To my students:

You should begin your Rating as soon as possible and finish before February 9. A good idea is to listen to your 12* podcasts, take quick notes (rate content, delivery and write one comment) [...]]]> Almost all the podcasts and scripts have been sent in. I will complete everything as the groups send in work.

To my students:

You should begin your Rating as soon as possible and finish before February 9. A good idea is to listen to your 12* podcasts, take quick notes (rate content, delivery and write one comment) on a piece of paper, then go to Moodle’s Rating sheet, and fill that out. Then you are finished. (*Remember, if you are assigned Group E, you only have to do 2 podcasts instead of 4, because there is no Group E in Period 2).

Note: Don’t wait until the last day. My web server gets “tired” when too many students access at the same time, and slows down a lot. You may have problems if you wait until Feb. 8.

If you forgot which groups to rate, see here.

Momoko, Baku, Koki

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Script

A）”Long time no see.” B)”Yeah, how have you been?” A)” After retirement, I live a full life. I’m really into running now.” B) “Why? You didn’t like exercise. What’s the [...]]]> For the final podcast of our series, we have a second look at the second life. Find out what life is like after retirement in Japan.

Momoko, Baku, Koki

refPodPer3GE

Script

A）”Long time no see.”
B)”Yeah, how have you been?”
A)” After retirement, I live a full life. I’m really into running now.”
B) “Why? You didn’t like exercise. What’s the matter? ”
A) “Surely, I didn’t like exercise, so I was fatty. One day, my doctor advised me to do exercise for health. I want to stay hale and hearty into old age and then just popping off painlessly, what is called “pinpinkorori”, and I decided to start running and lose weight. At first, I ran reluctantly. However, once I ran, I realize its pleasure. For the time being, I aim practice running along the perimeter of the Imperial Palace. My goal is to run in Tokyo marathon. ”
B)” You are really enjoying your “Second Life”. “
A) “Second Life?”
B) “It means just life after retirement. I envy how you enjoy your life.”
A) “You also retired and have more money than I. You can do all you want. What are you dissatisfied about? ”
B) “To tell the truth, I want to live in the country and grow vegetables. In the country, communing with nature, we can get our humanity back. Moreover, I used to live in the country, so I want to come back there. These days, local governments also give support to people like me. However, my wife doesn’t agree. She wants to live abroad.”
A)”Umm…why don’t you give me your wife, don’t you? I also want to run in Honolulu marathon. ”
B)”Stop joking! It’s not funny. ”
A)”Sorry.”
B)”My wife said that living in the foreign country of which prices are cheap costs less money than that of Japan and we can live a comfortable life because of mild climate. However, I think it has a lot of trouble. We may not be able to master the language and we cannot speak to local people. Then, if we don’t have Japanese friends there, we become alone there. Moreover, if prices will go up there in the future, the advantage may be lost. Then, we will be in trouble over money. Living abroad is too dangerous. So I can’t agree with her.”
A)”I understand your idea, but living in the country also has disadvantages. If you want to get a job, the number of jobs is limited. If you can get a job, your pay is lower than that in the cities. Your family can’t get used to peculiar customs of the countryside, like the ways of ceremonial occasions. In addition to, public transportation isn’t often developed, and there isn’t a well-equipped hospital near there. It’s inconvenient.”
B)”I know what you said. So I think an agreement by my family is indispensable for living in the country. I don’t know what to do.”
A)”Then, try both ideas. Of course, you have to talk the problem out, but you never know how something will turn out until you’ve given it a try. These days, people often make a long stay abroad to know how they live abroad. And you can also try to live in the country for a short time. After that, it may be possible that you find the satisfying answer with each other.”
B)”That’s a good idea. I’ll at least have a try at it.”
A)”Go for it! Whenever you want, I’ll give advice.”
B)”Thank you. ”

Yurie, Yoshika, Maria

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Script

W:What are you going to do after you retire? Are you planning to spend your second life in peace with your wife? Well…… in Japan, more and more wives in middle-age are getting to think of divorce since 2007. Why?  Now a [...]]]> The number of divorces at retirement is skyrocketing. Find out why.

Yurie, Yoshika, Maria

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W:What are you going to do after you retire? Are you planning to spend your second life in peace with your wife? Well…… in Japan, more and more wives in middle-age are getting to think of divorce since 2007. Why?  Now a mother and a daughter are talking over the telephone. Let’s listen to them.

A: Hello, it’s me.
B:Oh,  hey Mom. What’ up?
A:Just fine. How are you doing？ ……How’s your newly-married life going?
B:……I don’t know. It has only been a few weeks since we got married. How about you? Are you doing well with Dad ?
A:What ?
B:Dad. Your husband. Is he doing fine?
A:Huh ! I don’t know about such a sodai-gomi .
B:Hey, don’t compare him to a broken fridge or something like that.
A:But since he retired from his company, he stays all day at home and watches TV and surfs the Internet ! He never works. He never helps me with housework. He just sleeps, eats, drinks, and goes to pachinko and loses his money!
B:Uh….
A:I’m fed up with working at a part-time job and preparing his meals and cleaning his room and clothes!  I cannot stand a man like that! Now I want to divorce with him!
B:Mom!! You must be kidding!
A:No, I’m serious. I feel irritated to imagine my life always with him. I hear that this is a sign of Retired Husband Syndrome.
B: Retired Husband Syndrome? What is it?
A:The idea of retired husbands being at home often makes their wives depressed and physically sick. I must get away from him before I fall sick.
B:I…I didn’t know that you disliked him so much.
A:Indeed I respected him. He had earned money for us and was a good father for you, for sure. But I realize that a good father is not always a good husband after completing raising children.
B:But, but what are you going to do with money? You cannot live on your part-time job.
A:Oh, there’s no problem. The new system introduced in 2007 in Japan enables wives to receive up to 50 percent of their husbands’ employee pensions as well as the retirement money! I have a rosy future ahead of me!
B:Hmm…. You know a lot of things. …Are you sure you won’t change your mind?
A:I’m sorry, but I’m sure. I hope you will be happy with your new family from the heart. Don’t be like me.
B:I see…thank you.
A:Good. I have to go to work now. Take care. Say hello to your husband.
B:…Okay, bye.

