi Beach n gunned down alive by the Japanese soldiers.
Another friend of mine told me that her mother will never forgive the Japanese as they burned his brother( my friend uncle) alive infront of her eye.
These are just some experience which happened to my family n friend i know. But such incidents happened across all Asia esp to the chinese.population.
However, like the Chinese gov often said, we can forgive but we cannot forget because forgotten about history will only likely cause it to happen again n today the Japanese gov is buying arm n weapons under the excuse that they are being threaten by the Chinese to built up their military power again
And don’t forget to those ‘comfort women’..😢
@@tamachan5695 There was no anti Britsh activity in Spore as most of not all the residents in Spore were migrants. Many were from very poor countries like India, China n Indonesia . There were also other minority group like the Japanese, Burmese, Europeans...
All came here to make a living n many didnt consider this as their country as their country were their motherland where they came from.. like India n China . The British other than maintaining law n order n encourage trade which they taxed upon, they were infact very fair n treated the people rather well. I have my primary education under the British n it is almost like free education.
So if you think the people are badly treated by the British n the Japanese wee here to liberate the people, you are very wrong as you most likely have been brainwashed by yr gov propaganda.
@@tamachan5695 and if you think the Japanese was the one that liberate the Asian countries from the European colonial master, you are wrong. They defeated the European coloniser but they became the coloniser themselves as they establish the Japanese empire n officially called Spore Syonan Island 昭南島 ..
They infact have overhaul the school n started introducing Japanese language into the school.
Our schools and grandparents teach us about WW2 and they sounded way too traumatic for anyone to bear.
While I sympathise the older generation who had to go through it, I never hated the Japanese becos we didn’t personally experience it, it’s difficult to have such a strong sentiments based on someone else’s statements. I never understood why some governments use it politically to influence their people to hate Japan that way, it doesn’t benefit anyone.
All I know from our education is how terrible a war is and should never be a solution. Spread love, not hate.
She sound so wise and appreciative about SG since she’s seen different worlds, also love how genuine and optimistic about this generation and our future.
❤
Perhaps they should apologise to every country that they have invaded and colonized. Up to now, not only they didn't do that, they changed their history books and denied their terrible wrong doing.
@@Truthstelling it's always the gov. they would say modern society we choose our gov, but not all people are strong enough to challenge the gov. even in sg, who dare to say the ruling party is wrong?
most local japanese didnt wanna fight ww2, but the gov wanna fight. end up the bomb dropped on common ppl. the angmoh shd have dropped the 2 boys on the japanese gov, not the citizens. until today, most japanese citizens, again it's the commoners that, know abt the truth of ww2 and they admit it, except the gov.
@@Truthstelling Not the fault of their students though, it's the older generation that is slowly dying out. Once they have all gone, the younger generation would probably be more receptive to the idea that Imperial Japan screwed up by the numbers. It's a self correcting problem, just need to wait 100 years until all the old holdouts have all gone into the grave.
@@Truthstelling Japan has apologized and many times over.
Did the Europeans like the British and Dutch apologize to Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
The irony is that if Japan didn’t fight the US and other European nation to drive them out of Asia then what would Asia look like today?
Would it have happened anyway? De-colonization.
The Dutch King ruled over Indonesia. After WW2, the Dutch wanted everything back. Indonesia fought back and Japanese soldiers stayed and helped.
When Japanese soldiers first arrived to the Dutch East Indies they were seen as liberators.
@@f430ferrari5 show me "the many times over" evidence please. They even changed their history book to cover their crimes.
The last part of her sentences are touching. Thank you obasan for sharing your experiences. ❤
Ghib makes his first Oral History recording. You should submit this to National Archives Singapore! 🙂
I liked her answer (@11:12) about how Singapore has changed.and whether it is good or bad. I liked that she recognised the yearning for the old ways is "Nostalgia", which is like "historical discrimination". I like her "sho ga nai" about the present - it is for the people of Today (the present) to decide what is good and what is appropriate. In this, she shows her willingness to experience progress and change without reluctance or attempting to cling to the past. Singaporeans, older Singaporeans could learn that, too. If she is representative of Japanese, then I can understand a little of how the Japanese can adapt to changes and progress, and adopt new ways and move forward.
