The only sight more ubiquitous in Asia than a woman dressed in flannel Hello Kitty pajamas is an internet cafe plastered in anime posters. The Anime Festival Asia ’08, hosted at the Suntec Convention Centre in Singapore November 22-23, pays homage to the cultural phenomenon.

The location site is even odder than the cartoons themselves, since anime is a distinctly Japanese creation. It’s the first of its kind, and the event is expected to draw more than 80,000 attendees.

The event's flyer reads as follows:

If you know what Shojo, Shonen, Hentai and Yaoi means; if you know all the characters in Naruto and their special moves; if you know every single one of Clamp’s works and how they link up, then Anime Festival Asia 2008 is exactly right for you!

Um, our answer to all of those questions is an emphatic "Not really!" But are we into watching obscenely well-endowed people with enormous eyes fight each other using strange futuristic weapons? Why not. There are worse ways to lounge off a hangover.

Related Stories:
· Singapore to Hold Japanese Pop Culture Festival [Japan Times]
· Anime Festival 2008 [Official Site]
· Casinos Coming to Singapore [Jaunted]

[Photo: super_rats]]]> ced138 2008-11-05T11:30:08-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/28/84648/851

Singapore’s Changi Airport is pulling out all the stops to make sure its customers don’t stray. From adding terminals to providing free entertainment, there seems to be no end to their schemes to stop us from flying through places like Dubai or Hong Kong instead.

Now they’ve got a "Smile Campaign" going to improve customer service within the airport (which doesn’t sound too original), and they’re also using a celebrity meet-and-greet idea to entice people to come.

Last week slightly-aged rockers Tommy Lee and Vince Neil from Mötley Crüe welcomed passengers at Terminal 2. Because there’s obviously, uh, a strong connection between Mötley Crüe and Singapore.

--AmandaK

Related Stories:
· Welcome to Singapore, I’m Tommy Lee [The Age]
· Changi Airport’s Getting Greedy for Terminals [Jaunted]
· Changi Airport Wants to Entertain You [Jaunted]

[Photo: Aviation Record]]]> pbb 2008-10-28T09:05:03-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/16/8481/4773

We're not surprised to learn that in Singapore--the country that totally banned chewing gum until 2004--it's not that easy to find a place to gamble. It's not illegal, but there aren't any casinos, so that makes it tricky, although come 2009 they're planning to open their first.

Until then, you have to find your own way to have some blackjack fun, but the way of the Senegalese Consulate is not the one we recommend. This week the ex-honorary consul of Senegal was jailed for two months for allowing his office in Singapore to be used as a gambling den.

Big money was changing hands at the consulate casino and perhaps it's a good thing that Singapore will get a real casino soon; we figure the cocktails available from the Senegalese Consulate probably weren't up to par.

The first of two recently-licensed casinos will open next year and the other in 2010. Lucky for the consul, he'll definitely be out of jail by then.

Related Stories:
· Ex-Senegal Consul Jailed, Fined [Straits Times]
· Singapore Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of coming casino site: Singapor3]]]> amandak 2008-10-16T09:30:46-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/21/71847/1359

Low cost carrier Jetstar Asia was jumping up and down at the recent Skytrax LCC awards, because it got two trophies: Best Low Cost Airline in Asia and Best Low Cost Airline in South East Asia. (Surely the second follows from the first, right?)

We're not so excited about the awards, but the special they're promoting in celebration is pretty neat. The airline is having a big fare sale with some tickets going from S$2 ($1.40) for travel until mid-November. The $2 fares are for the short hop from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, but longer flights aren't too bad either, as long as you like multiples of 11--fares are $11, $22, $33 and so on.

Buyer beware: Unlike the European airline industry where you'll always see taxes and charges loud and clear, the final bill on your Jetstar Asia could be a lot more than $11 or $22.

Related Stories:
· Jetstar Asia Prepares to Leave the Nest [Jaunted]
· Jetstar Asia coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: jetalone]]]> amandak 2008-08-21T09:33:13-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/27/23239/0063

If you're addicted to old school Mario Kart on Wii, or just love fast cars, head to Singapore for the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix, slated to take place on September 28, with practice runs on the 26 and 27. The coolest thing about this Grand Prix is that it's the first race of its kind held at night and the first street race in Asia.

The course will be lit with state-of-the-art technology and a high-tech lighting system designed to highlight the 23 curves and twists of the course that will line the marina. Drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Bourdais and Fernando Alonso are all set to take it on.

Race tickets are available online but moving fast, so don't waste time. Also, a variety of hotel packages offering rooms combined with tickets (at reasonable prices) can be found here.

Related Stories
· Singapore Grand Prix [Official Site]
· Datebook: Singapore [NYT]
· Mancations coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Formula_1_Singapore]]]> sedona 2008-07-28T09:18:24-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/6/19/112259/394

Valuair is a Singapore-based low cost carrier that's slipped under our radar until now. It started out with big plans to practically conquer the Asian market--it was even the first LCC to start up in Singapore--but things didn't go quite according to plan. After a bit of a merger with Jetstar Asia, Valuair's routes are more limited.

The carrier's just added a few evening flights to the Singapore-Sumatra route, and the rest of its flights are also to Indonesia, especially to Jakarta and Denapasar (Bali).

Valuair tries to differentiate itself a bit from rival LCCs with hot meals and--get this--a free baggage allowance. We're quite taken with this Valuair lunchbox. Who can't love an airline that wishes you "Bon Airppetit"?

Related Stories:
· Valuair [Official Site]
· Valuair Launches Evening Flights to Medan [Asia Travel Tips]
· Low Cost Carriers coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ian Fuller]]]> amandak 2008-06-19T12:30:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/5/16/42133/1188

The great hub of Singapore's Changi Airport is already on the way to getting bigger, but now it's also getting better. Head to the third floor of the Terminal 2 building and you can now hang out in the Entertainment Deck, formally referred to as the "one-stop integrated entertainment zone."

The powers-that-be know that transit passengers have needs--could they mention this to other airports?--so the Entertainment Deck is there to help us pass the time: there's a free LAN gaming room, Xbox and Playstation consoles to use for free, a free cinema, music booths and a comic and collectibles shop.

You read right, heaps of that stuff is free to use. Isn't Changi Airport a friendly place? It almost makes you want to get stuck in transit waiting for a delayed plane... but not quite.

Related Stories:
· Changi Entertainment Deck [Official Site]
· Changi Airport's Getting Greedy for Terminals [Jaunted]]]> amandak 2008-05-16T09:45:01-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/