So when a woman heading to the airport at the end of her holiday in Japan realised she left her passport behind in another city, it might have been a disaster — until a very kind stranger came to her rescue.

The woman, who goes by the name bibimbopbop on Reddit, took to the platform in a desperate bid for help after realising her passport was missing in Kyoto as she headed to Tokyo’s Narita airport to leave.

“Hello, being a complete idiot I left my passport in Kyoto at a hotel and now I have a flight from Tokyo narita at 630pm,” bibimbopbop wrote on Reddit.

“Is there anyone that happens to be coming back to Tokyo in the next few hours that I could meet at the airport or anywhere in Tokyo? Such a long shot but I would eternally grateful and willing to compensate!!”

Her comment attracted thousands of upvotes and a hero, in the form of a man named Vincent Maggio (oneforkshort on Reddit), who offered to help her out.

“What hotel. I’m in Osaka with nothing to do today and I feel like an adventure,” Maggio wrote in reply.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, and Maggio worked out a plan: the woman’s friend would call the hotel in Kyoto and arrange to have Maggio pick up the passport, which Maggio would then take to Tokyo as quickly as possible.

Maggio detailed his race against time on the Reddit thread and on Instagram as riveted spectators tuned in to see how it panned out.

“If I make the 1:19 Shinkansen to Tokyo, I’ll get there at 3:35. Her flight leaves at 6:25, so she should have plenty of time believe it or not,” he wrote.

Later, he had an update: “Alright redditors, the adventure begins. I’m on the limited express from Kyobashi to Kyoto.”

Thankfully for Maggio — and the woman missing her passport — Japan has some of the most reliable and fast-running train networks in the world.

Maggio was able to make it to Kyoto, pick up the passport, and actually get an earlier train back to Tokyo than he’d bargained for.

The passport was returned to its happy owner and Maggio became a hero.

“This dude was so stand up that after thanking him profusely he acted like he had barely even done me a favour,” the woman wrote on the Reddit thread.

Maggio later told Travel + Leisure he was genuinely happy to help a person in need.

“I really had nothing else to do that day, and someone needed help. It’s that simple,” he said.

“This was seriously just a routine errand in my book, No biggie at all.

“I was just doing someone a favour that was fun for me too. It was certainly no chore. I’m really happy a bunch of people got to see the photos from the journey.”