Do you have a retirement plan / project?

[Wales4rugbyWC23]

The three 'G' s for anybody?? Golf, Gardening and Grandchildren

No
No
Yes

Although I'm likely to see the great and great great grandkids too

I'm not quite sure how many 'G's that is, but it is sure more than three....

[captainspoke]

Not being political, but CCP for me -- cooking, cycling, photography.

[JimNasium]

The three 'G' s for anybody?? Golf, Gardening and Grandchildren

No
No
Yes

Although I'm likely to see the great and great great grandkids too

I'm not quite sure how many 'G's that is, but it is sure more than three....

Don’t forget the other G. Becoming a G-chan.

[JapHans]

Retiring in March, but with some holidays left I will be closing the door behind my behind in January.

After seeing real estate prices more than double in my home country and the Yen rate dropping to a low, my plans to buy a place in the Netherlands have been put on hold. Still plan to travel, but not 50/50 in Japan/Netherlands.

I still have my Harley, so should go out for a ride more often.
Also, I enjoy playing with my PlayStation and do some computer programming, but this doesn’t help me to get out of the house, which I think is important.

I am still exploring the option to do project/consulting work, with my current employer or with others. Unfortunately, my Japanese is not great, which limits my options a bit. I think I can still add value to companies (finance and IT applications), but value time and flexibility over money.

My biggest challenge is “friends”. I have been in this country only 12 years, but it has been a challenge to create any kind of meaningful relationship with people. My wife and I are very close, but, others (colleagues, neighborhood people) doesn’t seem to be too eager to let newcomers into their private space. Maybe it’s me, maybe the relatively closed culture of the Japanese (Tokyo area)?

Regards,

Hans

[AreTheyTheLemmings?]

Something to consider for those of you who like golf:
I play regularly with a group whose median age is somewhere the 70s, mean age is somewhere in the 60s (a couple of us 40-somethings drag that down a bit), and oldest is 86 y.o. Our leader is 82 y.o. and still scores under 100 off the middle tees.

[goodandbadjapan]

My biggest challenge is “friends”. I have been in this country only 12 years, but it has been a challenge to create any kind of meaningful relationship with people. My wife and I are very close, but, others (colleagues, neighborhood people) doesn’t seem to be too eager to let newcomers into their private space. Maybe it’s me, maybe the relatively closed culture of the Japanese (Tokyo area)?

Regards,

Hans

I think this is a very common issue here, and not just amongst foreigners either. I know quite a lot of Japanese people who have very few friends outside work. I have no colleagues (except my wife) and hope to maybe get a bit more involved in outside interests after I retire.

Something to consider for those of you who like golf:
I play regularly with a group whose median age is somewhere the 70s, mean age is somewhere in the 60s (a couple of us 40-somethings drag that down a bit), and oldest is 86 y.o. Our leader is 82 y.o. and still scores under 100 off the middle tees.

I actually went to a driving range a couple of times last year and played a round on a course with a Japanese guy I know. I think it is quite a good retirement hobby option. Another issue with 'early' retirees is that few people your age will have the same sort of free time you have. It might be time to befriend the oldies in town!

[JapHans]

My biggest challenge is “friends”. I have been in this country only 12 years, but it has been a challenge to create any kind of meaningful relationship with people. My wife and I are very close, but, others (colleagues, neighborhood people) doesn’t seem to be too eager to let newcomers into their private space. Maybe it’s me, maybe the relatively closed culture of the Japanese (Tokyo area)?

Regards,

Hans

I think this is a very common issue here, and not just amongst foreigners either. I know quite a lot of Japanese people who have very few friends outside work. I have no colleagues (except my wife) and hope to maybe get a bit more involved in outside interests after I retire.

Something to consider for those of you who like golf:
I play regularly with a group whose median age is somewhere the 70s, mean age is somewhere in the 60s (a couple of us 40-somethings drag that down a bit), and oldest is 86 y.o. Our leader is 82 y.o. and still scores under 100 off the middle tees.

I actually went to a driving range a couple of times last year and played a round on a course with a Japanese guy I know. I think it is quite a good retirement hobby option. Another issue with 'early' retirees is that few people your age will have the same sort of free time you have. It might be time to befriend the oldies in town!

I have been saying “golf is for old farts”, but I guess I would probably qualify by now.

[gulfshores2023]

Reading the comments, I feel very much the same about travel. It's just not as appealing now as it once was, and there are a variety of reasons. In terms of a retirement plan, yes, my plan is to have a small hobby farm in Japan, maybe Shikoku. By using regenerative farming and permaculture techniques, I can improve the soil, the biodiversity of the area, which increases the number of birds, insects, amphibians, etc. Any garden veggies, fruits, nuts, berries, honey, shrooms that I can't eat or preserve I will sell at a local farmers market, or give away to my neighbors. And fishing ... I dream of having a small boat so I can fish around the smaller islands of the setonaikai.

[captainspoke]

All those Gs and nobody's mentioned gate ball...?

[Wales4rugbyWC23]

All those Gs and nobody's mentioned gate ball...?

gateball, golf wannabes!!