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As my family and I wanted to visit an attraction which was on the outskirts of Hokkaido, the only means of getting there was by bus. However, the buses in that area did not have any numbers, so it was difficult to tell which bus you were getting on. As none of us could converse well in Japanese, we were afraid to ask the bus driver if the bus would stop near our intended destination. We could only cross out fingers and hope for the best. As the bus journey started to feel long, my sister pulled out a pamphlet which listed the bus stops and started to scrutinise it, only to find out that we were on the wrong bus. We alighted at the next bus stop and everyone, including the bus driver, gave us puzzled looks as we got down the bus. At first, we were wondering why they looked at us like that, but we soon found out why when we stepped out of the bus. We had alighted at an isolated area which was not near any sign of life, save for a convenience store opposite us. We approached the staff on duty at the store for help and to our dismay, they said that there were no buses around that area traveling in the opposite direction from the way which we came. Even taxis would not want to pick us up because we were in the middle of nowhere. It definitely did not help that it was snowing heavily and the snow was at calf level. Without any other choice, we slowly trudged in the snow in the opposite direction. After a long walk, we started to come across houses and decided to ask the locals for directions. A kind looking lady answered the door and told us that the attraction was quite a distance from where we were. As we were about to succumb ourselves to another long walk, she suddenly called to us and offered us a ride there, because she knew that it would be difficult to find our way there without any landmarks amidst the thick snow. After getting lost and discovering that there was no transport anywhere in sight, we felt so worried and distressed. Her act of kindness, however, was like seeing a light at the end of a never-ending dark tunnel. We could not thank her enough for her thoughtfulness and until this day, this incident still warms my heart.