🇯🇵Ira | Island Manga Artist 🇸🇬 🌏 Traits: ADHD / ASD, IQ 115, BMI 17.7 ✒️ International Island Manga: MAHARAJIMA (まはらじま) 🇸🇬 Life Abroad: Attained Singapore PR as a "Singapore NEET" 🇹🇼 First Japanese national to successfully explore all inhabited islands in Taiwan (2025) ⛴️ Explored 500+ islands in just under 3 years 🌏 World Record Holder for the fastest completion
Table of Contents
A tour where you drink a bottle of Yakult as soon as you enter
TAKARAJIMA
I’m not mentally prepared to suddenly drink Yakult.
Free Bus Tour for Distribution of Non-Sale Yakult Goods
The Singapore bus tour, as usual, used an analog method for attendance confirmation. I’m used to it now.
There’s no point in wondering why they email participants their online tickets as PDFs anymore.
This time, there were 40 participants. Full capacity.
Since I participated during Singapore’s November school holidays, there were a few parent-child pairs among the attendees.
The bus was a Volvo. Owned by Yakult. Apparently, they don’t paint it in Yakult colors.
They could have, though. A Yakult on wheels.
Comfortable ride. Well-cleaned. No strange odors.
It was more comfortable than the Japanese elementary school bus I rode the other day. There were no curtains, though. It’s the rainy season, so that’s fine.
Tours with light snacks cost around 2 SGD. This time it’s free since there are no snacks.
Ira
Russia and Israel don’t have factories, huh? (This is important)
The Yakult employee serving as our guide was a skilled conversationalist. He delivered clever comebacks to the participants’ remarks, consistently drawing laughter.
The Yakult factory in Singapore is a place every Singaporean elementary school student (I don’t know about Japanese schools) is sure to visit at least once on a social studies field trip.
Singapore-exclusive flavor
The flavors of Yakult sold in Singapore are exclusive to Singapore.
Orange, grape, apple. For some reason, the apple one has a green label. It’s green apple flavor.
I’m perfectly fine with the original flavor. But since it’s a regional limited edition, it should be popular with Japanese tourists.
I checked the refrigerator at my relative’s house in Singapore today, but it only had counterfeit Yakult products.
This manufacturer also sells them with labels in the same colors as the orange, grape, and apple flavors, giving them an appearance that looks like nothing but imitations, right?
Yakult is a superior product that invests in research and intellectual property, yet its functionality hasn’t resonated at all with some Singaporeans.
[Addendum] My Singaporean family members who participated in the factory tour this time were persuading their relatives.
SG-man
“Similar products and Yakult are entirely different in function. Please buy Yakult from now on. Yakult products actually reach all the way to the large intestine. Minoru Shirota. Minoru Shirota.”
Minoru Shirota began chanting the spell. In broken Japanese.
Did Minoru Shirota’s summoning spell work? The relatives who had been buying counterfeit products declared their intention to purchase Yakult from now on. Mr. Minoru Shirota is smiling in heaven.
A Singaporean family forced to memorize Minoru Shirota during a factory tour that included over 30 minutes of classroom instruction.
Singapore’s most popular flavor
Yakult guide: “Which flavor is the most popular?”
Quiz format.
Besides the original flavor, it seems they have orange flavor. Seriously?
There was this Mexican exchange student at my alma mater who said Fanta Orange wasn’t sold in Mexico, so he’d buy it in bulk in Japan and ship it home for his family. That’s the vibe, huh?
Orange must be popular.
The Singaporean elementary school kid sitting in front of me raised his hand for “grape.” I wonder if you like grape flavor.
Photography is prohibited in the factory except at the entrance.
However, after the slide presentation in the classroom-style room ended, everyone took commemorative photos with stuffed animals and such lying around.
Quiz answers in the first half are meaningless. Only quiz answers in the second half qualify for non-sale merchandise prizes.
Why?
During the latter half of the slide lecture, I’d completely lost focus, so I was working on creating manga on my iPad Pro.
Before I knew it, the lecture had ended. I’m still living an extension of my student days, doing side projects during class.
My family casually received some non-sale merchandise. Hey, weren’t you feeling sick and struggling with severe nausea?
I couldn’t remember the name of Yakult founder Minoru Shirota at all. The next day, a Singaporean family wagged their index finger left and right at me, saying “Tsk tsk tsk.” Cheeky Singaporeans.
Yakult Non-Sale Items
Non-sale Item 1: Prizes for answering the quiz in the latter half. Includes cutlery, clear files, colored pens, and bags with pockets.
I decided to give it away since I have no plans to use it (I’m a tablet/digital person).
So I gave it to the elementary school family sitting in front of me. The older brother who first received it then passed it on to his younger brother.
Their mother urged, “Go say thank you,” and the younger brother came over to say “Thank you.”
Good parenting.
I thought the father of this family was Singaporean and the mother was probably Myanmar. Nearly one-third of marriages in Singapore are international.
Non-Sale Item 2: Yakult Post-it Notes
Participation prize. The paper is not white, but beige.
