Thomas Ong fractures ankle 10 days into 45-day Japan trip
What's next: The Singapore actor expects about six weeks of recovery and plans to lead a Europe tour in December.
Singapore actor Thomas Ong cut short a 45-day solo trip in Japan after fracturing his right ankle in a fall about 10 days into the holiday. The 57-year-old said he slipped on wet stone steps after photographing a waterfall during drizzly weather and later drove himself to a local hospital, where an X-ray found the fracture. Doctors offered surgery with a metal plate or a longer recovery without surgery. Ong chose to let the bone heal on its own and returned to Singapore, where he is staying with family while he recovers. He said the expected six-week timeline should still allow him to leave on Dec. 7 to lead a Europe tour group.