To say nothing of the part with crying kids that become needy and less adventurous if the parents don't come to their side immediately, that really came out of nowhere, sounded like 100% pop-science (which most of the child-related psychology studies really are, to be honest).

I agree that part is not really unique, but if you are an obvious foreigner and stare at a map in a train station for more than a few seconds, a stranger will come up and ask you if you need directions. Maybe it is just people who want a chance to practice their English, or something (since they all have to learn it in school, but do not get a lot of chances to use it in daily life). However, I have literally had someone walk me halfway across the station and wait with me on the platform to personally see me get on the right train, during the middle of commuter rush hour, even though it was not the way she was going at all. That kind of stuff only happens to me in Japan, and it happens to me there repeatedly.

Of course, in the modern cellphone era, navigating Japan is not the imposing challenge for foreigners that it once was.

But when I had a problem using an automated bikeshare machine in Kanazawa, some guy and his girlfriend were more than helpful, even calling the bikeshare place on his phone to work out the problem.

What that part of the article was trying to convey was that if you approach a Japanese person a bit sheepishly and looking confused, you'll get a much more enthusiastic response than if you directly approach and say "excuse me".

It's not unique to Japan, but it is different than a lot of places.