On the 16th, a travelogue by a Chinese tourist about to conclude her first solo trip to Japan was published on China's social media platform Xiaohongshu (RED). The content is as follows:

Today marks the end of my first solo trip to Japan. Before coming, I was very anxious. I don't speak Japanese, and my English isn't very good either. I also applied for my credit card late, so it's not yet usable. Plus, I'm the type who's really bad at planning.

While researching travel information, all the recommended posts were about 'Japanese people are cold' or 'they discriminate.' There were many such posts, especially about Tokyo, where I planned to go, which made me quite uneasy. Ever since I came to Japan, every time I tried to enter a store, I would Google whether Alipay or WeChat Pay could be used, or if there were reviews mentioning bad staff attitudes or discrimination.

Many of the restaurants, sweets shops, and hotels I actually visited also had some reviews about poor staff attitudes. But to my surprise, I never encountered any of that myself. I went into many places on a whim, but I had a very good experience everywhere. What particularly left an impression was the night of my first day in Tokyo, when I went to a yakitori restaurant in Komagome. There, I met a very kind and lovely male staff member.

Even though it was past 9 PM, he was full of energy, like SpongeBob, and when he brought my drink, he even toasted with me (I later learned that toasting was a service you could get by paying 500 yen to support the staff. However, that staff member toasted with all the customers).

When my PayPay payment failed at checkout, he made an exaggerated face and said something like, 'It seems it's not working...' His tone was funny, and I couldn't help but laugh. Even though the payment failed, it didn't feel awkward at all. In the end, I paid in cash. When I left the store, he stood outside bowing and seeing me off the entire time.

Honestly, I've never experienced such service in China. Both are polite, but it was the first time I realized how much cheerful customer service can brighten one's mood. This staff member was very young, looking like a high school or university student working part-time.

After that, in Ueno, I met a male staff member who seemed like a typical workaholic. When I left, as soon as he heard the sound of me opening the door, he intentionally came out from the kitchen and waved to me through the glass. Then, he said goodbye very happily (though I couldn't understand what he was saying).

It wasn't just in customer service; people on the street were also very kind. When I was looking for my card key (needed to enter) in front of the (hotel) elevator, someone passing by asked, 'Are you okay?' I intended to say, 'I'm fine, I'm just looking for my card key,' but it seems it was misunderstood as 'I lost my card key,' and that person told me I could get it reissued on the second floor. And then, after repeatedly looking back to check if I was truly okay, they finally left.

The language barrier was due to my lack of preparation. But everyone tried to accommodate me as much as possible. Even with a little English and gestures, they tried to communicate with me, and I was never ignored dismissively. I think I understood (their intentions) quickly, but I hope I wasn't a bother to them.

Moreover, many people here maintain an appropriate distance and are very polite. That feeling was very comfortable for me. However, it is often said that 'Japanese kindness is fake.' I hope the people I met were genuinely kind. Haha. But since I was made to feel very good, perhaps whether it's genuine or not isn't important.

Compared to when I was in Korea, where I would constantly try to read people's expressions everywhere (I'm the type who cares a lot about people's expressions) and worry about being looked at strangely, I feel much more at ease here. I love Tokyo. I'm sad to leave. (Translation/Editing by Kitada)