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— ABOUT  Wasabi Stories… —

“What is consideration?”

Today’s story teller is an author, Yojiro Sato.

One day, when he was sitting and reading a book in a train, an older woman came in to the train.

Sato tried to give up the seat to the woman but while he was putting away his books, a young woman stood up and made a sign with her eyes to the older woman.

When the older woman said thank you and sat down, the young woman stepped aside by a door like nothing had happened.

“The small young woman with clear-cut features seemed to be an exchange student. When the train arrived at Otemachi Station, the young woman smiled at the older woman who said ‘thank you very much’, and got off the train.”

He said it was the first time he saw a young foreign woman being more carefully considerate for others than the Japanese.

Originally, the Japanese had strong sense of beauty, and there were manners in everything including the style of dress, walking and sitting; however, they seem to be gone now.

We often see young Japanese people put make up or eat something in a train.

Sato’s word,

“Consideration is kindness to others. If you put make up in a crowded space, your arm hits others, and if you eat, it smells all over in the train. You may think it doesn’t bother others but it does, really.”

Going back to the train story, the young woman’s conduct and the older woman’s expressing her gratitude were beautiful, they made him feel refreshed.

The NIKKEI Oct/21/2009  by Yojiro Sato (author)

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