A non-Japanese-speaking friend came here recently, and found a place in Kawasaki and a job in Hamamatsucho. Traveling to work, it was difficult for him to remember the names of the stations from Kawasaki to Hamamatsucho, so he remembered the big stations and then counted the number of stops in between.

One day on the way home, he took the wrong train. Later realizing he was lost, he got off the train and tried to ask for directions. With no Japanese, though, this was near impossible. Then he met a Japanese man who could understand the situation but was unable to explain how to get to Kawasaki.

Unable to communicate, the Japanese man eventually got on the train with my friend and escorted him back to Kawasaki, changing trains a couple of times in between.

The Japanese man spent his own money and an hour of his precious time to help a total stranger. Amazing. -- Jaskirat

Send your tales of life as a foreigner in Japan to [email protected]. If yours is printed, you'll receive "Pocket Japanese," a Japanese-language-study aid courtesy of The Japan Times Book Club (bookclub.japantimes.co.jp) Stories should be 200 words max.