Japanese versionOn that day, the flight was late and arrived at Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport.
The expected arrival time is 8:45 pm. However, it took about 10 minutes to take off, 20 minutes to land, and it was past 9:30 when I was able to get out of the airport.
I don't want to walk outside alone at a very late time in a foreign country where I'm not sure the circumstances well. When I tried to get on the subway in a hurry, the guy at the ticket vendor said, "There is no train today." What? Really?
But I didn't have enough time to clarify what's happened. I could find alternative transportation and I was lucky enough to get on the bus to the city center. On the way, I was able to get on the transfer tram almost on time. Thank you, Google.
While waiting for the tram, it began to rain. The temperature was around 18 °C.
Poland's weather in early July is up to around 20 °C, with occasional strong winds, short rains, and it's like Japan's April. A little chilly at night. Even in the short-night Polish summer, this hour is so dark.
When I arrived in downtown that has my staying, it was almost raining. The inn I booked should be around 3 minutes on foot from here. Hurry up.
Warsaw tram.
However.
Even if I arrived at the place of the inn's address, I could not find a signboard with the name of the inn.
I asked because the next tobacco shop was open, but he said "I don't know". Since Google maps often show a route to the back door instead of the main entrance, I went around the block just to make sure, so I didn't see any signboard.
I asked a few people passing by, but the address was not wrong at the place I first found.
I called the inn's phone number, but no one had answered (the inn never answered a phone call either at the time of booking or after staying). There was no reply to my email. As it is night, it can not be helped but it is possible to check in the reservation confirmation until 24:00.
(Note: A self check-in method was written in the email that came later from the inn, but it was too late)
It was past 10 o'clock on Saturday night. Although there are many bars or cafes around there, there are not many people on the street because of the rain.
It can not be helped even thinking alone. I wanted to catch someone who seems to understand the circumstances.
Looking around, there were a man and a woman talking in front of the restaurant across the street.
The woman whose mood is similar to that of French actress Isabelle Huppert and the man who is as slender as a sculpture of Giacometti. After 10 o'clock on Saturday night, where the two were seriously talking on the street, I cutted into their conversation with sense of shame.
"Excuse me, May I ask you?"
"Of course."
"I'm looking for this inn. I found the address but no signboard."
"Well. Yeah, the address is it. Let's go together."
He crossed the road together and pushed the wall intercom. He tried it over and over, but there was no response, no sign of a gate opening.
Wall intercom. Only the address is written in the place hidden in green.
We went back to the woman who was waiting in front of the restaurant and I was asked some questions.
"When did you make a reservation?"
"Few weeks ago. I have paid for accommodation, but today I didn't receive their answer to my phone or email."
"Did you arrived in Warsaw today?"
"Yes, just now."
"Where are you from?"
"Japan."
So they looked at each other, talked briefly in Polish, and then he began to explain.
"OK, find the best solution for you.
Today is Saturday and the time is late. It's raining too. We can not contact the inn. You do not speak Polish.
However, since her daughter is learning Japanese, how about going to there to help study now? That's okay because she can speak English.
I will call a taxi by Uber and send you. You don't have to pay for money."
What did you say?
Seriously?
On Saturday rainy night, you accept a foreigner on the street of downtown in your home?
Really?
It's miracle helpful for me, but it's too kind!
I think that my face at that time was really speechless.
Certainly I was thinking of trying to manage the situation myself, but in the first place I'm not quick‐witted.
However, I knew that the security of Warsaw is not bad, so I was thinking only about finding a restaurant open 24 hours a day. Seasonally it will be brighter after 4 o'clock, and buses and trams will move by that time.
While I was stunned, taxis came in with great timing.
"Now, get on"
They took a taxi with me and left for the suburbs.
The woman got on the passenger seat and explained the way to the driver, and the man sat next to me and spoke a lot.
He used to work for 10 years or more at a local subsidiary of a famous Japanese company, and he traveled to Japan with an incentive at that time.
At that time I worked with many Japanese people. They are nice guy. So I am half Japanese.
I was moved by their kindness and I think I have repeated "Thank you so much".
Then man said, "Don't say such a thing. We're just doing the obvious thing. You came from Japan to Poland. On a rainy night, help people who don't understand the language. It's all Polish to do, not just us. "
I had no idea what can I answer.
The woman's house was a 20-minute taxi ride from downtown, like an apartment complex in Japan.
Once she got down first, she went home to explain to children who would be at home (they called them a couple of times in the taxi, but nobody answered. 'They play TV game or sort of thing because in summer holiday.")
I'm sorry such late time.
Warsaw city. Another apartment.
While we were waiting in the taxi, he asked "Are you on vacation? Why in Poland? You can go to Italy or France."
