So who's actually retired in Japan?

[goodandbadjapan]

I'm also stressing about this situation and don't get my pension until end of 2033.
I really don't fancy been an old guy in a country I can only speak a few get by words.
But on the other side of the coin, I'm not to keen on my wife having to cope with the NHS system in the uk as she gets older.
This is a definite catch 22.
What other country could we move to for retirement?
Not rich, own nice but not particularly high priced selling property in Japan, so our financial situation would be an issue.
This is a double whammy nightmare I don't want to think about, but do, every bloody day.

It is a worry, but the UK is making it so hard to take a foreign wife home that that option may not exist anyway! I kind of think we need to have a sort of society for old gaijin where we look out for each other. I think Retire Japan can be the catalyst when all those that are now talking about their future retirement are actually living that reality!

[banders]

An English-speaking retirement village would be nice. If we declared independence, we could have some greenery, too. It'd take some getting used to living with foreigners, though.

[TJKansai]

An English-speaking retirement village would be nice. If we declared independence, we could have some greenery, too. It'd take some getting used to living with foreigners, though.

There is such a place, actually.
The Kokusai Mura on the edge of Lake Noji in Nagano becomes an international summer camp for July and August. These days perhaps 30% are Japanese and 50% mixed nationality.

Out of season, it is more a like a retirement village, since village employment is very limited and the nearest large city is Nagano, 45 minutes away. Not an easy place to live though, given the large amounts of snow and limited car access.

[captainspoke]

...
The Kokusai Mura on the edge of Lake Noji in Nagano becomes an international summer camp for July and August. These days perhaps 30% are Japanese and 50% mixed nationality.

Out of season, it is more a like a retirement village, since village employment is very limited and the nearest large city is Nagano, 45 minutes away. Not an easy place to live though, given the large amounts of snow and limited car access.

I haven't heard of this, but will ask--a fellow retiree is coming over wednesday. He spent his early life in shikoku, child of missionaries, who spent a few or more summers there over the years. From his telling of it, old style hand pumps to get water, and outhouses, but still fun. This would probably have been in the late 50s, maybe into the (late-ish?) 60s.

[TJKansai]

...
The Kokusai Mura on the edge of Lake Noji in Nagano becomes an international summer camp for July and August. These days perhaps 30% are Japanese and 50% mixed nationality.

Out of season, it is more a like a retirement village, since village employment is very limited and the nearest large city is Nagano, 45 minutes away. Not an easy place to live though, given the large amounts of snow and limited car access.

I haven't heard of this, but will ask--a fellow retiree is coming over wednesday. He spent his early life in shikoku, child of missionaries, who spent a few or more summers there over the years. From his telling of it, old style hand pumps to get water, and outhouses, but still fun. This would probably have been in the late 50s, maybe into the (late-ish?) 60s.

That is it. The name is NLA, Nojiri Lake Association. Founded by missionaries 100 years ago.
They finally put city water in, so the hand-carrying water and outhouses are pretty much gone.
Still tough in winter though, as they get meters of snow and its on a hillside without many roads (almost none plowed).

[Tsumitate Wrestler]

...
The Kokusai Mura on the edge of Lake Noji in Nagano becomes an international summer camp for July and August. These days perhaps 30% are Japanese and 50% mixed nationality.

Out of season, it is more a like a retirement village, since village employment is very limited and the nearest large city is Nagano, 45 minutes away. Not an easy place to live though, given the large amounts of snow and limited car access.

I haven't heard of this, but will ask--a fellow retiree is coming over wednesday. He spent his early life in shikoku, child of missionaries, who spent a few or more summers there over the years. From his telling of it, old style hand pumps to get water, and outhouses, but still fun. This would probably have been in the late 50s, maybe into the (late-ish?) 60s.

That is it. The name is NLA, Nojiri Lake Association. Founded by missionaries 100 years ago.
They finally put city water in, so the hand-carrying water and outhouses are pretty much gone.
Still tough in winter though, as they get meters of snow and its on a hillside without many roads (almost none plowed).

