A day of camaraderie and good food marked an outing to a Malaysian fishing village for CHC’s Japanese members.
By Yong Yung Shin
Sure, it may not be as famous as the Tsukiji Fish Market, but the Japanese Fellowship from City Harvest Church had a taste of rustic Malaysia when they organized a day-trip to the fishing village of Kukup in Johor, Malaysia on June 3.
Located slightly more than an hour’s drive from Singapore, Kukup is known for its serene settings and fresh seafood. About 30 JF members and their friends turned up for the event, which helped the participants get to know one another better besides introducing the local culture of Singapore’s neighbor to them.
“Through events like these, we also wish to reach out to our Japanese friends who are new to Singapore, some of whom may need help adjusting to their life here,” explains Lee Tat Haur, who runs the JF together with his wife, Naomi, a Japanese national who has been residing in Singapore since 2001.
“I always look forward to meetings and outings with the Japanese Fellowship as I can feel most at home among the good company,” says Dr. Matsuoka Takashi, one of the participants.
Previous outings, held about once every month, have included day trips to Pulau Ubin and fireflies tour to Kota Tinggi in Malaysia, as well as shopping trips and seafood meal outings to Johor Bahru.
There are currently about 20 members in the JF. “We gather weekly on Wednesdays for prayer meetings. In addition, there are also Japanese cell groups and housewives’ meetings conducted mainly in Japanese,” adds Lee. “We want to reach out, befriend, meet the needs and provide spiritual support to the Japanese residing in Singapore.”
If you are interested to participate in future outings and meetings or find out more about the Japanese Fellowship, write to naomilee@chc.org.sg
