Woman fed a 'panhandling' traveler back in 1982. Decades later, he built her a museum in Japan

Kindness can go a long way. Sometimes even the smallest unconditional gestures can change the course of our lives. While most of us help others out of the goodness of our hearts, the universe often returns that kindness in unexpected ways. In 1982, when an artist helped a homeless traveller, she never imagined he would change her life in ways no one could imagine.

Content creator Anela Malik shared the story of her grandmother, artist Teruko Yokoi, whose life changed with her one act of kindness. Teruko Yokoi, a painter and artist born in Japan who later settled in Switzerland, pursued her passion at a time when men dominated the art world, yet her determination to succeed never wavered. Calling the story a 'family legend' that no one believes, Anela took a trip to Japan to take her followers through the story. The story dates back to 1892, when Teruko Yokoi met a 'broke young Japanese traveller' in a train station in Switzerland. The man was a panhandler and had a cup set out to accept change from passersby. Anela believes it may have been a diasporic connection that moved her grandmother to help him. Teruko Yokoi offered him some of her leftovers and the use of her kitchen. Her kind heart fed the young man and also gave him some advice. The man was moved by her gesture and promised her that if he ever made money someday, he would buy some of her art.

To her surprise, his words came true. A few years later, the young man, who goes by the name Shingo, went on to build a successful sweets company, Ena Kawakamiya, and expanded his shops to 10 locations across Japan. But even after achieving success, he never forgot the person who had helped him when he had nothing. He returned to Teruko Yokoi and began buying her paintings, gradually collecting more of her work and turning their connection into a beautiful friendship. His gratitude did not end there; he went on to help her build her art museum in Japan, called the Teruko Yokoi Hinageshi Art Museum, which now stands right next to his very first sweet shop.

Anela paid a visit to the man in Japan during her trip to honour her grandmother, who had passed away and was laid to rest on a grassy hillside next to her museum. For Anela, the once young traveller has become old, yet she describes him as having a 'sharp sense of humour.' Interestingly, the man shares the same name as Teruko Yokoi’s son and Anela’s brother, who is also named Shingo. The family now jokes, sometimes playfully and sometimes seriously, that Anela's mother has two brothers named Shingo. In a study authored by Oliver Scott Curry, Lee A. Rowland, Caspar J. Van Lissa, Sally Zlotowitz and John McAlaney in 2018, the researchers found that engaging in kind behaviours, whether through volunteering, helping strangers, or small daily gestures, was shown to increase happiness and life satisfaction. The study highlighted that brief acts of generosity produced measurable improvements in subjective well-being, suggesting that kindness benefits not only the recipient but also the person performing the act. What began as a moment of kindness on a train station grew into a bond that spanned generations, that now joins Anela’s family with the man whose life was forever altered.

Soon after the story was shared by Anela, thousands of Instagram users expressed their approval for sharing such a heartwarming story. @sincerely_dion commented, "This is just so sweet and what an incredible story. You never know how you cross paths with people and what it will lead to."

@angela_hd_ commented, "What an incredible story. Your grandmother sounds like a fascinating woman." @squeak108 commented, "A wonderful story that I hadn’t seen before. Thanks for making this. Generosity can change the world."

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