Everyone has a kindness tale to tell about the Japanese. Here’s mine.

Navigating the morning rush hour in Tokyo is no joke, especially if you need to take the perpetually crowded Yamanote train. Coupled with three luggages and one baby car (Note that this is what the Japanese call the ‘stroller’), it was the perfect recipe for inducing stress.

We dutifully queued up in front of carriage no. 11 because it was designated for passengers with baby cars. Despite our planning, we couldn’t enter the train and had to wait for the next one.

At this point, a tall, bespectacled salaryman came up to me. In slow but fluent English, he suggested that we move over to carriage no. 1 because that is usually less crowded. It was a simple gesture, but since I know that the Japanese typically refrain from voicing their thoughts in front of strangers for fear of offending their feelings, it amplified the kindness of his gesture. He could have minded his own business, but he took the initiative to approach me and offer his insight in a language that was not his native language.

We followed his advice and pushed on to carriage no. 1. The sight of the speeding Yamanote train didn’t overwhelm us because we saw that we could enter it with ease.

Through this experience, I learnt that even though Tokyo may not be the most family-friendly destination with its crowds and outdated infrastructure, it still works because of the Japanese’s legendary kindness. What should have been a stressful morning commute turned out to be an anecdote to regale friends and colleagues back home. Arigato gozaimasu.