Non-Sale Item 3: Yakult Design Cooler Bag
Only consumers who purchase Yakult Family Packs after attending Yakult classroom lectures can obtain this coveted non-sale-item insulated bag.
Japanese group leaving without buying anything
My family went home without buying anything.
We took the bus back and dispersed. By chance, a Japanese person had joined this tour.
“Are you Japanese?” they asked me.
TOKYO-TOSHIMA
光栄です
FUTAOIJIMA
光栄です
This person also came back without buying anything.
Reasons: “I don’t need the family pack,” “It seems a bit cheaper, but I don’t know the retail price at supermarkets.”
While nearly all tour participants purchased the Yakult family pack, only the Japanese group ended up buying nothing. We’re the thrifty generation who never experienced Japan’s bubble economy. We share cars rather than owning them. We shop carefully too.
Singapore’s field trip-style social studies program
Ira(アイラ): World record holder for exploring over 500 islands in just about 3 years. As an island manga artist, Ira serves as a valuable social example of leveraging ADHD and ASD traits to their fullest. Author of the international island manga MAHARAJIMA（まはらじま). Holds Singapore Permanent Residency (PR) and a Master’s degree in Intellectual Property. [Link to Profile & Achievements] [YouTube Channels: 1. Islands & Unexplored Regions | 2. Singapore & Mountains]
TAKARAJIMA
💻 Server migration in July 2026. 🚧 Major website maintenance will continue until early August.
🌏✈️ Living Abroad | 500+ Islands 🏝️ 📍 Regional Guides (Packed with hidden gems!)
The copyright for the manga "Maharajima" and all images, text, illustrations, etc., published on this website (hereinafter referred to as "this website") belongs to the author (Ira). Any unauthorized reproduction, republication, modification, distribution, sale, or secondary distribution beyond the scope legally permitted for personal use is strictly prohibited.
The creative works on this website (manga, stories, settings, etc.) are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people, organizations, places, countries, or events is purely coincidental. While some real landscapes or folklore may be used as motifs, the storyline and worldview are original creations based on the creator's independent interpretation and are not intended to slander or defame any specific individual or organization.
Article 2 (Accuracy of Information and Disclaimer of Warranties)
While we strive to provide as accurate information as possible regarding the content and information on this website, we do not guarantee its accuracy, currency, validity, completeness, or fitness for a particular purpose.
The information published on this website is intended to provide general knowledge and does not constitute legal, professional, or investment advice for individual cases. If you take any action based on this information, please seek specific professional advice tailored to your individual situation separately.
The privacy policy of this website can be found [here].
Article 3 (Affiliates and External Links)
This website uses affiliate programs to introduce products and services. This website does not directly sell or provide the products themselves.
The products, services, campaign details, etc., of the linked providers are subject to change or termination without notice. Please check the official website of the linked provider for the latest information.
This website assumes no responsibility whatsoever for any transactions (purchases, contracts, payments, cancellations, etc.) conducted between users and linked providers (external sites), or for any troubles arising therefrom.
Use of Google Analytics and Search Console:
This website uses Google Analytics and Google Search Console to improve the quality of the site and ensure continuous operations. Each service uses cookies to collect data such as the number of visits and downloads. For details regarding this data, please review Google's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Article 4 (Limitation of Liability: US Standards Grid)
Users agree that this website shall not be held liable for any damages of any kind, including but not limited to the following damages arising out of the use of, or inability to use, this website, regardless of whether this website has been advised of the possibility of such damages in advance:
Economic Losses (Loss of profits, decrease in sales, loss of expected benefits)
Data-related Losses (Loss, corruption, leakage, or inability to access data)
Business/Goodwill Losses (Business interruption, defamation, loss of business rights or goodwill)
Technical Disruption (Device failure, computer virus infection, system errors)
Currency Exchange Handling (Damages caused by discrepancies between the conversion rates in articles and actual market rates)
Article 5 (Force Majeure Disclaimer)
This website assumes no responsibility for any suspension of operations, delays in information, or loss of data caused by force majeure, including but not limited to the following causes:
Natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, typhoons, etc.), fires, and power outages.
Network disruptions, server attacks, unauthorized access, and communication line failure
Enactment, amendment, or abolition of laws and regulations, exercise of public authority, war, riots, and civil unrest.
Article 6 (Governing Law and Jurisdiction
The interpretation and application of this disclaimer shall be governed by the laws of Japan
In the event that a dispute arises regarding the use of this website, the following courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction of the first instance depending on the amount in dispute:
For claims of 1.4 million yen or less: Tokyo Summary Court
For claims exceeding 1.4 million yen: Tokyo District Courtえる場合：東京地方裁判所
Article 7 (Revision)
We reserve the right to change or revise this disclaimer without prior notice. The revised disclaimer shall become effective from the time it is posted on this website.
SUWANOSEJIMA
TAKARAJIMA
Ira
SG-man
TOKYO-TOSHIMA
FUTAOIJIMA
