Is it really a dangerous neighbourhood? Ghib Ojisan discusses with Japanese community living in Yishun

Whether it's 'Spider-Man' hanging from a window ledge or a boy casually walking with an 'assault rifle' in hand, Yishun has had its fair share of notable events.

It is often labelled as the country's most dangerous neighbourhood, and this negative reputation was not lost on YouTuber Ghib Ojisan.

He recently found a "secret Japanese community" that calls this neighbourhood in the north home.

Ghib was interested to know more about how their life journey led them to Yishun.

Last Thursday (Sept 21), he posted a video on YouTube of him hanging out with three Japanese ladies — Naomi, Nanako and Zarah —  and their children.

All three of them have lived in Yishun for at least three years so it's safe to say they do know a little bit about the area.

The trio brought Ghib to a local hawker centre for lunch, and once they were done with their food, he went straight in with his first question.

"What brought you here [Yishun] in the first place?" he asked.

Naomi gave a rather blunt reply, claiming that she won't come to Yishun if she wasn't married. But "unfortunately", her husband lives in Yishun.

In December 2019, Ghib posted a YouTube clip about Yishun being "Singapore's most dangerous area".

The three ladies, however, apparently had no clue Yishun was often associated with the dangerous or strange prior to watching that video.

"After your video, my friends refused to come to my house," Zarah said tongue-in-cheek to Ghib, chuckling.

Regardless, she's got no regrets about staying in Yishun.

Zarah and her husband are nature lovers, and the couple appreciate how their home is accessible to nature.

Just another wild boar

However, with nature comes wild animals - and all three ladies have had encounters with them around the neighbourhood.

Naomi recalled seeing a wild boar in Yishun while Nanako came across a monkey while she was waiting for the bus.

Ghib cheekily tried to push the agenda a little further, asking: "So Yishun is dangerous?"

This received a straight-out "no" from the women, who were adamant that Yishun is a safe and peaceful location.

However, they admitted that there were drawbacks to living in Yishun.

Nanako mentioned that it can be "difficult" to invite friends over to her place, simply because of how far north it is.

Naomi and Zarah nodded in agreement, mentioning how tough it can be to host a house party.

Thankfully for them, the pros seem to outweigh the cons.

Apart from the variety of parks available in Yishun, a feature of the neighbourhood not to be missed is the vibrant food scene.

This was something Naomi could vouch for.

"Everywhere, 24/7, we can get good food. If I'm hungry at 3am, I can order curry," she said with a giggle.

ALSO READ:Is Yishun strange or just misjudged? I explored the neighbourhood for a day and here's my verdict

amierul@asiaone.com

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