Following the rules in Japan

I have been noticing some things about Japan.
 #1 Your needs are met.
 #2 They are met by others.
I've been lost, once, and asked for help. It was around 9 at night, on a deserted street corner, and I simply approached a young man and said the name of the train station near my hostel. It was clear that he didn't speak any English and I'm not so sure he knew what I was asking, but he gestured down the street, said "Go" and then walked with me, for about 4 blocks to the street corner that I recognized, then continued to walk with me until I was actually at my hostel.
The next day, at around 8 at night, I got on a metro train and, just to confirm that I was on the right train, said "kodesai" (which I have now discovered is NOT the way to say 'sorry to bug you but...,) to the woman standing next to me, pointed to the station stop I was going to and said its name. She nodded in agreement, and I went back to peering out the window to the train in an attempt to monitor my progress toward my stop. This particular train trip involved a transfer but the woman at the ticket booth who originally told me how to get there had pointed to the transfer station and said "Same stop, same stop."
When we got to the transfer point, I got off the train, expecting to simply go up one flight of steps, cross over, and come down another to catch the next train. As I walked through the turnstile, the machine made a sound and directed me to the station operator. I approached him, he took my ticket, did something to it, handed it back to me, and waved me through. As I walked through, I noticed the woman whom I had approached on the train waiting for me. I smiled at her and we walked together up the steps.
When we got to the top of the steps, she directed me to the left, out of the train station. I simply followed her, actually, she followed me for about three full city blocks. At one point, I turned back to her and said "Far!" or dark or something like that. She simply covered her mouth, and giggled. We finally came to a completely random corner that was barely marked as the metro station where I was supposed to transfer for my next trip. When I saw it, I turned, in surprise and utter gratitude to the woman who had brought me there.
"AriGAHto," I said, and bowed deeply to her.
She bowed back, turned around, and walked the other way.
I have no idea if she was getting off at that actual station and walked out of her way to get me to the transfer spot or if she had gone completely out of her way to get me there, I just know that there is no way I would have found that station if she hadn't walked me there. I also know that I didn't ask her for help or even suggest to her that I was lost. All I did was point to the station I was going to- she did everything else of her own accord.

When I bought a memory card at the tourist shop in Kmaikochi (the Yosemite of Japan), the man who sold it to me put a pair of scissors on the counter after he gave me my change. I was confused by this at first, but then I realized that the memory card was in one of those hard plastic wrappers that are impossible to open. Instead of putting it in my bag like I had planned, and opening it later, on the trail, (which I then realized that I never could have done without a pair of scissors) I immediately thanked him and started to cut the packaging. He stopped me and pointed to the top of the container, where it was easier to cut. After I had cut it and removed the card, he quickly whisked away the plastic and threw it away for me.

The next day, at the post office, when I bought an envelope, the man at the post office pointed to my left and said, "Free desk and pen!" with a big smile on his face.
"Of course," I thought to myself. "If I'm buying an envelope, I obviously need a pen and a desk to write the address and send the letter. So of course they have a pen and a desk for me and of course it's free, because it's what I need."

Today, as I was riding a bike around Matsumoto, I often had to wait for the light to turn green. Because it's Saturday and the off season, there were often no cars around and I totally could have crossed against the light. But when I thought about doing that, I realized that if I did that. the car or bike or person who was crossing the other way, would have to stop for me. And I knew that they actually would stop for me, that they would have to go out of their way to deal with the fact that I was breaking the rules, and I really didn't want to do that.
I was totally aware of the effect of my actions on others and this came from repeated experiences of others looking out for me. Also, my focus wasn't on whether or not I was following the rules or whether or not I would get hurt, my only motivation in not crossing against the light was because I knew someone else would take care of me and by breaking the rules, I was making them go out of their way to do it.

This is so totally foreign to me and it makes me think aboutwhat would happen if we responded to people by meeting their needs.
I happen to be reading a book about a murder and rapist and I wonder what would happen if, when someone did something that hurt others, we responded to them by bringing them to a place where all their needs are met, by acutal people, taking care of them.
I really think that they would just stop doing those things that hurt others. I really do.
Anyway, I just think it's interesting that I am following the rules in Japan, not to follow the rules but of of respect for others (because in SF, I cross against the lights all the time when there's no one there because it makes logical sense; but here, it makes no sense at all).