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Japanese Cemetery
Walk along Chuan Hoe Avenue, off Yio Chu Kang Road, and you may
just stumble on 10,000 of the Japanese war dead.
They lie in a Japanese cemetery, right smack in the middle of a
quiet residential area, surrounded by landed properties and a
children's playground.
Unknown to many, the ashes of these 10,000 from World War II are
buried alongside those of more than 1,000 of the pre-war community
of Japanese here.
The sprawling cemetery along Chuan Hoe Avenue is the only concrete
reminder of the pre-war Japanese community here.
Like the other Asian migrants, these Japanese had moved to the
then British colony in search of a better life and to escape the
grinding poverty of their homeland.
Despite their minuscule numbers, they made their presence felt and
contributed significantly to the economic life here.
Pictorial Tour |
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1. Time just past 1am, our car zigzagged through numerous narrow
one-way streets at Chuan Hoe Avenue that is like a labyrinth
2. A metal and stone plaque marking the entrance to the Japanese
Cemetery in Singapore
3. A pair of white pillars, simple in design but clean and new, firmly
erected at the entry. We almost can smell the fresh (Nippon?) paint
4. Upon a casual question, 'Are we ready to go in?', a SPI member who
has 3rd eyes suddenly stopped walking, staring above.
His face was telling us something sinister there. Immediately we put
up the camera and shot this photo. See the
brightened
area.
According to his usual remark, he said every cemetery has a guardian
spirit whom he called 'Fatty Billy'.
But home Fatty Billy will follow us (actually monitor us) throughout
the whole cemetery until we left the cemetery perimeter
1. A speed hump along the driveway ensures vehicles got to slow down
to prevent disturbing the 10,000 Japanese war dead
2-4. There they are, scattering around in darkness accessible by some
very narrow bare tracks. We hope they are resting in peace
They are everywhere, one can easily lose orientation while circling
around the look-alike tombs in the dark ... don't be afraid
There are, however, some spectacular tombs with unique architectural
design; that must be for the rich, VIP or the honorable
1. e.g. surrounded by palm trees with a metal front gate; 2 & 3. They
have a foundation platform supporting the main stone structure
4. A small face orb was found hovering around the memorial column. Is
that the spirit of the dead lying beneath?
1 & 2. Some tomb designs probably for the extraordinary people are
very unique; typically of Japanese Zen style - elegant and simple
The names of the deceased are modestly engraved on the stone slab;
From the craving to the color scheme, nothing is too elaborate, that
give a sense of harmony and peace.
Overall, one can see that the cemetery is very clean and
well-maintained
3. We found a Chinese buried in a Japanese Cemetery! His date of death
is after the war;
4. New unoccupied tombs can be seen too. The cemetery is still
intaking new comers?
1. This plot of land looks as if being reserved. A small stone stump
marks its position
2. Just not too far away, a land was dug open. We were not sure if the
remain just got excavated or a hole was created for new burial
3 & 4. At the corners are some isolated tombs, subtle in scale,
standing secluded and accompanied by some luminous unknown entities
1. It was a full moon night, atmosphere was filled with strong 'ying'
energy; cold spots can be encountered here and there
Suddenly, the team member who has 3rd eye stopped us, leading us to
quietly squat down in the middle of a main path at the graveyard
2. With the camera set to slow shutter speed and aperture open wide,
the slightest faint light was captured from the scene
This photo reenacts how the ghost apparition as seen by the 3rd eye,
that is translucent and slowly emerging from the cluster of graves
3. Toggling the camera back to normal mode, it captures merely a small
orb that moved from the left to the right towards the tree ahead
¡@
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