A Hong Kong woman travelling alone in Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture has shared how she was stranded after a powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the region on July 28, but found comfort and temporary shelter thanks to the generosity of a fellow HK family she met during the disaster.
According to a post she shared on social media, the woman was shopping on the fourth floor of a DONKI store in Kumamoto when the earthquake struck in the afternoon.
She described the shaking as so sudden and violent that she was "completely caught off guard." Unable to keep her balance because of the intense tremors, she immediately crouched down for safety.
The woman had planned to make a same-day return trip to Hakata and had therefore not booked accommodation in Kumamoto. However, with aftershocks continuing and transport infrastructure disrupted, she was unable to travel to Hakata as scheduled.
While taking shelter, she met a HK family who learned about her situation and immediately offered her one of the two hotel rooms they had booked, allowing her to stay overnight.
Deeply moved by the gesture, she wrote: "At that moment, I felt surrounded by kindness. I didn't feel alone anymore. I was so touched."
In another social media update posted around noon on Wednesday (July 29), she said she had joined three other HK residents to share the cost of a taxi to Omuta Station, where they planned to transfer to a JR train bound for Hakata.
Her experience attracted widespread attention among HK netizens. Many praised the family for their generosity, leaving comments such as, "Thank you to Hong Kong people for looking out for one another," and "Good deeds will be rewarded." Others said she was fortunate to have encountered such a kind-hearted family and suggested they exchange contact information so they could continue supporting one another while in the disaster-hit area.
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