When choosing a place to live, you should not just look at the scenery and housing prices in front of you, but also consider your future living needs as you age. (Diagram, Reuters)
[Financial Channel/Comprehensive Report] After retirement, it is the dream of many people to move to the countryside for low-cost retirement and live a leisurely pastoral life. However, a 72-year-old couple in Japan moved to the countryside after retirement. Unexpectedly, four years later, they were shocked to realize that the pastoral life they thought was comfortable actually hid a post-retirement crisis that was difficult to ignore.
Japanese media reported that Mariko (pseudonym, 72 years old) and her husband Yasuo (pseudonym, 72 years old) moved from an urban apartment to the countryside four years ago. At that time, Yasuo had just retired. The couple had long hoped to live in a place where "there is land and can grow things" after retirement. They finally chose a medieval house about 20 minutes' drive from the city center, with about 80 square meters of land and space in the courtyard for a family vegetable garden.
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Mariko (pseudonym, 72 years old) and her husband Yasuo (pseudonym, 72 years old) moved from an apartment in the metropolitan area four years ago. At that time, Yasuo had just retired. The couple had long hoped to live in a place where "there is land and can grow things" after retirement. They finally chose a medieval independent house about 20 minutes' drive from the local city center. The land was about 80 square meters and there was space in the courtyard for a family vegetable garden.
At that time, both husband and wife could drive, and the supermarket was about a 10-minute drive away. Although hospitals and offices also required driving, they did not find it inconvenient. After moving in, Yasuo began to grow fruits and vegetables, while Mariko planted flowers of different seasons, which became a life that the two of them could not experience when living in an apartment in the past.
However, around the third year of living, rural life began to become a burden. Vegetables and weeds grow rapidly in the summer, and even if we work hard to weed them, they will reappear within a few weeks. Yasuo said tiredly after doing yard work one day, "Today is really too much." Mariko also began to think, "How many years can we maintain this kind of life?"
On the other hand, Mariko's knees began to hurt and she needed regular medical treatment, and she gradually reduced her driving. Daily activities such as shopping for groceries and seeing a doctor gradually became dependent on Yasuo. The couple began to worry about what they would do if Yasuo could no longer drive in the future.
The two then took stock of "a day without a car" and found that in addition to supermarkets, hospitals, banks and offices, even buying fertilizers, culture soil and other garden supplies required driving. Although there is a bus stop nearby, it takes about 10 minutes to walk and there are not many buses.
In the end, the couple decided to move to a medieval apartment in the city center. There are stations, supermarkets and clinics nearby. They can be reached on foot and by bus, reducing their dependence on cars. After learning about it, my daughter asked, "Are you moving back to the apartment again?"
Mariko replied, "Farming is really fun. However, I think we can no longer live in this home." The couple plans to sell the original independent house, but they have not completely given up on the rural life. In the future, they will still consider renting a nearby citizen farm to continue growing vegetables.
For both of them, through four years of life experience, they have a clearer understanding of the living environment they really need after they reach advanced age. When choosing a house after retirement, you should not only consider whether you can live happily now, but also consider in advance whether shopping, medical treatment and mobility will still be convenient as you grow older.
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