The longer I live here the more I appreciate Golden Week
For anyone on the Japanese annual schedule (year starts in April), these first four weeks are exhausting. So the gods (or previous Japanese governments, I guess) have given us Golden Week to make up for it.
It is perfectly timed, arriving majestically just at the point of maximum exhaustion to give you a break.
As long as you use it properly.
The correct way to use Golden Week is to basically sit at home and relax. Maybe go for a walk, or to a nearby restaurant at an off-peak time. Get offline as much as possible. Read a book. Have leisurely breakfasts. Enjoy the weather. Go to a park, or a river, or a mountain, or a beach.
The worst possible way to waste Golden Week is to attempt to travel anywhere. Going overseas will result in having to sell various organs to afford the tickets, and travelling domestically is crowded, expensive, and frustrating. Going anywhere ‘popular’ (Disneyland, shopping malls, tourist sites) is reckless folly.
Far better to use the time as it was intended, to unwind.
Choose wisely, and have a great Golden Week whichever way you choose.
RetireJapan TV
I really enjoyed talking to Andy Boon about working at Japanese universities, the current job market, academic publishing, the value of a PhD, and publishing textbooks.
The conversation took a philosophical turn I wasn’t expecting, and it was great to have Daniel back for some of our regular content. Super enjoyable episode for me, hope you liked it too. Watch it on YouTube or catch it as a podcast on your favourite platform (if RetireJapan TV is not on your favourite podcast platform, please let me know so I can sort that out).
YouTube
Thank you for your support of the RetireJapan YouTube channel. We were again not able to publish a new video this week. Please watch some of our older videos instead!
The Forum
The Forum is doing well (34,710 posts so far). Excitingly, we now have over 2,000 registered members (2,146 currently). The forum rules are here. In essense, they are:
- Be nice
- Ask any question you like
- Only answer questions when you have relevant knowledge or experience
Here are the latest active threads:
This week’s books
I’m reading Reminiscences of a Stock Operator, by Edwin Lefevre, as recommended by Daniel in the latest RJTV. It’s really good. An interesting read, and lots of interesting timeless insights into trading and market behaviour. Definitely recommend, and I’m not sure why I hadn’t read it already.
This week’s links
- Oh goody. Direct Earthquake Under Tokyo Would Cause ¥1 Quadrillion in Economic Losses
- AI is getting wild now (YouTube): C3PO ft. Childish Gambino – Gold Gang (100% AI)
- How low can you go? Would Yen Intervention Succeed?
- Interesting Reddit thread: Things to know before FIREing in Japan?
- I like this exploration very much: Why Buy a House (or Land)?
- Been expecting these soon for quite a long time: World’s Longest Public Road Test of a Self-Driving Vehicle Now Underway in Japan
- We’re fairly well off and know it: Rich People Who Don’t Feel Rich
- Nice to see these guys getting international attention: As Japan faces a population crisis that more foreigners could solve, the country’s police are being sued for racial discrimination
- 100x return in 40 years??? How Long Does it Take For a 10 Bagger in the Stock Market?
- Nice roundup: Off to the races | This Week in Japanese Politics
- More Craig Mod: “A Japanese Village Wants Tourists to Come for Heat, Soot and Steel”
- Wonder how Japan will do managing the transition? Understanding Japan’s Demographic ‘Crisis’: An Alternative Perspective on Population Decline
What do you think? Anything interesting in there?
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