Another View: Kindness cancels thugs' act

I just read your article in regards to the Japanese group touring Northland having their car broken into and their baggage stolen.

While I can't help, I would like to pass on my best wishes from a New Zealander living in Japan. I feel badly about how this reflects on our country and I would love them to know how kind and caring New Zealanders can be.

I hope it does not ruin their whole image of New Zealand.

I do hope the rest of their time in New Zealand is enjoyable and the people of New Zealand can overwhelm them with support and good memories to blank out the evil, selfish deeds of a few stupid thugs.

I don't know which part of Japan they are from or when they will return to Japan but I would happily offer to cook them a New Zealand dinner and offer the friendship of my wife and I when they return. I live in Osaka with my wife.

Japan is such a safe country where one can leave the keys in the car and have it running while in the store ... forget to shut your windows at night and everything will still be there in the morning, where one can walk home at any time of night from anywhere to almost anywhere without worrying .

Leave your wallet somewhere ... 99 per cent chance you will get it back either from police, train station people or it may even be where it was as nobody wanted to pick it up in case they were mistaken for a thief. All my neighbours greet each other which is also nice.

When people grow up in this kind of environment often they assume that everywhere else is equally safe ... unfortunately Japan is an exception and not the general rule ... and I always try to point this out to my students before they go overseas.

Anyway I hope that made sense ... and thank you to the Advocate for taking this task on to pass on messages of support and help to these people.