This is Masaki.
We told you that we started making some handmade " Compassion masks" for our guests in our previous blog.
After that, I had a heartwarming experience through masks by chance.
Today, I would like to share this story with you.
There are hardly any guests in Pongyi recently due to the coronavirus.
I was wondering if I close Pongyi for a while a few days ago.
At that time, I got a same-day reservation.
It was by a man from America (D-san).
I was excited to see him, because I do not see foreign tourists in Kanazawa these days.
He was the only guest for us that day.
Nina and I welcomed him with wearing a mask not to make him feel anxious.
We also sanitized in Pongyi as possible as we could.
D-san was a very calm and polite Asian-American man.
He was wearing a mask, too.
Masaki: " How did you get a mask? "
" It is very difficlut to get a mask in Kanazawa ! "
D-san : " I looked for a mask for about 20 stores in Japan, Tokyo, Kyoto, etc...
Finally, I found some in a drugstore in Osaka.
This is one of them."
I could easily imagine how hard to find a mask now.
So, Nina gave him our handmade mask.
He smiled for us and said,
D-san: " Thank you so much ! I am so happy ! I will take good care of it !"
He told us that he arrived to Japan before Japan annouced the immigration restrictions from America.
He said he checked the informations of coronavirus everyday, and
" I can stay in Japan until the end of April, but I am wondering if I come back home soon or after the peak of spread of infection in America."
The next day, the day of check-out.
D-san : " I decided to go home soon.
The situation changed, so it might become difficult to get a flight ticket to America."
He shortend the schedule of staying in Japan and left toward the Kansai area.
Then... the day after his check-out.
I received an email from him.
He said he sent a gift to Pongyi in the email.
The next morning, I was very excited and opened a package from him.
"What is inside ?"
Wow, a box of masks !
A BOX ! (50 masks)
He found it somewhere and bought it for us.
I was so impressed.
D-san will probably need masks in America as well,
but he gave one of his stocks.
D-san's warm heart made our hearts warmer.
Compression spreads through the world.
In this hard time and age, I will always keep "considering to other people " !