(This happens a week or two after I have just arrived to Japan for a student exchange program. I have yet to have my phone connected to the Internet at this point, so I have to rely on memory to get around. This, coupled with my liking to walk rather than go by transport, results in me getting lost a lot. This time I’m trying to walk home from university, but end up in a different part of the town altogether, and it’s getting late so I decide to just find the nearest subway station. Luckily, I at least speak some Japanese.)
Me: *walks into a convenience shop* “Excuse me, could you tell me what the nearest train station is and how to get there?”
Clerk: “Well, it’s a 20-minute walk from here and it’s a little complicated… Hey, [Coworker #1], there is a foreign customer asking how to get to the train station. Can you explain it to her?”
([Coworker #1], an extremely nice middle-aged lady, calls [Coworker #2], a young man, and together they try to explain the way to me in half-English, half-Japanese. Unfortunately, I am not yet familiar with local landmarks and find my Japanese vocabulary significantly lacking for words such as “highway” and “T-crossing”. Eventually, they draw me crude map and, having thanked them, I walk out with it. They had even offered to walk part of the way with me, but that seemed like an obnoxious thing to accept, so I refused. As I am trying to follow the hand-drawn map, I hear footsteps behind me, and see a young man dressed like a typical office worker trying to catch up.)
Young Man: “Excuse me! I heard you talking to the clerk in that convenience store, and was wondering if I could help you find the way? Where do you want to get?”
Me: “[Neighbourhood where my dorm is], but I’m fine with just finding the train station.”
Young Man: “Well, if you keep walking like this, you’ll end up in Nara!”
(Nara is a town over 20 miles away in the opposite direction from where I need to get. He then walks with me to the train station, making polite conversation as we go. I assume he just needs to go in the same direction anyway. As we get to the station:)
Young Man: “Do you know which station you have to get off at? I can look up on my phone.”
Me: “Oh, thank you, but I know. It’s [Station].”
Young Man: “Then you just need to board the next train from [Platform]. Here, use my train pass.”
Me: “Oh, no, thank you. I have the money.”
Young Man: “Are you sure? It’s [fare]. My pass is unlimited, so it’s okay if you use it. My company pays for it anyway.”
Me: “No, no, but thank you. Thank you very much.”
(As I head to the ticket gate, I see him waving and turning to walk off.)
Me: “Aren’t you going?”
Young Man: “Me? Oh, no. I actually live in the opposite direction; this isn’t even the station I have to board from. I just wanted to make sure you were all right!”
(Young man, thank you so much for helping me get home that night! This encounter meant so much to me back then, especially since I was in the middle of adapting to the new country!)
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