I answered
"This vacation is long. I like Italy and France, but if I went somewhere for a long vacation, I thought Poland would be good. I would like to know Polish culture and history directly."
It seems that he was not convinced very much, but when I tried to explain in more detail, woman came back.
"Okay, let's go."
I parted from him here.
I wanted to say thank you more properly, and I was very grateful to the accidental met them, so it was a bit disappointing that I have no opportunity for that.
When I was taken to the room on the 14th floor (15th floor in Japan), there were a daughter and a son of mid 20's.
The girl who put on the glasses made stare in wonder she would not have any more, she has repeated "Mom!" "Mom!" "My room is so mess! (It was actually beautiful)" .
Sorry for such late time ....
Mother said, "You're studying Japanese. You should be taught." in Polish, and she answered "I haven't been studying so much lately ..." "恥ずかしいです" as rascal.
The woman prepared towels, explained the bathroom and toilet locations, instructed the children in something, and went out somewhere with the man again.
I really bother you, I'm sorry.
Daughter is Karolina. Son is Szymon.
Are you hungry? Did not you eat dinner? Do you drink something? Both of them are so kind.
When I said that I would like to drink water, she gave mineral water, and they immediately checked the information on the inn on the Internet. Then Szymon said, "I'm going to go to the central post office, so I'll go to the address of the inn and check out what's going on."
A post office at midnight? I was wondering, but the post office in Warsaw is always crowded, so Szymon has a habit of going to the post office at midnight, avoiding the daytime waiting at the counter. Certainly, even in Japan, the post office in the midnight is vacant.
Why are you studying Japanese? I asked to Karolina when we are two.
Karolina is also good at English, but she has been studying German for a long time. She has studied too long and she wanted to try to study another languages, so she choosed Japanese, but Kanji is difficult and hard.
From the viewpoint of a person in the alphabet area, it is certainly not easy to use Japanese Kanji that has many sounds and meaning per one character. Even Japanese educated people can not use it perfectly.
Karolina who said difficult to take oral examinations in the master's program, asked various questions about Japanese social problems, political situations, economic problems and culture. Since the election is close in time, we talked extensively about the pension issue which are the issues in this election, the problem of aging and declining birth rates, gender discrimination, Rakugo and classical literature, etc.
Her English is so easy to understand, my broken English was understood without any pain at all, and I think that she is probably a very good student.
Her curiosity was strong, and she had a very clear opinion on the Polish social system.
I asked 'are all young Polish people interested in political issues like you?', she answered 'political issues are difficult, but everyone is interested and speaks out positively. It‘s democracy.'
She was very cheerful and very kind, and while conversation, she asked me repeatedly, "Are you tired? Are you not sleepy?" "Are you not hungry? Do not eat anything?"
"You're not sleepy?" I asked, she answered "It's summer, so it's morning to always sleep."
Still, we were tired when we had conversation about complicated topics in English, and after midnight I went to sleep in her mother's bedroom.
"I always wake up if there is anything," she said.
A cat that always slept in the room came in, sniffed my luggage and my smell, and complained with a low voice.
This cat was picked up by Szymon in the neighborhood. The name is Perkun that result from the one of the street that he was picked up. He is a smart cat that never scratched or bitten, and never sharpen his claws by furniture.
Perkun. Around 3 years old.
The apartment where Karolina lives with family is 3 LDK in Japan.
It was not splendor, but all of room were well kept, and everything was clean and tidy.
I said "It's a wonderful house," the woman answered "It's ordinary room," but it may be her commitment to do the housework at same time with her business perfectly.
There are some sketches in each rooms, including the bedroom of the borrowed mother, some of which were painted by Szymon. Those were very good landscape paintings.
In the morning, Karolina cooked coffee with scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast.
What is your plan? Is there a place to go? I was asked, this day is Sunday. In fact, I was planning to go to Łazienki Park on the day. In this park there was a free concert on Sunday in summer and I was going to listen to it.
Łazienki Park
When I suggested it, she said "I've never been that, let's go" and she went with me.
It's very special environment where can afford to have a park where everybody can listen to live classical music for free every week from point of view of foreigner, but it may be an ordinary event for locals.
On the way, Karolina talked about a grandfather who played with her in Łazienki Park in childhood.
Many of the sentences written by the grandfather who taught her the names of trees and flowers are kept.
Poland is a beautiful and affluent country, but has long been subject to aggression from Russia and other countries in Europe over its long history. In World War II, it was invaded from both Germany and the Soviet Union, and the government fled to London. After the war, one party dictatorship of the Communist Party began, and by the collapse of the socialist system in 1989, there were many Intense riots.
