I am staying at a Japanese guesthouse in Echizen. The proprietress is so sweet, so kind, so friendly.
This morning, after a great Japanese breakfast, I was in front of the guesthouse, enjoying my coffee in an Eichizen mug, artwork distinct to the region. Last night, an elementary school girl's volleyball team from Aichi had stayed on the floor above me. They were preparing to go to battle, assemblying in the front before they loaded into their sharp, sleek black vans to venture forth.
The girls, who needed almost no prompting, gathered in a semicircle, as the proprietress walked out of the hotel and closed the circle. One of the teachers said, はい。In unison, the young ladies gave a lilting ありがとうございます, in that femine, confident Japanese way. I was standing nearby, between some cars, and had to walk away as the tears welled in my eyes. The beauty. The warmth. The sincerity.
This is the norm in Japan. That isn't an unusual occurrence. Oftentimes, when a Japanese person is helping me with something, or being kind to me, I ascribe their kindness to me being a foreigner. That's not it. They are like this all the time with each other as well as foreigners.
Americans are some of the loveliest, kindest people I have ever met. Oftentimes, I think what we lack most is the regimen, the structural framework for manners which could take our kindness to another level. Which could take our world to another kindess.
Help me. Please.
