Are you time rich?

[Gulliver]

I am recently getting more time rich but here in Japan sometimes I feel it is more of a curse than a blessing.

I wonder if anyone here with Japanese friends and family has had the same experience: I have saved and worked hard all my life to finally earn some free time. I explain how I spend my days relaxing, volunteering and just enjoying myself thinking this will be met with wonder and jealousy. To the contrary, I am met with looks of disapproval from the family and consternation from friends.

I think I finally outwitted them though and have started saying that I’ve been working on certain nebulous “projects”(like researching starting a food review website). For some reason this seems to elicit a positive response and I have not yet been pressed to explain myself because people here rarely ask follow-up questions.

Do I have to wait until I turn 65 before they cut me some slack?

[RetireJapan]

If I retire I will definitely be 'consulting' and 'working on freelance projects'. No need to confuse people

[jcherni]

To the contrary, I am met with looks of disapproval from the family and consternation from friends.

I actually think that Japanese people cannot grasp the concept of "free time".
Look at the kids that have school in the morning, then club activities, cram-school and "naraigoto" up to late at night...
When do these kids get to play?

I remember when talking to my work colleagues that back home we have 1 month of paid vacations per year, decided by law, and that everyone (of course) takes the whole vacation every year (some people do break into two periods though).
People look at me and say: "what people do with one month vacation?? I would be bored to death!". I never understood this reaction.

The free time is the time you use to actually live, in contrast to the time you waste working (and I say this as a person who loves his job...)