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Old Oct 2, 2016, 12:05 pm
  #4  
dsgtc0408
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: sometimes SIN, sometimes JFK/LGA
Programs: UA 1K, 1.6MM bis
Posts: 767
I will attempt to offer as many responses to your questions as I can. However other posters should (and probably will) contribute, in case I am wrong or my information incomplete. Additionally I am not Japanese so cannot really respond to those questions, although I think I can help you perhaps fine tune your questions.

- Singapore is overall a very safe place, possibly as safe as most places in Japan. You should feel ok walking the streets at almost any hour.
- It is not clear to me there are a lot of Japanese expats around the Orchard Road belt. It is one of the major shopping areas and attracts a lot of tourists, however one does not notice a majority group of tourists from one country or another while wandering along Orchard Road.
- Assuming you stay at the Hilton, there is an Isetan just down Orchard Road (other side). On the Hilton side, there is a very large Takashimaya Department Store at Ngee Ann City - this is just a 10 minute walk. The Conrad is in the Suntec City area. Note that it's sort of isolated from the touristy/visitor sorts of things to do; it's a ten minute walk from the City Hall area, for instance.
- On supermarkets, I haven't been to city'Super in Hong Kong, but there is a supermarket that caters to Westerners called Jasons. It will be easy for you to check out - it is part of the Orchard Towers complex and just a five minute walk from the Hilton. If you wish a more Japanese supermarket, there is one in the basement of Isetan, as well as in the basement of a shopping center called Liang Court. There is a chain of supermarkets that is more mainstream for Singaporeans but which, depending on the location, modifies its product selection for its immediate neighborhood. It's called Cold Storage (is owned by the same group that owns Wellcome in Hong Kong) - there's a Cold Storage in the basement of the Takashimaya. BTW there's also a Best Denki in Takashimaya, if that matters.
- River Valley is actually the name of a road with many upscale condos that is favored by expats and locals. (The Liang Court Shopping Centre is at one end of River Valley Road.) I'm not sure it's worth the walk. Here and there you will see some stores but it's all residential. You can get a feel for it just by taking either a bus that runs down it, or by taking a cab. On the other hand, there are a lot more Japanese that live in the Clementi area, I suspect because it's close to the Tuas industrial zone further west. There's at least one Japanese school along West Coast Road; I think that West Coast Plaza (another shopping center) has a heavier Japanese clientele but I may be wrong.
- Your best bet to learn more about Japanese related issues is to contact The Japanese Association. They are on Adam Road off Dunearn Road, which is in the Bukit Timah area.
- More monkeys can be found around MacRitchie Reservoir.
- On your question on kid friendly things to do, one day is not enough. You'll have to cross a few things off the list. MBS and the Skydeck will be good for the view; they have a huge shopping center but note that a lot of the shops are seriously high end. Gardens by the Bay is right there as well. The Singapore Zoo (and Night Safari) is at the northern end of Singapore in Mandai. According to their website it's a 30 minute cab ride from town areas in Singapore (including the Orchard area). Mass transit is doable but you would need to take a bus after the MRT (subway) to get there.
- Crystal Jade is a Singapore restaurant. You'll just have to try it to see if they're as good or better than the one in Hong Kong!
- Take mass transit when you can; use taxis for remote places or if it's too hot to get around. The MRT (subway) is going to more and more places and is pretty easy to make use of - it's nowhere near as confusing (I think) as the Tokyo subway (no insult). Having said that, cabs can be ok. They're much cheaper by distance when you compare them to cabs in the US. Having said that, note that there's a lot of different surcharges that can apply (one for CBD, another for peak hour) which can be confusing for visitors. In fact, cab fares are not regulated (different flag fall and distance rates), therefore rides on two different cabs by one cab company between the same point A/point B can be quite different.

Hopefully this information will be of some use. Please post again if you have other questions. Additionally I'm sure other posters will have their own comments as well. No worries - you're going to have a great visit here!
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