Ghib San, we all share a common humanity and want peace, love and the ability to cope with the minutiae of life. As Yoshiko rightly pointed out there should be no animosity shown to anyone as regardless of whether they are Japanese or not. We want to have a one world where kindness, generosity and to be the best we can be or to be represented by the best in us. Thank you for sharing this touching tale.
ooh well said, as a Singaporean I agree
she's such a lovable lady. I wish the interview was longer... i thoroughly enjoyed listening to her. Hope Ms Yoshiko visits SG again soon.
The best interview so far! Great to hear from an older Japanese who had lived in Singapore because their are story is rich in history and insightful than the younger interviewees. Well done!
Very wholesome video and i learn a lot on Singapore history too. Great interview 😀
Love this interview, her kind words make me tears. Wishing her great health, she will alway be welcome home in SG ❤
It isn't easy washing away spilled blood. In fact, the hurtful memories will linger forever. All we can do is look forward and make sure those hurtful memories will never occur again.
Thank you for this interview. It's really very heartwarming to listen to the stories of Michelle's mother, how she felt when she first came here 49 years ago and so on.
Ghib, please interview more people. Perhaps on the topic of how the elderly Singaporeans feel towards the Japanese?
This country will remain liveable if the people don't take things for granted and stay grounded in realities. Small and resource-poor make it vulnerable to external events. Good that Yoshiko-san has fond memories of this place.
Iさん、お久しぶりです。私はシンガポール在住記録更新中ですよ。もう４０年。懐かしいです。
great video Ghib, really 1 of a kind and i literally don't think anyone else on youtube could do the kind of content u do. keep it up my man!
I appreciate that!
I’m crying, can’t explain, thanks for this.
One of my friend Minako staying in Singapore more than 43 years old.she’s 70+
I wonder if my mom might know her. It's a small community in the early days.
Very refreshing & enjoyable watching interview with Japanese, really fun like the previous kayu toast, laugh until the lorry upside down. Thanks
Wonderful and heart warming interview with Miss Yoshiko. Here She gave us a lot of wisdom . Ghib You just got yourself a new subscriber from Brunei .
As a Japanese American, my first visit to SG was in the late 70's for work. I was treated great by my Singaporean co workers but I was shocked as to how they talked about some Japanese visitors we would see in a restaurant. They laughed at how they would bowl to each other. I asked what they thought of me and they said I was OK as I was an American. About 10 years later and many subsequent trips to SG I ended up a expat in SG. By then, enough time had passed from WW2 that I witnessed no such incidents and in my view the citizens of SG are the nicest, most friendliest, considerate, and any other positive descriptions I can think of. Not to crazy about the year round heat and humidity.
Hi Ghib n Yoshiko san n michele,,, wow 43 years,,, i lived in japan n always think it was like a home too when i went to japan,, but now singapore is like my home too,, that no la ok lah,, is good lah 🤣,, interesting interview Ghib,, Huat Ah,, 😬👍
" Love's not love when it is mingled with regards that stand aloof from the entire point " - W. Shakespeare.
This so called " Kind " officer could have been assigned to that local community to pull a PR
Stunt, we will never know.
But one thing for sure, just like any
organisations , there are
Good , Bad & the Genuinely Kind.
Thank you for all the kind words for Singapore Yoshiko-san
Kudos to Ghib San’s transcription with a Singaporean twist! I enjoyed it!
Yoshiko-san experience is somewhat I can relate to. My cousin married a Japanese and even went to live there...but our grandmother never once forbid or got agitated. I think Singapore was practical and we forgive easily but never forget. Japan also did a lot to try to turn away to improve from its war past...starting from our grandparents generation we don't get such a political complexity (compared to china or korea).
