Bloom In Japan

say anything bad about Japanese people again (not that I have in the past). Imagine yourself getting on the last train from downtown after a night of drinking, but that train stops 3 stations from your home. If you are me, you ignore common sense and walk the remaining distance instead of taking a taxi. Needless to say, I somehow underestimated the work involved with walking from said station back home, and began an hour+ journey into the heart of Japan by myself, equipped with only a compass and a faint idea of which direction to go. After about 45 minutes of wandering, I fell upon an AM/PM store (like a 7/11), and proceeded to ask for directions. After another 25 minutes of “communication”, what am I presented with? Not more directions, but a worker from the konbini equipped with a pedal bicycle, ready to freaking take me all the way to my home station. When he rolled up I immediately tried to refuse the hospitality, but after bickering back and forth I finally accepted the fact that Japanese people are quite possibly the nicest people on the planet, and received a ride all the way home. I wanted to pay a large sum to show my gratitude, but ended up convincing said friend to take a small amount of money for my appreciation for the entirely unnecessary amount of work that he applied. Seriously, would this sort of thing happen anywhere else on planet Earth?

Edit: This was written immediately after getting back, so I was a little drunk…But the point is the same. Having some kid half my size insist on taking me to my home station, at 1:30 AM, on an old rusty bicycle, was easily the nicest thing any stranger has ever done for me. I am still a little shocked to be honest.