Do you have a retirement plan / project?

[RetireJapan]

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

Park Golf is where it is at in Miyagi. My MIL is fearsome at it.

[captainspoke]

Would this be a gate ball or golf course? (or a local park)

[RetireJapan]

Would this be a gate ball or golf course? (or a local park)

https://www.parkgolf.or.jp/about/what/index.html

[Nancy]

Yes, I would love to play park golf if there was a course near by. I had heard that they were mostly in Hokkaido. I played once when we were living in Paraguay. The Nikei group made a park golf course and it was a lot of fun. (you only need one club).

[Tokyo]

Did you read the article posted about South Korean retirees last week in the NYTimes?

Apparently, a lot of old guys ride trains by themselves regularly because they are bored, lonely, poor and can ride them for free. The always illuminating comments section reveals that, just like in Japan, it is a particularly male thing. Older Korean women also do this but typically will do it in the company of female friends.

Has anyone noticed this happening in Japan? I know I wouldn’t have this as my retirement plan. I actually had a city subway and bus pass for seniors but never used it just for joyriding. Couldn’t think of anything more boring but that’s just me.

After trying it just once, I think I could really fall for pickle ball. It’s really fast moving, great exercise but without the physical demands of tennis or squash due to the compact court size. But unlike in Florida, it is really slow getting off the ground here.

< https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/22/worl ... ticleShare>

[Wales4rugbyWC23]

Did you read the article posted about South Korean retirees last week in the NYTimes?

Apparently, a lot of old guys ride trains by themselves regularly because they are bored, lonely, poor and can ride them for free. The always illuminating comments section reveals that, just like in Japan, it is a particularly male thing. Older Korean women also do this but typically will do it in the company of female friends.

Has anyone noticed this happening in Japan? I know I wouldn’t have this as my retirement plan. I actually had a city subway and bus pass for seniors but never used it just for joyriding. Couldn’t think of anything more boring but that’s just me.

After trying it just once, I think I could really fall for pickle ball. It’s really fast moving, great exercise but without the physical demands of tennis or squash due to the compact court size. But unlike in Florida, it is really slow getting off the ground here.

< https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/22/worl ... ticleShare>

I think women find it a lot easier to be retired, they are on the whole a lot more sociable than men.

I would really like to have a go at pickle ball.

[Roger Van Zant]

A common pastime of old men where I live is simply shuffling around the local AEON mall for hours at a time, or sleeping on one of the benches. Free A/C or heating, and it gets them out of their cluttered, filthy, and dilapidated "houses". Pretty depressing for a G7 country; but then again, we all know Japan isn't really a G7 country.

[JimNasium]

A common pastime of old men where I live is simply shuffling around the local AEON mall for hours at a time, or sleeping on one of the benches. Free A/C or heating, and it gets them out of their cluttered, filthy, and dilapidated "houses". Pretty depressing for a G7 country; but then again, we all know Japan isn't really a G7 country.

That’s definitely a senior hobby back in Canada too. At least it was. Not sure how many malls are left now.

[Wales4rugbyWC23]

A common pastime of old men where I live is simply shuffling around the local AEON mall for hours at a time, or sleeping on one of the benches. Free A/C or heating, and it gets them out of their cluttered, filthy, and dilapidated "houses". Pretty depressing for a G7 country; but then again, we all know Japan isn't really a G7 country.

That’s definitely a senior hobby back in Canada too. At least it was. Not sure how many malls are left now.

One thing that amazes me about Japan is that malls are still thriving especially AEON. One thing that amazed me about the UK was that garden centers have taken the place of malls and are offering everything under one roof.

[gaijin86]

Roger: "we all know Japan isn't really a G7 country."

I believe you are wrong there.
Ppoverty, homelessness etc. are not criteria for membership or lack thereof. If they were, most of the G7 countries would fail, with perhaps Japan being the only one that "passes".