So sorry to hear, war has no winners; only losers..
who said that? that's why japan have a lot of US military base
Wholesome interview, love how the subtitles had a more casual and local touch to it making it more personal.
Thank u Ghib for bringing lovely aunty Yoshiko to this show! Totally loving it! 🥰
Oh man she really touched my heart especially with her comments at the end!
The WW II was more than 70 years ago. Those who did wrong had mostly passed away. The younger generation of Singapore and Japan should live their own lives and not carry the guilt or hatred of the past. Only this way can the relationship between two countries flourish. Let’s talk but must move forward. This video brings healing. Ghib , well done.
Have you any family or friends who was taken away by the Japanese Army and never seen them again? Talk to these people. Then go read the way the Japanese history textbooks address this issue. Go ask ordinary Japanese if any of them know of the 40,000 civilians that were killed during the occupation?
@@keffinsg My grandmother died in a bombing while my granduncle never returned during the Soo Ching massacre. My father was brought up by his grandmother. My great grandmother hated the Japanese for losing her son. Japanese should 謝罪 しゃざい。
Actually people don't hate Japan, they just hate it when the current Japanese officials deny the atrocities committed in the past and try to whitewash this part of their history.
@@keffinsg you historian?
The guest was come to Singapore after WWII so I think this topic is not related to the video.
My grandmother used to live in fear of the japanese and my grandfather died during the japanese occupation but i'm glad that we were not taught to hate the japanese. Because look at japan now... it couldn't be more different.
Yeah that is good. Just sometimes some idiots will come in and tell everyone that Japan is being bullied and the victim of "war crimes" and piss everyone off as they know what wasn't told to these idiots, that they did even worse. When people are being kind enough not to bring it up, don't charge in and paint black into white. Sometimes these idiots do more damage to Japan's image than the "help" they think they are doing.
Some Japanese woman exp love Singapore weather .. the weather in Japan is either extremes HOT ! hotter than spore or cold .. the amount of clothes u got to have and laundry you have to do for the whole family is crazy. Singapore just make life simpler .. also the homes.. in Japan the earthquakes can destroy everything you build.
The last bit of the video is so wholesome
For me this is the best episode.
Thank you for your 40+ year's contributions for this country ,stay healthy Happy wish you all the best.
ありがとございます シンガポール Love you
Very interesting episode, thank you Ghib san.
Ive been to various parts of Japan. I was in Hokkaido and Tokyo in 1980 and in 2021 I was again in Tokyo and visited Takayama and other places and I find the Japanese both the seniors and the young ones very polite and helpful. From the suburbs to the city, they are all very very warm and helpful. The War is in the past. We live for the present and the future.
The atrocities of the Japanese during world war 2 were well-documented but it was more than 70 years ago, so let bygones be bygones. Fact is after the war, Japan has become a peaceful nation. It is true than in the seventies, Singapore was at least 20 years behind Japan in terms of technology and infrastructure development. During this period, Singapore was already wooing investments from both America and Japan. Our founding father, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew who experienced the miseries of the Japanese Occupation, did not hate Japan but was then Impressed by the diligence and discipline of the Japanese. Yes, like Yoshiko-San, we should know the facts, be truthful and stay humble and grateful.
That is your mistake! Never trust Japan - its tameness is but a deception for gullible folk like you.
This is one of ur best video to date. Cheers!
Well said about the war atrocities, but most of us have forgiven though not forgotten!
History must not be forgotten so as not let it repeat !!!
Dear Ghib さん, you have outdone yourself again. Good topic.
