When Ho Ching visited the White House earlier this year, the photograph of her carrying a dinosaur-print pouch caught the attention of everyone. Turns out, the $14.80 pouch was designed by Pathlight student, Seetoh Sheng Jie, and it sold out almost immediately at Pathlight's Art Faculty online store.

Last week, Ho Ching accompanied Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on a visit to Japan which included meeting Japan's Emperor Akihito and the Empress. This time round, she brought a different bag which had story behind it. Just this morning (Oct 2), she took to poem to express the poignant story behind the exquisite bag she toted for the occasion.

Here's the poem:

And in case poems and literature aren't your strong suit here's our interpretation:

The former owner of the bag, a Japanese lady named Yoko, used it only once when she visited the Emperor and Empress of Japan years ago.

The bag has since been sitting pristine in its protective paulownia wood box. Yoko passed away a few years ago. Her husband, Mr Masamoto read that Ho Ching would be visiting the Emperor and Empress of Japan and came to Singapore to present this as a gift, hoping that the bag would once again be graced by the presence of the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

Ho Ching regards the bag as a "special gift of love and friendship", and has promised to use it every chance she has to meet the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

And for those wondering, paulownia trees provide the wood used to make Japanese paulownia boxes (essentially boxes made from paulownia wood). They look something like this:

Top image from Ho Ching Facebook

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