Solo Female Traveler From Singapore!

The fun summer has come to an end, and now we can catch some breath and relax.
This time, a lady from Singapore came to visit all by herself.

In fact, she had planned to come to Japan in August and was really looking forward to it, but she fell ill the day before the departure and had to postpone. Now she finally made it to Japan!

When someone makes a request for homestay with us, we chat frequently on LINE in advance, so by the time the guests arrive, it feels like we're not strangers at all. Well, even without any exchange, it doesn't feel like a first meeting to us somehow… 😂
This was the case with her as well. We felt like we knew each other for a long time even if it IS our first meeting in person.

She has come to Japan several times for work, but this time she wanted to relax on a private trip. A week-long adult journey—sounds wonderful! 😍

We had a lively summer holiday with energetic children, so the atmosphere is quite different with just adults. We enjoyed quiet walks, took in the scenery, sometimes went sightseeing together, and went hiking. Although it was pretty warm for mid-September, it was still more comfortable compared to the summer heat. Singapore has a hot and humid climate all year round, so for someone like me who struggles with heat, for her it felt "normal" instead of "too hot."

We did a variety of things during the week, actually five full days, since she arrived in the evening on the first day and left in the morning on the last day.

We started our mornings slowly, chatting, and relaxing. She brought spices and mixes from Singapore and cooked for us almost every night. I wasn't very familiar with Singaporean cuisine, but it was relatively light (with a few spicy dishes) and very enjoyable.

We visited the Noh Theatre Museum and the Ancient Pottery Museum in Kawaramachi to learn about Japanese culture. After that, we experienced thread spinning and weaving at the Tamba Cotton Lab in Fukusumi. On Wednesdays, many shops in the castle town area were closed, so we tried to search outside of the area online, we found that all the popular shops were closed too. As I was driving, worried about what to do, I spotted an "Open" sign in front of Futaba Café, which was supposed to be closed! When we went back, it turned out that another business was temporarily operating in the Futaba Café space!

Thanks to that, she got to try venison curry for the first time! Plus, they probably closed down once they ran out, as we noticed the "Closed" sign when we were leaving. What an amazing timing! 😍🎉

During the hike with John, she said it was more challenging than expected, but they made it to the top and even reached the "Oni-no-Kakehashi (Demon's Bridge)." It was scary, but she was delighted to take pictures on the rocks! By the way, there aren't any tall mountains in Singapore; they only have some basic hiking trails.

Since she was also interested in the famous Tamba pottery, we tried pottery-making. For lunch, we enjoyed Korean cuisine at Sulakkan and took photos in a nearby cosmos field. In the evening, she went for a solo stroll to Kozoji temple,  where she rang the temple bell.

The American sisters who come over occasionally came over to make sourdough pizza. Our sons joined in, and we had a homemade pizza party! We all enjoyed a leisurely and fun time together eating delicious pizza.

Before we knew it, it was time for her to leave. She had an evening flight from Kansai Airport, so I took her to Sasayamaguchi station to catch a train at the right time. Although she didn't have any reservations, we went with the simplest method using the limited express. I walked her to the ticket gate, but she struggled to buy a ticket. It seems there are fewer station staff nowadays, so I had to pick up the receiver at the ticket machine to communicate and finally manage to buy her ticket. As someone who doesn't ride trains often, it was really complicated and challenging for me. Getting there early was definitely the right decision!

So, her week-long solo trip came to an end, and she returned safely to Singapore.
On her way out, she said, "Next time, I want to come during cherry blossom season. Maybe I'll invite my coworkers too," already planning her next visit. Predicting the cherry blossom season can be difficult, but we believe someone as lucky as she is will be here at the perfect time.
See you again! Thank you for coming! 🌸