松山への移住を決めるまで― 老後を自分で選ぶということ ― (英語版)Choosing to Move to Matsuyama— Deciding My Own Later Years —

I first saw the Eden no Sono senior residence on the NHK program Document 72 Hours many years ago.
The residents were enjoying ballroom dancing, going shopping, and living with warm smiles.

It was completely different from what I had imagined when I heard the words “nursing home.”
I was honestly shocked by the brightness and vitality I saw there. At the same time, I felt something move inside me: This is also a possible way to grow old.

After that, I began researching Eden no Sono residences across Japan. Among them, the one that drew my heart most strongly was in Matsuyama.
There is a hospital next door. Daily necessities are within easy reach by free shuttle bus or bicycle. It is a compact city, practical in cost of living, and realistic for life after retirement. Gradually, I began to feel that this place offered a good balance between ideal and reality.

My husband and I both worked as teachers for many years.
Our parents’ generation often believed that children should live with and take care of their aging parents. But watching my own parents’ lives, I came to feel that such expectations no longer fit our time.

We have two children. One lives overseas with his family, and the other lives far away in Japan. When my husband experienced health problems, we realized how difficult it would be for our children to come immediately if something serious happened.

We share the same wish:
to live without placing excessive burdens on our children.

Now, at 67, the Matsuyama residence is very popular, with a waiting period of four to five years for some rooms. I had been visiting and considering it since before the pandemic. When I finally received the message, “Your turn has come,” I felt that a decision I had carried quietly for years was becoming real.

I worked as a high school English teacher for 33 years. After retirement, I continued working from home using my English skills and professional qualifications. This time, however, I decided to move ahead to Matsuyama by myself. My husband will continue working in Shizuoka for another year or two before joining me.

I was born in Osaka, studied in Kobe, lived in Nara after my family moved, studied in the United States, and then spent forty years in Shizuoka after marriage.
What I feel in Matsuyama is the warmth of the people and the softness of the local dialect. There is a nostalgic tone in everyday conversations.

Here, I have tried swimming, Zumba, and Tai Chi at a gym.
In Shizuoka, I volunteered by playing the Taishōgoto harp at a facility for people with visual impairments. I do not yet know what I will be able to do in Matsuyama. Perhaps nothing at all.

Still, I hope to search for what I can do and to live carefully and in good health.

Before settling fully in Matsuyama around Golden Week, I will spend a short time in New Zealand, where my son lives.

In this note, I would like to write little by little about what I notice, what I feel, and what I continue to learn in Matsuyama.

This move is not an escape.
It is a choice.
A choice about how I wish to live my later years.

#Matsuyama
#SeniorLife
#ActiveAging
#LifeAfterRetirement
#IndependentLiving
#SecondChapter
#AgingWithDignity
#NewBeginnings