SINGAPORE (March 13): Travel off the crowded path during Japan’s beautiful sakura season, sip on Japanese wine right here in Singapore, or dine out with some special deals in town, as we pick out the best things for you to do
EXPLORE
Sakura season without the crowds
Visit WalkJapan.com for more information
Between March–April
Enjoy the highly-anticipated spring blossom season by steering clear from the crowds. Walk Japan has a range of tours tailored to take travellers away from the crowded hotspots in order to admire these transient blooms. For example, try a gentle guided walking trail that leads from hot spring to hot spring in rural Oita, the onsen (hot springs) capital of Japan. On this year-long tour, bask in the warmth of a beautiful onsen and the rural areas surrounded by forested valleys, including a stroll along the Yabakei riverbanks, where a classic row of Japanese cherry trees bloom. Oita’s iconic near-white cherry blossom petals float down onto the pathway, making for a picture-perfect nature walk.
Or, if you want to immerse yourself in a culturally rich experience, try a self-guided journey through the Shikoku island, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands. It is a beautiful rural and spiritual region strongly associated with Kukai, one of Japan’s salient spiritual figures. This route starts in Tokushima, where travellers can admire Kira no Edo-higan-zakura, one of the largest cherry trees in the region with pastel pink blooms that adorn the branches of this 400-year-old national monument.
If the mountains move you, why not try a tour of a walking exploration of the Izu Peninsula with excellent walks along coastal trails, with a route that leads through natural springs, onsen baths and fishing villages. Seafood-lovers will enjoy this one, as some of the freshest fish will be available along this journey. Along the way, travellers will also visit the town of Matsuzaki, one of the best places to view flourishing cherry blossoms against the breath-taking backdrop of Mt Fuji.
DRINK
Singapore Cocktail Festival 2020 splits headline events
Various locations
May 15–22 & Oct 23–25
Eat, drink and be merry — but responsibly and safely! In light of the Covid-19 outbreak, the Singapore Cocktail Festival (SGCF) will be split into two headline editions this year. SGCF City Takeover features a lineup of exciting drink promotions, bar tours and cocktail experiences happening across the best bars in Singapore.
All promotions are redeemable via the Sluggr app, and participating venues include IBHQ, Idlewild, Jekyll & Hyde, Origin Bar, Smoke & Mirrors and more. Bar Tours, which take guests to four cocktail venues in one night, are also available for booking. Meanwhile, the second part of the festival, the SGCF Festival Village, which will see bar popups by Asia’s and The World’s 50 Best Bars, spirits-themed pavilions, and cocktail masterclasses, will be rescheduled to Oct 23–25.
Japanese tipples
Various locations
March 2–31
Try something new with the Japan Premium Wine Fair, where 11 stores and restaurants across Singapore will be serving five carefully selected wines sourced from the Yamanashi — known commonly as “the birthplace of Japanese wine” — and Yamagata regions in Japan. While wine-making is still synonymous with France and Italy, in recent years Japanese wine has been steadily growing in popularity and acclaim.
A wide variety of specialty wine grapes are now cultivated in Japan, including Japan-only varieties such as “Koshu” and “Muscat Berry A”, which are usually the main ingredients in Japanese wines. Check out some of the specially-selected tipples at these participating stores and restaurants: Al Solito Italian Japanese Wine and Food Tapas, Ishinomaki Grill & Sake, Japan Rail Cafe, Kan Sushi, La Terre, Motsunabe Goku, nomono (sale only), Suju Japanese Restaurant, Teppan kappou Kenji, Tokyo Yakiniku Heijoen and Trattoria Pizzeria Logic.
DINE
Dining deals
Happening now
Selected restaurants
Sure, it is a little warm outside right now, but when the evening comes, it is time to head out and enjoy some al-fresco dining with some great deals. Why not enjoy some riverside dining with a specially curated menu of homemade pastas and pizzas at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel Singapore. Pair dishes such as Lamb Ragout or Rigatoni Braised Pork Belly with a glass of red or wine, as part of a promotional set priced at $25++ available from 5pm to 11pm.
If you are looking for something sweet, Studio M Hotel Singapore’s Memo Café offers complimentary dessert or drink with a meal of lunch or dinner; while M Social Hotel Singapore’s all-day dining restaurant Beast and Butterflies, will give you unbeatable riverside views with all-day happy hour on wines, from $6++ a glass. Copthorne King’s Hotel Singapore is also introducing a budget-friendly local delight from 10am to 10pm starting from $10++. If you like the hubbub of the city, try all-day dining overlooking Orchard Road at Orchard Hotel Singapore, with a threecourse set menu priced at $45++ from The Orchard Café.
ART
Human Nature
Mizuma Gallery
April 4–May 10
The Seeds We Sow, a group exhibition featuring four Singaporean artists: Ang Song Nian, Marvin Tang, Robert Zhao Renhui, and Zen Teh, is an intriguing take on the relationship between nature and human intervention. After all, Singapore’s urban landscape as a Garden City is the perfect example of how nature and mankind shape each other, and are inseparable from each other. This exhibition seeks to trace these interactions and manifest these relationships into art.
For example, artist Ang Song Nian works with materials and traces of human behaviours made visible within landscapes through photographic documentations and installation, questioning the relationship of human interventions and invasions on landscapes.