Now, Poland is a safe country, well-equipped with infrastructure, and a wonderful country for foreigners to travel to, but it is not hard to imagine that it took people's great effort and hard work to get here.
Especially for the generation of Karolina's grandfather, it might have been a difficult period of hardship.
the Karolina family have those not only memories with such a grandfather, but also the poetries and essays, so I'm a little bit jealous.
Warsaw Old Town. The city was shattered by Nazi, then restored by the citizens of Warsaw, based on their records of pictures and photographs. It was one of my purposes of this trip to see this city.
There was a wind, the temperature is 20 °C or not, the rain the night before has stopped and the weather is truly suitable for an outdoor concert.
A large audience was already in the square in front of Chopin statue 10 minutes before the concert. As we sat down in the open space of the lawn and waited, the presiding lady began to introduce the performers. The pianist of the day was Ms. Hinako Namaizawa, and the set list is the representative tunes of Chopin, such as "Hero de Polonaise" and "Goodbye Songs", which most people had heard.
The free concert where everyone from small babies to the elderly can enjoy the works of a genius artist born in 19th century Poland on grass and benches with the summer wind fanning.
You might associate classical music or art is ceremonious something or lofty one, but if this is a culture for a space that is just peaceful, all people here can equally enjoy the benefits. I think that is such a wonderful thing.
I become to think that history, culture and art are all for such a moment.
After a concert of about an hour, we went around the park with Karolina to guide me to the highlights (This year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Poland. Just before that, Prince and Princess Akishino visited Poland, and planted cherry blossoms in the botanical garden in this park. I didn't know at all during the trip), and then we had lunch at the food court in the shopping mall near her home.
The shopping mall was off on Sundays, but only the food court was open.
A few years ago, a law prohibiting the store operation on Sundays and public holidays was enacted, and in principle most stores are closed except for exceptions such as cafes, gas stations and hotels.
Originally in Poland there is a custom to spend on Sundays in the family, so it seems to be a policy to make the custom stronger.
I said thank you for taking so much time on Sundays that you should spend in your family, and I appreciate for the kindness of you and your family.
"I'm just doing the obvious thing. This is Poland.
You came from a distance and were locked out on a rainy night.
Any Polish person will help.
Not only us.
Even my mother told me that we should do what we could, and I just sleep on a summer vacation on Sunday. "
Karolina answered quite casually.
Certainly, all Polish are very kind.
It is not as friendly as looking so intimate, but if you ask something, everyone will answer properly. They will come out with reading glasses, check them with a smartphone, and show you where the map is located. If you get lost, you will say "here" and if there is something you can not do, they will try to use it as "do it".
When I wandered into to a military facility, guard men calmly guided me.
Most of them don't understand English better than I expected, but still they will do everything they can.
During a 10-day stay, I never seen crimes like pick-pocket or robber, I never felt disgusted with discriminatory words or attitudes, nothing that I think that it's not fair once (it was difficult to understand train arrival / departure system, if I must say, but this seems to be one of the inconvenience for the local people as well).
It may have happened by accident, but I think this is a important thing during my first trip in abroad when I was still a babe in the woods.
Japan is a safe and peaceful country, but Japan has its own complexity and unreasonableness.
There are many things that foreigners don't understand.
Although I personally are not accustomed to travel, but I think that it has absurd something if you travel to abroad, and I guess that you should accept like that things as partly.
But Poland did not have like that. Everybody were kind and gentle.
In that sense, I felt that Poland is a very kind country where anyone can travel with peace of mind.
Most of my impressions are encountering with Karolina and her family, but I would answer in a loud voice if someone asked, "What country is your most favorite where traveled so far?" "Poland!”.
And I hope to visit Poland again soon. Even though I just returned home yesterday.
Next time I would like to study Polish more, acquire knowledge of history and culture, and want to go to other regional cities, seas and forests as well as Warsaw and Krakow, and to experience cold winter in Poland.
After lunch, once we returned to Karolina's house, her mother came home and sent me to the inn by car.
When we parted, they never forgot to say, "Please contact me whenever you have any problems. Anything is fine."
Karolina and her family were kind-hearted to the last.
When I asked for permission on the SNS about this blog after parted, and she agreed, "Of course. If you don’t mind, could you send me the link to your blog after you write in it? I’m sure we would all like to read it".
I would like to express my sincere thanks to Karolina and all those who have been kind in Poland.
Thank you so much.
My trip to Poland was really fantastic.
I was very impressed.
I want to go there again.
And I want to do something if I can give back.
Thank you.
See you soon.
A view from the Warsaw Historical Museum. Here you can see the pictures, photographs, drawings, etc. that the citizens used to restore the city, as well as the ruins of the destroyed city.