Doraemon's Time-Travelling Adventures in Singapore

God works in a mysterious and miraculous way. Today is the last day of the Doraemon exhibition and as what I wrote yesterday, I sort of give up of any possibility of taking photos. After thinking about it last night, I decided to just let it go. However, somehow after gym today, I was considering if I should just go. It was not raining and it would be just nice that I would arrive at Singapore National Museum at exactly the opening hours. I set up my mind to just take photos of at least the outdoor Doraemon. A part me was hesitating as there was no point for me taking photos which I could find online anyways. I decided to go since I would be washing the clothes I was wearing so might as well sweat a bit. I was also hoping that somehow I would be lucky to meet a random friend there to help me take photos.

I reached there just few minutes before 10am. I hesitated again when I saw the queue to enter. I tried to take photos from outside the barricade but I had to zoom quite a lot and I would be risking blurry photos. By the time it hit 10am, the queue moved quite quickly so I decided to go since I was already there.

The queue just prior to 10am

I did not meet any friend but I met a stranger whom I would think of as an angel sent by God so that I could take photos with Doraemon. His phone was broken and he said he needed to take photos of the Doraemon for his project. He asked if he could use my phone and then I sent him the pictures. Since my main aim was also the Doraemon, I did not mind. As a return of the favour, I was just being thick skinned and asked him to help take photos with Doraemon and that was how I fulfilled my wish.

I did not retake the Doraemon-only photos that he took. I would be able to take better photos but I was already too happy with the chance of getting my photos with the Doraemon. I had some irritation since I wore ugly clothes and I did not bring my camera. Not to mention the glare from the sun and I did not QC my photos since my face was not thick enough for that. Haha.. Yeah I know I should not be complaining since I already got more than what I was hoping for today. Anyway since there is no way to take photos without the mask, I would not be happy. I hope this will return again someday.

Moving on to the exhibition itself, there are 13 Doraemon statues (inclusive of the Dokodemo door) outdoor. The one with Dokodemo door is considered 'outside' the exhibition as anyone can take photos of it without officially considered as visitor to the museum. To access the other 12 outdoor Doraemon area, we need to be considered as a visitor to the museum first. There is a notice to limit to 15 minutes in the outdoor area which is more than sufficient. Today I had 2 rounds (once just the Doraemon and once with me) and it only took me about 10 minutes. If I were to be picky and QC to retake some photos, it would still be within 15 minutes. Anyway I do not think it is not really enforced if the area is not too congested. They do watch and warn people who are touching the statues which is forbidden for infection control reasons.

Inside the museum, there is another queue near the cafe to enter the area to take photos with the yellow Doraemon and the time machine. I did not go there today since I already took photos here during my first trip. The queue was long at that time since the photo area is quite small. They only allowed around 8 people to enter each time. I did not keep track of the time but after certain period, they would ask the group to finish and allow the next group.

The merchandises in the shop are not impressive and I do not think there is anything really special or unique for this particular exhibition. To me it is like putting random Doraemon merchandises.

There is one final bit of Doraemon in the end of the Singapore History Gallery. This gallery depicts Singapore through the years since it was known as Singapura in 1299 up to present days. There is Doraemon bit at the end which is meant to be the section of the future.

I am not a fan of Doraemon so I only consider the exhibition so so. I do not mind going since it is free. I do not think it is worth going if there is a fee. The outdoor area is not exactly a good idea. It rains more often than not in these last 2 months so I think there is more time that the section is closed. That is ironic since this section is the main attraction after all. It is also exposed to elements. When I went there in early November, the grass patch was still grassy. Today the grass was mostly gone and the soil was rather soggy. I think it would quite muddy if it just rained. Overall, it is still okay as a cheap thrill and entertainment in the midst of getting stuck here because of COVID.