＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
I started my “salaryman life” as a new employee in April 1972. Since I joined the company, I have not been “transferred with moving” nor have I “changed jobs”. After “retirement” at the age of 55, I continued to work for a related company, and from the age of 65 until today, I have worked as a “temporary worker” for my former company through an introduction by the parent company’s temporary staffing agency.
Originally, I was supposed to be able to work until September 2019, when I would have turned 70, but due to the company’s restructuring, I had no choice but to “terminate” my temporary employment at the end of June.
That is why, as of June 2019, I will end my 47 years and 3 months long life as a salaried worker. The rest of my “extra life” in which “every day is Sunday” awaits me. I hope to enjoy it to the fullest.
However, I have seen and heard of several people who have fallen ill and died soon after “retirement”. Was it because they had been so uptight and suddenly relaxed, causing their health to deteriorate? When I was an active salaried worker, I caught a cold and fell asleep as soon as I went on a consecutive vacation, and I had to give up my vacation on several occasions. This time, too, I must be very careful.
One acquaintance told me that for about a month after he retired, he got up every morning as usual and walked to the train station. I think it is a way of “cooling down” gradually, rather than stopping abruptly after a long marathon run.
It is said that moving to a new house after becoming an old person weakens one’s body. They may feel confused and at ease in a different house than the one they are used to, and this may become a burden.
Rapid changes, such as the bursting (crash) of the bubble economy, are very detrimental to the physical and mental health of the individual.
I am filled with various thoughts and feelings, such as “It was a long but short life,” “I am deeply moved,” “It was not so much a tumultuous life, but it was a life of peaks and valleys,” “I would be lying if I said I have no regrets, but I can say with confidence that I did the best I could.
During that time, I have been blessed with a wonderful wife and two sons, and I am grateful for the happy life I have had. A few years ago, my two sons also found good partners and have established a solid foundation for their lives, so I feel at ease.
Grateful for all the people and events I have encountered in my life! The biggest reason I was able to survive my long life of 47 years and 3 months as a salaried worker was the support of my family, especially my wife, who has been a great help to me.
Mr. Arata Kusunoki, author of the best-selling book “After Retirement” and professor at Kobe Shoin Women’s University, positions the period from age 60 as the “golden 15 years,” and says, “ The second half of your life is the most important. How you spend your long free time is what matters.
In my case, since I have already passed my 60s, I have decided to spend the 15 years from the age of 70 years old as my “golden 15 years” and would like to spend them in a meaningful way.
For your reference, here are some tips from Professor Kusunoki on how to spend your “golden 15 years.
Article 1: Hurry without haste.
Article 2 Do not keep it merely as a hobby.
Article 3: Recapture your childhood once again.
Article 4: Use your own money.
Article V. Listen carefully to “sole proprietors.
Find several “role models” within your reach.
Article 7: Think about where you want to take yourself.
We hope you find this information helpful.