The willingness of the Japanese to help – Experiences

In this article, I would like to share some experiences that happened during the months I spent in Japan in 2018, showing the willingness of the Japanese to help, even when not asked.

This article shows real experiences of hospitality, education, and effort from the Japanese. Not everyone is like this, but it is undeniable that the Japanese really do things with others in mind, whether out of obligation or not.

These are simple experiences and were just a few of the thousands I had. Practically all were satisfying and made me like Japanese culture even more. It’s a shame that many only remember the bad and negative experiences to criticize the country. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone commented something negative in the middle of this article about good things.

Dragon Cave – Ryugashido

My friend Roberto Pedraça and I went to a cave located near Hamamatsu, known as the Dragon Cave. In the area, my friend learned about a place where people could drink fresh milk from Japanese cows, take photos, and see how the work there is done. He was very eager to go to this place.

When we were buying the ticket for entry to the Dragon Cave, a place with no relation. He asked the woman at the ticket booth for information about this cow place. The woman simply didn’t know, but she searched online and printed a map of the location.

Unfortunately, the other woman who was with her observed the situation and said it was her day off, that it was closed. My friend was sad, understood the situation, and we simply continued our walk visiting the Dragon Cave.

When we left the cave and were having ice cream at another store in the area, another woman came in and spoke to us saying that she called the cow place and said they made an exception for us to visit the place to drink the cow’s milk. It was very nice to know that a woman during her work hours took the initiative to research something she didn’t know and even called the place.

Indeed, when we arrived at the place, everything was closed, but the woman opened just for us to drink the cow’s milk, chat a bit about the place, and take some photos. It was even more amazing to see that the owner of the farm, on her day off, decided to make an exception for us to try the milk from the region, which is quite famous.

Both the woman from the cave and the woman from the farm showed great willingness and hospitality that forever marked my experience with the Japanese.

A Cultural Night in Tokyo

Getting off at Ginza station in Tokyo, a woman stopped me asking for money to help with the Hokkaido Earthquake. I suspected that this money was really going to that place, but I took advantage of her willingness to talk, until at one point she invited me to a place for a traditional music and dance performance.

I was a bit suspicious, what if they wanted to kidnap me? First, the woman gave me the flyer for the place, then she added me on Line and suggested we go together after work.

I met her at 5 PM at Ginza station and we went together to the place. She had given me the address of the location, it was near my hotel and I could simply say to meet there, but they were willing to accompany me to the place.

When I entered, there was a restaurant full of elderly people, all treated me well and were impressed by my presence and the fact that I spoke a little Japanese. I even received a snack and learned about a song from Okinawa called ShimaUta that I didn’t know and thought was really cool.

In the end, we took photos with the people who sang and danced, and the woman who had invited me along with her friend took me close to my hotel, even though it was out of their way.

It was a fun experience that I didn’t expect and that shows a bit of the warmth and hospitality of the Japanese. I intend to write more about this place in the future.

Support at Haneda Airport

I arrived at the airport and missed my flight due to confusion with dates. Desperate and not knowing what to do, not speaking any English and with limited Japanese, I simply sat down and started to think.

A Japanese woman at the information desk saw my despair and tried to talk to me and provided full support, accompanying me, insisting on helping me carry my bags, and calling some places trying to resolve my situation.

After her shift ended, another girl came to provide support and help me solve all the problems. I can’t say if this is really their job, since it was just an information desk. But the way they provided support was impressive, marked me, and drastically reduced my despair at having missed the flight.

These were simple experiences, in addition to many others that happened with known Japanese people or other quick situations that I don’t fully remember. It was an amazing trip, I hope you also have good experiences like I had. If you have any, leave them in the comments and don’t forget to share this article on social media.