By running, of course! Hence the name (runman). Haha.
All it requires is basically a good set of shoes. Clothing optional, literally. I normally run shirtless in the summer along the local river/cycling path at night. As you might imagine I get various looks from Japanese.
I also quite enjoy bodyweight exercises (pushups and squats) and have been trying to increase my pull-up ability which has been a challenge. Spartan races and marathon races are nice but can be a little expensive.
Affordable Pastimes and Hobbies?
Re: Affordable Pastimes and Hobbies?
Some hobbies I've done over the years that I don't think break the bank:
Running. All you need is a pair of shoes really. Find a nice park or river near you and you're off. Many parks also have outdoor workout equipment like pullup bars. If you can't do a pullup yet then you can buy exercise bands for a few thousand yen that will provide assistance until you can.
Cooking and baking. You don't need to much equipment and you've probably got half of it already. Plus you need to eat! Things like bread, scones, cookies, crumpets are simple and fun. Going to various Indian and Chinese groceries is fun too.
Writing. All you need is a pen and paper (or probably a computer). Combines well with the next one...
Making websites. You can make a personal homepage to keep your family up to date, share local information, share pictures of your other hobbies and do on.
Making videos. You probably already have a smartphone with a camera. You could plan and shoot a short film. The editing software Davinci Resolve is available free and is extremely powerful. It's even used on some Hollywood movies!
DIY. 100 yen shops and home centers are pretty cheap. Wood, glue and screws are very affordable. You can put together some useful projects for around the home.
Leather craft. You only need a few simple hand tools to get started. Making small items with off-cuts is affordable (though larger pieces of leather do start to get pricey)
Music. You can pick up a secondhand keyboard for not too much and start learning the basics. Lessons and instruments could start to get expensive mind you.
Running. All you need is a pair of shoes really. Find a nice park or river near you and you're off. Many parks also have outdoor workout equipment like pullup bars. If you can't do a pullup yet then you can buy exercise bands for a few thousand yen that will provide assistance until you can.
Cooking and baking. You don't need to much equipment and you've probably got half of it already. Plus you need to eat! Things like bread, scones, cookies, crumpets are simple and fun. Going to various Indian and Chinese groceries is fun too.
Writing. All you need is a pen and paper (or probably a computer). Combines well with the next one...
Making websites. You can make a personal homepage to keep your family up to date, share local information, share pictures of your other hobbies and do on.
Making videos. You probably already have a smartphone with a camera. You could plan and shoot a short film. The editing software Davinci Resolve is available free and is extremely powerful. It's even used on some Hollywood movies!
DIY. 100 yen shops and home centers are pretty cheap. Wood, glue and screws are very affordable. You can put together some useful projects for around the home.
Leather craft. You only need a few simple hand tools to get started. Making small items with off-cuts is affordable (though larger pieces of leather do start to get pricey)
Music. You can pick up a secondhand keyboard for not too much and start learning the basics. Lessons and instruments could start to get expensive mind you.
Re: Affordable Pastimes and Hobbies?
Mountain Biking in the spring/summer/autumn...
Buying used on Mercari or Yahoo auction helps to make the hobby very affordable. If you buy an 'enduro' style bike, you'll be just as happy cruising the streets/roads, exploring mountain trails or hitting the downhill parks like Fujimi or Iwatake... They're like the jack-of-all-trades for bikes.
Take care of your bike and that one-time fee will pay off in the long run...
Late spring/summer/early autumn is perfect for stand-up-paddle boarding... Again, Mercari and Yahoo auction have bargains on inflatable SUPs, but I ended up buying new from Amazon US and even including shipping, the price was ~$400 less than the same model board here in JP...
Once you have a board, rivers, lakes, and the sea are all fair game for adventures or lazy days in the sun... Plus, it's easy to take the kids out on them too...
I live out in Nagano so I guess hiking is up there as one of the best affordable hobbies... Sure it's ideal to have some nice shoes/boots but it's not a requirement... If it hasn't been raining in the days prior to a hike, you could easily get away with trainers/sneakers.
I take my ENO hammock and see if I can find the coolest spots to take breaks and take in the views...
10years ago I bought a 'pull up dip station' from Rakuten for maybe ¥15,000 and the thing is awesome for doing a little calisthenics workout...
Pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, leg-raises, pushups, and you can make little variations to those exercises -hand spacing, isometric holds etc.
I keep mine outside on the patio -I had to replace the cheap padding due to the affects of the weather, but 2 pieces of wood, some thick/firm foam and some decent all weather glue from the local Home Depo store (which must've cost me less than ¥1000), and it has been absolutely fine!
Or, pick up a set of olympic rings with straps and now any tree, playground, gazebo/shelter is your gym! Working out with rings is awesome -highly recommend!
Lastly, make a friend with someone that lives just down the road who built their own indoor climbing gym and go there for free
Yeah, I lucked out on that one...
Buying used on Mercari or Yahoo auction helps to make the hobby very affordable. If you buy an 'enduro' style bike, you'll be just as happy cruising the streets/roads, exploring mountain trails or hitting the downhill parks like Fujimi or Iwatake... They're like the jack-of-all-trades for bikes.
Take care of your bike and that one-time fee will pay off in the long run...
Late spring/summer/early autumn is perfect for stand-up-paddle boarding... Again, Mercari and Yahoo auction have bargains on inflatable SUPs, but I ended up buying new from Amazon US and even including shipping, the price was ~$400 less than the same model board here in JP...
Once you have a board, rivers, lakes, and the sea are all fair game for adventures or lazy days in the sun... Plus, it's easy to take the kids out on them too...
I live out in Nagano so I guess hiking is up there as one of the best affordable hobbies... Sure it's ideal to have some nice shoes/boots but it's not a requirement... If it hasn't been raining in the days prior to a hike, you could easily get away with trainers/sneakers.
I take my ENO hammock and see if I can find the coolest spots to take breaks and take in the views...
10years ago I bought a 'pull up dip station' from Rakuten for maybe ¥15,000 and the thing is awesome for doing a little calisthenics workout...
Pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, leg-raises, pushups, and you can make little variations to those exercises -hand spacing, isometric holds etc.
I keep mine outside on the patio -I had to replace the cheap padding due to the affects of the weather, but 2 pieces of wood, some thick/firm foam and some decent all weather glue from the local Home Depo store (which must've cost me less than ¥1000), and it has been absolutely fine!
Or, pick up a set of olympic rings with straps and now any tree, playground, gazebo/shelter is your gym! Working out with rings is awesome -highly recommend!
Lastly, make a friend with someone that lives just down the road who built their own indoor climbing gym and go there for free
Yeah, I lucked out on that one...
Last edited by Bushiman on Thu May 19, 2022 3:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Jr NISA -> Established (Running quietly in the background)
UK Pension Voluntary Contributions -> Up and running
All thanks to RetireJapan...
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AreTheyTheLemmings?
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Re: Affordable Pastimes and Hobbies?
+1 on this! Thanks!AreTheyTheLemmings? wrote: ↑Thu May 19, 2022 3:06 amThank you. I've been meaning to find an alternative to crappy old iMovie for ages, and I think you've just given me what I need.
Reading up on DaVinci Resolve, it'll also handle 360 videos so that is a huge plus!
iDeCo -> Established
新NISA -> Established
Jr NISA -> Established (Running quietly in the background)
UK Pension Voluntary Contributions -> Up and running
All thanks to RetireJapan...
新NISA -> Established
Jr NISA -> Established (Running quietly in the background)
UK Pension Voluntary Contributions -> Up and running
All thanks to RetireJapan...
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RetireJapan
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Re: Affordable Pastimes and Hobbies?
I was learning Premiere Pro, but enough people recommended Resolve that I am considering switching
English teacher and writer. RetireJapan founder. Avid reader.
eMaxis Slim Shady
eMaxis Slim Shady
Re: Affordable Pastimes and Hobbies?
Over my lunch break I watched a couple of YouTube tutorials and it looks very intuitive! I'm sold!RetireJapan wrote: ↑Thu May 19, 2022 3:54 am I was learning Premiere Pro, but enough people recommended Resolve that I am considering switching
iDeCo -> Established
新NISA -> Established
Jr NISA -> Established (Running quietly in the background)
UK Pension Voluntary Contributions -> Up and running
All thanks to RetireJapan...
新NISA -> Established
Jr NISA -> Established (Running quietly in the background)
UK Pension Voluntary Contributions -> Up and running
All thanks to RetireJapan...