This area's heydays are behind it. It was very nice to rent a cabin there in the summer recently, but the decline is pretty obvious. Not a place to grow old, a place to visit.

The strong religious roots remain, though everyone was very polite and not pushy.

[TJKansai]

This area's heydays are behind it. It was very nice to rent a cabin there in the summer recently, but the decline is pretty obvious. Not a place to grow old, a place to visit.

The strong religious roots remain, though everyone was very polite and not pushy.

I agree that it is past its peak, though for a fit person looking for a quiet summer escape, it does fit the bill. For someone with bicultural kids/grandkids even more so.

[Tsumitate Wrestler]

This area's heydays are behind it. It was very nice to rent a cabin there in the summer recently, but the decline is pretty obvious. Not a place to grow old, a place to visit.

The strong religious roots remain, though everyone was very polite and not pushy.

I agree that it is past its peak, though for a fit person looking for a quiet summer escape, it does fit the bill. For someone with bicultural kids/grandkids even more so.

I agree with that! We enjoyed our time.

[PaulP]

I recently did a Tokyo project related to Japanese eldercare facilities. I visited a facility and found it to be very similar to ones my parents had lived in the US. There are a range of facility types and care levels. One difference is that Japanese stay independent probably longer than in the US and also their overall health is better even right up until they pass.

Because of the qualified labor shortage these facilities have many foreign nationals on the staff, English speaking Filipino care workers are common. The projection is this type of semi-skilled labor will continue to increase. By chance as part of the project I met a local interpreter who had a grandparent living in one of the facilities. This person was born in the US and not of Japanese decent, but wanted to be close to her children who are living in Tokyo. So far the situation has worked out well, the person is a bit of an introvert but I believe there are a few residents who speak some English as well.

Japan actually has a plan for caring for the very large population who will need professional care. I can't say if it's enough to scale to the problem, but if you are living and working in Japan you are probably paying into the system that will provide some subsidies for this life stage. Like many things in Japan it seemed to be working and the residents I saw looked well taken care of and engaged. I laughed because I was there in the afternoon and they were playing bingo and eating cake. This is almost the identical afternoon routine my father's facility in Houston had. Of course it's hard to imagine one's self in this life situation but I found some comfort in seeing what was currently available.

[captainspoke]

...
The Kokusai Mura on the edge of Lake Noji in Nagano becomes an international summer camp for July and August. These days perhaps 30% are Japanese and 50% mixed nationality.

Out of season, it is more a like a retirement village, since village employment is very limited and the nearest large city is Nagano, 45 minutes away. Not an easy place to live though, given the large amounts of snow and limited car access.

I haven't heard of this, but will ask--a fellow retiree is coming over wednesday. He spent his early life in shikoku, child of missionaries, who spent a few or more summers there over the years. From his telling of it, old style hand pumps to get water, and outhouses, but still fun. This would probably have been in the late 50s, maybe into the (late-ish?) 60s.

That is it. The name is NLA, Nojiri Lake Association. Founded by missionaries 100 years ago.
They finally put city water in, so the hand-carrying water and outhouses are pretty much gone.
Still tough in winter though, as they get meters of snow and its on a hillside without many roads (almost none plowed).

We discussed this, and it seems the NLA is secular now, so I'm not sure how, but you don't have to be christian or mission-associated to join (tho there may be other limits and hurdles).

And now, the four of us are planning an overnight there in May, and we're just now booking accommodations. It turns out the one guy who went there as a kid (above) knows someone who is still there--or will be there when we visit--so we'll be stopping in for coffee or something.

Our friend here relayed that one of his good memories about it back when, was that later in the day, towards evening or dusk(?), everyone would go out in boats to the middle of the lake and sing vespers. I'm not religious, but that would undoubtedly be a very cool, moving experience.