Retire and move to the countryside to enjoy happiness! An 80-year-old couple has struggled for 15 years, but now their life has collapsed due to crises such as aging and power outages.

Retire and move to the countryside to enjoy happiness! The 80-year-old couple had struggled for 15 years, but now their life has collapsed due to aging, power outages and other crises. (Bloomberg)

[Financial Channel/Comprehensive Report] Yearning for a retirement rural life away from the hustle and bustle of the world and growing vegetables to be self-sufficient may turn into an irreversible life crisis after reaching advanced age. An 80-year-old couple happily moved to a mountain town 15 years ago. They originally enjoyed a comfortable retirement with a monthly pension of 240,000 yen (approximately NT$48,000). However, due to aging, power outages, damaged houses and an unexpected economic crisis, their lives have almost collapsed.

When the 51-year-old eldest daughter Manami received her mother's trembling call for help and rushed to her parents' house by Shinkansen, the sight she saw was heartbreaking and shocking: the courtyard was overgrown with weeds, the entrance was filled with repeated online shopping waste cartons, the air conditioning was not turned on in the living room, the skinny father was lying on a futon, and the leaky roof and damaged boiler were left abandoned because they were unable to pay for repairs.

Please read on...

Japanese media reported that when the couple moved to the countryside 15 years ago, their life was completely different. Toshiya, who was 65 years old at the time, and his wife Tokuko told their daughter that they hoped to "live a relaxed life in a quiet countryside" after retirement and even wanted to grow some vegetables by themselves. The couple chose a mountain town with beautiful natural scenery. It takes about 3 hours by Shinkansen and local trains from the city center, and bought a second-hand single-family house with a large garden.

The days after moving seemed quite pleasant. The couple often calls to tell their daughter that the vegetables grown at home are particularly delicious, the air is fresh, and most of the neighbors are similar in age and get along well with each other. The couple receive a monthly pension of 240,000 yen in total, and their daughter once thought that her parents' rural life was quite successful.

Manami even thought it was a good decision for her parents to move to the countryside at the time. During the summer vacation, she can also take her children to visit her parents and let them get in touch with nature; her parents occasionally send her a large amount of vegetables grown in their own garden.

However, 15 years later, as the couple entered their 80s, the originally desirable rural life began to undergo tremendous changes.

The key turning point occurred two years ago, when Jun also voluntarily gave up his driver's license. Since it takes about 20 minutes to drive to the nearest supermarket and hospital, after losing the ability to drive, daily shopping and medical treatment immediately became difficult for the couple. Jun also began to rely on online shopping to buy food and daily necessities, but as his cognitive ability gradually declined, he kept buying the same items repeatedly and even forgot to pay.

On the other hand, the problem of aging houses has also emerged one after another. The roof began to leak and the boiler broke down, but the couple could no longer afford repairs and had to keep the damaged equipment sitting.

The original monthly pension of 240,000 yen seemed to be enough to support the two people's lives, but in fact it was gradually swallowed up by various expenses. Online shopping for food and daily necessities has increased the cost of living, expenses related to private cars, and maintenance costs incurred as the single-family home ages, all of which have quickly reduced the couple's savings.

What makes it even more difficult is that there are only so many people around who can help. Most of the couple's neighbors are also elderly, making it difficult for each other to provide substantial support when life is in trouble.

Facing her already weak parents in front of her, Manami could only feel helpless. She even couldn't help but think that if she had known that it would be like this in her later years, "I would rather they continue to live closer to the city center."

Grasp the economic pulse with one hand. Click here to subscribe to Free Finance Youtube Channel