The Monday Read: An Unexpected Pardon
Life is suddenly much much better Accompanied my wife on her latest hospital visit to get the results of some tests this week, and… it seems like she is going to be okay. I can’t describe how much my life changed in just a few minutes. 2025, all is forgiven. RetireJapan TV RetireJapan TV will […]
How much is enough?
Might be less than you think One way to guarantee that you will be unhappy is to be unsatisfied with what you have. Needing a bit more money, a ‘better’ car, more free time, to live somewhere else, to be thinner, have a new partner, a new bag, or the bigger house. Buddhism teaches that […]
The Monday Read: New Challenges
Goals give you something to look forward to I’ve always enjoyed having goals. Something to work towards, something to look forward to, a way to push myself to do a little bit more than I might have otherwise. So of course I have set, not one, but three new goals after coming back from the […]
Going wider or going deeper
Some thoughts on life and how to live it When I was younger I dreamed of travel. I’ve lived in five countries (Germany, UK, Spain, China, and Japan), and visited over thirty. My plans for retirement included a round the world trip to go and see people I knew all over the globe, and then […]
The Monday Read: Finding a New Path
Take a step to the side and breathe I took this photo in Surrey by taking a couple of steps off a rather busy road. I think there might be some kind of metaphor there. RetireJapan TV RetireJapan TV will be back on March 17th from 20:00. We’ll be talking about side hustles/part-time jobs in […]
Traffic accidents in Japan
Things you should know before they happen Well, I got back to Japan last night, and then this morning on the way to work I had… a traffic accident. Luckily it was a minor accident, and no one was hurt. But it got me thinking about all the things related to accidents in Japan that […]
The Monday Read: The Last of the Lemons
Now it’s just getting silly I was in Belfast in Northern Ireland briefly this week, for the first time. Nice place, but I wish it had been under different circumstances. And then, the evening of my first full day there, I got food poisoning or norovirus (the latter seems more likely). Really felt like the […]
The Monday Read: More Lemons
I’m getting tired of trying to make lemonade 2025 is really trying its best to defeat me. Have an unexpected trip to Europe this week, hence the lack of new content here on the blog and on YouTube this week. Apologies. I’ll be back in early March and hopefully get back into the swing of […]
The Monday Read: Toyota has no cars
Manufacturing issues, incompetence, or a cunning plan? We have four grandkids in Sendai now (and two abroad) so my wife has decided she wants to get a minivan. I had to agree, even though they are not my favourite class of car. Recently we took a ski trip to Appi with one(!) grandchild, and we […]
What is money for?
The million dollar question Your answer to this question determines how you spend your money, your chances of financial success, and even how happy you can be. So what is money for? In personal finance, I believe that attitudes towards money are more important than habits, and habits are more important than knowledge. I used […]