＜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) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・海軍カレーの歴史。完全リタイアで曜日感覚がなくなるのを予防する方法も
At the company where I worked, lunch at the end of each month was always “curry rice.” I think the ladies in charge of school lunches (later becoming a “school lunch company”) probably made curry rice the easiest dish to prepare only at the end of the month.
1. Navy Curry
(1) Navy Curry Day
Did you know that in the Navy, Friday was “Curry Day”? This tradition continues in the current Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
This was done to prevent soldiers from losing their sense of the days of the week during long periods of service at sea; curry was served as a unit meal once a week on Fridays.
(2) The Origin of Navy Curry
By the way, why did the Navy start serving curry as a meal to its soldiers?
In the early Meiji era, the leading cause of death from illness in the Navy was “beriberi.” Dr. Kanehiro Takagi, a naval physician, believed that the cause of beriberi was a “nutritionally unbalanced diet centered on white rice” during long periods of service at sea. He devised a “curry rice” dish, inspired by British naval rations, that provided a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, and offered it as part of the soldiers’ meals. As a result, the incidence of beriberi reportedly decreased dramatically.
2. Loss of sense of days of the week due to complete retirement
After I completely retired in June 2019, I realized that my sense of the days of the week was rapidly disappearing, thanks to having “Sunday every day” or “Sunday every day.” I was like a “wild man with no sense of the calendar.”
For a total of 64 long years—47 years as a salaried worker, 16 years in school, and 1 year in kindergarten—I had a regular life of commuting, going to school, and attending kindergarten from Monday to Saturday (during the latter half of my salaried work, I had a five-day weekend, so it was Monday to Friday during that period). This regular schedule provided a clear distinction between work and school.
Therefore, I looked forward to Saturday nights and felt relieved when Sunday arrived. However, during my time as a salaried worker, there were times when I had to work on Sundays, resulting in weeks of no days off. During such busy periods, I was chronically fatigued, and it wasn’t uncommon for me to simply eat, bathe, and go to sleep as soon as I got home. Also, I often had work to take home.
Upon complete retirement, you can live as freely and spontaneously as a toddler before kindergarten, and you have an abundance of time. Since you’re not bound by days of the week or work hours, you’ll forget what day of the week it is unless you consciously make an effort. In extreme cases, you might even find yourself wondering, “What month is it now?”
3. My Measures to Prevent “Loss of Sense of Days of the Week”
Currently, I visit my mother at the assisted living facility on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but on other days, I have a rough routine.
Monday: Reading the Nikkei Shimbun while drinking morning coffee at Komeda Coffee Shop
Tuesday: Cycling around Takatsuki City and the surrounding area
Thursday: Carefully reading various newspapers at the Takatsuki Central Library
Friday: Medium to long-distance cycling
Sunday: A “Sabbath” with no particular plans
The above is just a rough guideline and not rigid. If I cram too much into my schedule, I feel suffocated, and if I feel like “I must do this on this day,” it becomes an obligation and I can’t enjoy myself.
I want to enjoy life in a flexible and adaptable way, according to my physical condition and mood. And, so that I won’t be confused when asked “What day of the week is it today?” during a dementia test, I want to continue making efforts to extend my healthy lifespan, both mentally and physically.