Okay, so you can’t read Japanese, but you’ll want to keep scrolling to see what this “almost too kind” 7-Eleven owner had to say to his customers.
Located in several cities in Niigata Prefecture, western Japan, signs inviting customers to come in and cool off suddenly popped up at 3 such convenience stores.
“If you feel unwell and think it may be heatstroke, please don’t push yourself — come inside and cool off,” the friendly notice, devoured by social media, read. “There is no need to purchase anything out of courtesy. Please focus solely on recovering your strength.”
The words weren’t written originally by 63-year-old store and franchise owner Tatsuya Takahashi, but he adopted them after seeing a similar notice online during last year’s scorching summer. He was at the time wondering what he could do to help his community.
The first viral post of the notice appeared on X where half a million people liked it, and was shared in translated versions by overseas accounts.
As the 90-degree days turned into bitterly cold winters, Mr. Takahashi switched out the friendly signs with new ones.
“You must be tired of driving on snowy roads. Then, please don’t hesitate to come inside and warm up,” the new sign read with a similar assurance that no purchases need be made.
“We pray for your safety” it concluded. The response to the sign was especially enthusiastic at the Ozumi Parking Area near the city of Nagaoka, which is an area known for heavy snowfall where truck drivers often sleep in their cabs.
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Shared by the Mainichi Shimbun, the longest running English-language daily in Japan, Takahashi explained that his goal was to “pay forward” the kindness which he received while traveling a decade ago.
Suffering heatstroke, he sought refuge in a restaurant where the owners took care of him until the recovered. He never forgot the simple acts of giving him cold water and leading him to the coolest seat, and hopes that others may likewise recover in one of his convenience stores.
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“Even small acts of kindness can come full circle,” Takahashi told the paper.
Equally inspired by the man’s kind signs, Japanese 7-Eleven launched a “cool share” campaign at locations around the country inviting people to come in and do just the same.
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