On a journey, someone offers you a smile. Someone notices you’ve forgotten something and returns it. Someone quietly pours you a second cup of tea. In those fleeting moments, the word “thank you” naturally wells up from the heart. Yet such gratitude can be so small it goes unnoticed. “A Journey to Discover Many Small ‘Thank Yous’” is a voyage that trains the ‘sensibility of gratitude’ by helping you notice each fleeting act of kindness.

This experience isn’t a formal workshop—it’s woven into the way you spend your entire journey. You might receive a “Thank‑You Card” at check‑in, carry a gratitude journal, or join a “Thank‑You Rally” where you collect stickers or stamps to mark every little moment you felt thankful.

For example: a staff member greets you with a warm smile; someone kindly asks if you need help with your meal; an elder lets you take their spot in the hot spring—each moment becomes an opportunity to practice catching your own “thank you” in the moment. You don’t even have to say it aloud—just record it, and gradually that awareness of gratitude takes root in your daily life.

When families participate, it’s especially touching to see children become absorbed in “thank‑you hunting.” They notice things like, “That person opened the door for me,” or “The souvenir shop clerk spoke to me kindly.” Ordinary experiences become meaningful opportunities to recognize kindness received. For adults, as they see “how many thank‑yous there really are,” gratitude becomes visible—and the landscape of their hearts begins to shift.

In some places, travelers are given time at the end of their journey to create a “Thank You Map” or “Thank You Postcard.” They write a brief message about who they are grateful to and what they felt, then send it to themselves or someone they met during the trip. It may seem like a small gesture, but by expressing gratitude, it adds a deeper meaning to the travel experience.

Such efforts can also become the gateway to making gratitude a daily habit. By noticing acts of kindness during travel, one starts to view everyday life through the same lens. The more “thank yous” one finds, the more kindness one tends to share with others—this gentle transformation takes root during the journey.

For international travelers, “arigatou” is often remembered as one of the most beautiful and accessible Japanese words. Travel becomes a rich time where different languages and cultures intersect through gratitude—“Thank you,” “Arigatou,” “Khob khun ka”—fostering mutual understanding and respect.

“Arigatou” softens both the giver and the receiver. Speaking it out loud changes our expressions, lifts the atmosphere, and calms the heart. Collecting these words during a trip becomes a quiet way to fill one’s inner self.

The small “thank yous” gathered along the way become invisible souvenirs, gently tucked into the backpack on the way home. And surely, they increase the moments in daily life when you stop and feel moved to say “thank you.”