The Monday Read: Merry Christmas
Happy holidays to one and all. I hope you are enjoying the end of the year and have some time off. I hope things are going well for you, financially and otherwise. I hope you are optimistic about the future. We had our Xmas dinner last night as usual (Christmas Eve, Spanish style) so today […]
The Monday Read: it’s the little things
I believe the big things matter. Security, freedom. But it’s the little things that make life pleasant. Eating really good noodles. Reading a book to a kid when they ask you to (even if it’s the 74th time). Looking at the clouds. Relaxing into a hot bath. Taking a walk somewhere green. Sadly a lot […]
The Monday Read: You Win or You Learn
I learned something last week. (that’s the positive way to look at it, and I’m a fan of seeing the positive in every situation) I booked three nights in one of my favourite hotels. It’s an old school place on the coast of Miyagi near Kinkasan, about an hour and a half drive from where […]
The Monday Read: Happy Birthday to us
RetireJapan is ten years old today! On December 4th, 2013 the first blog post was published on this site. This post is #921. At this rate, we should hit blog post #1000 sometime towards the end of 2024. The blog was the first thing on RetireJapan, and in many ways it is the heart of […]
The Monday Read: Take a moment
Incredibly, we’re almost at the end of 2023. Five weeks to go! This has been a big year. Lots of changes, not all of them good. A lot of learning. One thing I have learned is the importance of scheduling leisure. When you leave formal work for self-employment, working time and personal time cease to […]
The Monday Read: Consistency
I’ve been finishing my shower with a minute or two of cold water for a year and a half now. Haven’t missed a single day other than when they wouldn’t let me shower in hospital. I’ve been doing my monthly finance spreadsheet on the first day of the month for almost ten years now. Can’t […]
The Monday Read: Meeting the Community
Had another very pleasant random encounter this week. I was having lunch with my wife and her cousin and his wife in a hotel in Nagoya, and I had just walked over to the buffet to get some more lasagne when a guy came up to me and asked if I was the guy from […]
Master Plan Part Trois
RetireJapan Remastered A few years ago I published a master plan for RetireJapan. Then in 2021 I published Part Deux. After all the crazy developments in the last couple of years, I think it’s time for another update 🙂 The original plan was as follows: Step 1: share information on the site/blogStep 2: run a forum so people can […]
The Monday Read: Late Summer in November
I’m not complaining exactly, but it is still t-shirt and shorts weather here in Sendai. In November. This is not remotely normal and makes me increasingly anxious about the future. For now at least it makes walking to work quite pleasant… Japan Times Article I endorse this article in the Japan Times 🙂 YouTube Thank […]
Grind your way to success
Because luck is rare Sudden, overnight success seems to be everywhere. It is in movies, in the news, on social media. But quick success is very rare, and often involves a long period of preparation. For every person who literally or metaphorically wins the lottery there are millions who don’t. It is better to assume […]