Lee Kuan who? Japanese public get quizzed on all things Singapore, give verdict on bak kwa

It seems like Japanese youths are in the know when it comes to the famous attractions in Singapore.

But identifying the founding father of our nation proved a tad trickier.

Australia-based YouTube channel BordersLess Asia uploaded a video last Sunday (Aug 27) of street walkers in Japan being quizzed on their knowledge of the little red dot.

On the tourism front, all seemed well as every responder was able to confidently identify key attractions Supertree Grove and Merlion as locations in Singapore.

The second question, however, completed baffled all of them.

Two pictures were shown to them, one of Lee Kuan Yew in his prime from the 70s and another of him in old age from the 90s.

"Do you know who this is?" the interviewer asked.

All the respondents looked stumped with one woman even asking whether the photos were of the same person.

While he may not be known among these Japanese youths, Lee does have a presence in Japan.

In 2016, Japanese author Yoshio Nabeta published The LKY Story, a biographical manga comic covering key events of Lee's life.

Red flag alert

Whether it's the crescent moon, five stars or red-and-white colours, some respondents were impressively able to identify the Singapore flag immediately.

Others mulled over their response a while longer. 

With outlandish responses such as Malaysia and Turkey, the symbols on the flag might have been taken into consideration.

Regardless of how the respondents fared in the mini pop-quiz, they were all provided with a special gift.

Taste of Singapore

"This is Singaporean pork jerky," the reporter said, as she handed pieces of bak kwa to the respondents.

It was the first taste of bak kwa of most of them, with one saying that it "tastes like bacon" while another mentioned how it is sweeter than the Japanese version.

The reporter herself got in on the act and gave her stamp of approval soon after.

She noted the sweet-salty combination worked well with the chewy texture of the bak kwa.

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amierul@asiaone.com

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