大切なこと言ってくれて、よしこさんもものすごく優しい方です！ありがとうございました。
What a beautiful interview. Thank you! ❤
ヨシコさんの「かつては🇯🇵の方が🇸🇬より20年進んでたけど今は🇸🇬の方が🇯🇵より20年進んでいる。」と言う言葉はホンマ豊かな🇯🇵から今の没落し衰退している🇯🇵を見てきた自分に取っては物凄く痛い言葉やけどこれが現実なんやろしホンマ考えさせられるね。あとシンガポーリアン達の間で🇯🇵が旅行先として人気があるのは🇸🇬にはもう無い「古き良きアジア」を懐かしみ体験出来ると言うのも大きな理由の一つなのかも。最後に今回の動画は個人的にここ最近の物の中では一番良かった‼️
3:38 being someone who served in the RSAF at Paya Lebar Airbase, it's amazing how Paya Lebar airport was like. That image is the Mushroom counter and it's still there and the mural too! Except of course civilians wouldn't be able to enter but yeah it's amazing!
Older generation has a lot of hatred for the Japanese, but some had also experienced kindness from the better educated Japanese soldiers who had helped them weathered those terrible years during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore.
I'd heard stories about how a Japanese officers who took pity on locals, exchanged their rice for sweet potatoes, found jobs for them in hospitals, gave (hawker) work permits to struggling families.
War is evil and men do terrible things to each other, my father fought against the Imperial Japanese Army, but he never hated the Japanese people. We shouldn't let the past hatred of our people rule our lives to live in a better world.
素晴らしい動画です✨嘘のないヨシコさんの意見がすごく心に残りました!
She’s so cute sia! And that ending comment for Japanese is a new perspective I’ve heard. It’s always been to Singaporeans - aiya so long ago liao, don’t grudge. But nv thought of it the other way for Japanese to be appreciative. Tyvm!
This is your best episode ..
What a wonderful lady!
Really nice content, thank you!
This is just so memorable and touching. Such a humble and amazing Japanese lady! Ghib San has done an excellent interview. Thank you.
Really enjoyed this interview. And Ghib-san 's mischievous side @ 9:18. Very deadpan way of asking that question and I just couldn't help laughing.
とっても素敵なエピソードで見応えがあり、感動しました。I love Singapore and kindness of Singaporians．Many of those who I met are warm-hearted people.
Wow she is so great and cool lady🌸❤️
I was a wee kid in the early 80s, i grew up learning about the war from my grandparents and from school, But never once did my grandparents talk about it with hatred for the japanese people. In fact, they have come to love so many japanese things like products and food etc etc. Now they are gone, i wish i could talk to them more about how in the world did they find such forgiveness. I really hope the new generation of Singaporeans keep this peace we have here in SG. So its really up to our generation to raise the next one well. Best regards
Very good memories. I was living in Chinatown in the 60s and we rented a flat unit from the government at Outram Park. My father was still renting the Chinatown unit and we walked home to Outram Park to sleep. 25 minutes every night going by the back of Outram Primary? and the narcotics building?
Awesome video! Great to hear about Singapore from the Japanese that lived here over 40 years ago. Such a sweet lady :)
After the war, we paid Singapore huge post-war reparations and invested huge amounts of money to help Singapore develop its economy.
And we have been sincere with the people of this country to build up trust, which has resulted in the good relations we have today. We have played our part too.
When living in a foreign country, it is important to live with a sense of humble gratitude for being allowed to live there, but from the title (in Japanese) and the woman's words,
"Don't forget what Japan has done", I felt that the Japanese living in Singapore are asking us to live with a sense of atonement.
The argument is the opposite of what Mr Abe advocated in his break from the post-war regime, that "future children who have nothing to do with the war should not be doomed to have to keep apologising".
I have the impression that the video was made by someone who was influenced by the JTU（日教組）'s self-defeating historical education, or Dupes or left-wing ideology.
I felt indescribably disgusted.
It is putting a damper on the good relations between the two countries that have been built up over a long period of time. ..
(I'm Japanese SPR and have been living in Singapore for 22 years..)
Very wise words from a Japanese aunty !
great video, so touching, thanks for sharing😢
She is so kind... stay happy