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Just staggering. For a second, I wondered if I really had arrived in the “most populated city in the world”. Tokyo and its 38 million people sound quieter than you could imagine. The loudest noise in the subway was the smooth purring of the train, interspersed with the soft voice of a woman announcing every stop. The passengers are ghostly travelers who you vaguely perceive as they strive to take the smallest space and make the smallest sound. As a person with hypersensitivity, I feared my new environment might feel overwhelming, filled with loud noises, strong smells, and stressful energies that would trigger me in every inch of my body. To my surprise, I walked the city streets immersed by the music of colorful commercials and the mesmerizing fragrances of Japanese pastries and karaage chicken. Pure bliss. As my senses were gently stimulated, the most satisfying feeling I had during my stay in Japan was the constant safety and benevolence. A trip to the train station may feel like crossing a human highway: endless lines of people hastily following their own path, heads down on their phones. However, they stay conscious of their surroundings, never bump into another person and avoid every obstacle as if the Japanese were equipped with radars. Curiously enough, in a city where the lack of space remains a major issue, nowhere in the world has my living space been more respected. Among the crowd, I existed as an individual. At times, one needs to be reminded what it means to be human. The Japanese society might have its flaws, but I fell in love with the ease and warmth with which two people interact there. When you come from a country where people act judgmental and hostile in the streets, this feeling is like a nice breeze. In Japan, not only the people are kind whenever you ask for assistance, but they also seem truly aware of the crazy maze the city or train stations can turn into for foreigners. I could not count the times locals approached me to help me find my way, even though their English was poor or inexistent. An old man even came up to me in a bookstore, to discuss for twenty minutes the interests of French people for the Japanese culture and learn some French vocabulary. Nonetheless, my favorite experience of the kind was my encounter with Shoko, a Japanese girl I met eight years ago during a Spanish course in Seville, Spain. We had not spoken once, still I decided to go see her as her hometown was part of my itinerary. We planned to meet up at the train station and have dinner in a local restaurant. As I pushed the wooden door hidden behind a mid-length curtain, I found a tiny room whose all 4 tables were full, as well as the counter. The scene could not be more typical: the waitress yelling orders to the cook at the back, the couple getting all giggly and uninhibited at the bar after a couple drinks, and the loud voices of the people relaxing and letting loose after the office hours. During this local show, it struck me: that Japanese sense of hospitality, again. My friend handed me a few gifts: a Japanese cloth and some authentic pastries. I could not describe the feeling that crossed my entire body as Shoko told me how grateful she was for me finding time for her. I never thought she could feel honored by my presence, as I was the one happy to see she could spend time with me despite her work. She left me only an hour and a half later, after a free meal, some presents, a good laugh and the best lesson of my life on selflessness. As a language specialist, this travel ended up teaching me that communication is not always about language, and I realized that the purest and most human communication goes beyond words. A smile, a gesture, and some approximate expressions are more than enough to create one of the best memories of your life.