The 1st of June has passed. May was the month I became 60 and in Japan that’s the age companies can legally send you into retirement. However pension payment starts at 65. Right. Many ask themselves should I start living from savings? After many many years, the government has recently issued a guideline that companies should offer the retirees a contract and make use of their experience.
We decided to set up our own company which meant that a huge number of forms had to be filled in. Japanese forms are ingenious, cramming so much information on a single page, so many things to repeat, and submission in so many offices which are not exchanging any information; company registration, tax offices, insurance, bank etc. I am my wife and brother-in-law forever grateful.
So here I am now, happy to work 4 days a week as a consultant, but mentally struggling to come to terms with what this change actually means. The first few days of work was exciting, full of good news but my heart was not in it. Somehow I was exhausted at the end of each day. Everyone just carried on with their work like nothing had changed....
The first Friday off was therefore a huge milestone and I was looking forward to doing something completely different. I had planned to visit Mt Takao for a long time since my first surgery, 3.5 yrs ago to be exact, and I was looking forward hiking in the forest, and doing some climbing. I felt great, mentally refreshed and the aching muscles were proof that I had pushed my limits.
There are many plans for the Friday’s to come: hikes, playing golf, community services, study, and just lazing around. I am now looking forward to the change in my life.
