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The story was shared on March 6 by a traveler from Zhejiang Province in eastern China, according to Chinese news outlet 163.com.

The tourist said she was visiting Okinawa in early March and was checking bus schedules at a station because she was unfamiliar with the local transportation system.

A girl who appeared to be in primary or middle school approached her and asked which bus she planned to take, the South China Morning Post reported.

When the tourist attempted to pay the fare, the driver stopped her. Thinking the bus did not accept cash, she took out her credit card. The girl quickly explained that passengers pay when they get off the bus, not when they board.

During the ride, the girl sat in front of her.

However, just before getting off, the girl handed her a piece of paper along with a 1,000-yen (US$6.27) banknote. Still confused, the woman tried to return the money, but the girl insisted and quickly left the bus.

The note read: “You can use this 1,000 yen note for the bus. Thank you for coming to Okinawa. Have a nice day.”

The woman said the gesture nearly brought her to tears.

“I will keep this banknote forever. I will never spend it,” she wrote in her post, which quickly drew attention on Chinese social media.

“1,000 yen is a lot of pocket money for a Japanese primary or middle school student,” a netizen commented.

Another wrote: “Japanese people may seem distant with strangers, but when someone is in trouble, they will gladly help.”

The number of international visitors to Japan in January reached 3.6 million, a 4.9% decrease compared to the same period last year, marking the first decline in four years, since January 2022.

The main reason was a 61% drop in visitors from mainland China, to only 385,300, due to diplomatic tensions between the two countries.