Arigatou, Hiromi-san
On my last full day in Japan, I made an impromptu decision to visit Chichibu in Saitama prefecture, just over an hour's train ride from Tokyo. I had been monitoring the shibazakura situation there and was delighted to see on its website that the overnight snow had turned it into a winter wonderland. The flowers were not in full bloom yet, but who cares when there would be snow to see?
By the time I reached Chichibu, the snow had largely melted but I still had a lovely time exploring the park, which had a section full of pretty sakura trees (yes, I still didn't have enough of them after two weeks).
However, what I will remember from that day was what happened afterwards. The direct train service I was supposed to take was cancelled due to a landslide and I found myself stranded, without a clue how to return to Tokyo as the station staff did not speak a word of English.
Luckily, a guardian angel came to my rescue. Seeing that I was alone and a foreigner, she asked me to follow her as she was headed for Tokyo too. With her help, I returned safely after making a detour on local trains for more than two hours. I will always remember the kindness of this stranger - Hiromi-san, a ballroom dancing teacher originally from Chichibu. It was another heartwarming incident that made me love this country and its people even more.
Just in case it's not obvious enough that I'm in China.
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