Waiting for the Japanese was a large army of British-led troops, composed mostly of Indians and some Australians. Although outnumbered, the Japanese forces advanced at a blistering pace down the peninsula towards Singapore.
Most of the Japanese forces had no previous experience of jungle warfare but they were battled-hardened from fighting China. Many of the troops they were fighting were inexperienced, and some of the Indian troops had never seen a tank before they faced some of the eighty transported by the Japanese. The Japanese also brought bicycles to travel down the well-maintained roads, and they used maps copied from school atlases. When faced with enemy resistance, one Japanese tactic was to go around the obstacle through the jungle or to use boats to bypass it along the coast-line. The Japanese were also able to attack from the air, flying in from Indochina and attacking British airfields. They quickly gained control over the skies of Malaya (Sheehan p. 8).
http://www.merchantnavyofficers.com/asiaticsteam/ranee.jpg