After having our breakfast at Serangoon Garden Hawker Centre, we decided to go for a short walk at one of the nearby parks where we had not explored before. After a quick search on the internet, we headed to The Japanese Cemetery Park, located in a quiet corner of Hougang.
The park was established in 1891, originally on land donated by Tomiya Okura, a Japanese brothel owner who wanted a burial ground for destitute Japanese women—many of whom were karayuki-san (young women who had been trafficked from Japan to work in Southeast Asia). Over time, the cemetery grew to include Japanese residents, civilians, and military personnel, including some connected to the Japanese occupation during World War II.
After the war, the cemetery fell into neglect, but in the 1980s, it was restored and reopened as a heritage park. Today, it is maintained not only as a burial site but also as a space of remembrance and reconciliation.
There is a Prayer Hall (Hōanden), which is a small, traditional-looking structure near the entrance, the prayer hall is a quiet spot where we can sit, reflect, and observe the rituals of remembrance that persist here.
When we think of cemeteries, we will usually imagine solemn stone markers and solemn processions. But stepping into the Japanese Cemetery Park felt more like entering a hidden garden. Arched gates adorned with bougainvillea welcomed us into a peaceful avenue lined with frangipani trees, pink petals scattered gently across gravel paths.
Scattered throughout the park are hundreds of gravestones, some simple, some intricately carved, many inscribed in Japanese kanji. Small offerings (like coins, incense, or origami cranes) could be seen beside certain graves, left by visitors or descendants.
While Singapore doesn’t have real Sakura seasons, the cemetery is beautifully landscaped and full of flowering plants that give it a vibrant, tranquil charm. In many ways, it felt like a living museum.
This park is definitely not what we had expected prior to our visit.
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