B:Oh my goodness!  I really am your daughter, Mom. I divorced just 3 days ago. He was a perfect lover but not a good husband at all!

Kansei, Yasutoshi, Kou

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Script

After you retire your job, what do you want to do? You may travel around the world, stay home day and night, meet friends and play chess or get a new job [...]]]> Some people like to work after they retire, others need to. There is an employment service from the government for that.

Kansei, Yasutoshi, Kou

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Script

After you retire your job, what do you want to do? You may travel around the world, stay home day and night, meet friends and play chess or get a new job and work hard again.
In Japan, there is an employment agency for elderly people. It is called “silver jinzai center” (“jinzai” means human resources, and silver stands for people with silver or grey hair). It deals with light work and skilled work, such as cleaning an office, weeding a park, making wood works and pruning trees in a garden. And it entrusts work to those who retire their job. It is run by a nonprofit foundation, which also elderly people operate.

This system supplies social demand. There is an age-limit retirement system, almost  universal at 65 years old in Japan. So excellent skilled workers have to retire their job when they reach that age, though they still able to work and want to. The system can re-employ such people and make efficient use of human resources.
It also responds to changes in Japanese society. It is a serious problem that    the birthrate is declining rapidly and population is aging so rapidly. This   situation leads to workforce shortage. So it is necessity and desired that elderly people work after their retirement.

The system also supplies the demand of workers. The average life expectancy of Japanese people is long. So after retirement, people have to spend the longer rest of their life. So to speak, it is an important consideration where elderly people find their purpose of life. And traditionally a lot of Japanese people find motivation in their work. The agency makes full use of this trend and can serve their needs.
Similarly, it serves other needs. People become more health conscious and some people think it is good thing for their health to exercise their body through jobs. Especially, elderly people think working prevents from diseases and keep their brain working well. So many elderly people want to get a job after they retire, and the“silver jinzai center”  can respond the needs.

The“silver jinzai center” fulfills elderly people and social needs. The elderly worker’s wage are relatively lower than normally employed worker’s and it is welcomed many clients. On the other hand, their lower fee is sometimes criticized because it may interfere with a private company’s work. But this system still has a number of advantages, so it continues to operate as a desired activity.

Yu, Yuichiro, Yuya

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Script

A : OK,let’s get started. Today, I’m going to give a lecture about ‘’Dying alone’’. OK, B, have you heard of the term [...]]]> There are dangers with living alone, or even living with a spouse or caretaker. Find out how to avoid dying alone.

Yu, Yuichiro, Yuya

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Script

Motoka, Shigaku, Hiroshi

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script

Ohenro

A: Oh! What’s the matter with your leg? B: I broke my leg when training… A: Why did you do such hard exercise? B: I was [...]]]> The smallest of the 4 main islands in Tokyo has a network of 88 temples. It is a tradition to see all 88. Some people walk it. After they retire.

Motoka, Shigaku, Hiroshi

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script

Ohenro

A: Oh! What’s the matter with your leg?
B: I broke my leg when training…
A: Why did you do such hard exercise?
B: I was planning to do Ohenro on foot after retirement, so I intended to build up my strength.
A: Ohenro? You mean the pilgrimage where you walk around the smallest island of the main 4 that make up Japan? Shikoku? You hike and around the island and enter the 88temples?
B: Of course! I saw a TV program introducing Ohenro, the Shikoku Pilgrimage and knew it is popular among retired people recently. I believe in Buddhism especially in the Shingon sect, so I came to want to go the seashores, the mountains and the capes where its founder Kukai engaged in ascetic practices. The temples I expected to visit in the pilgrimage are located in such places. Since the Edo era, the pilgrimage spread from Buddhist priests to normal private citizens. Look! These are my pilgrimage costume! A white robe, a sedge hat, a walking stick…
A: Uh…
B: What’s the matter?
A: To tell the truth, I made the pilgrimage there last year by bicycle, and now I’m remembering my 3week trip, a 1200 kilometer journey…
B: Really? I didn’t know that!
A: Yes, it was a difficult trip. When I was going along the shores, a wind from the sea blew me and it was very cold. There is also a mountain road which is so bad that I couldn’t go up by bicycle and had to use a ropeway!
B: I can imagine that. At first, I planned to do the pilgrimage by tour bus, but had second thoughts. I believe it’s important to walk the hard way and cultivate virtue. Yet, I have my leg broken…
A: I really sympathize with you. The pilgrimage was really an irreplaceable experience. I can recall the scene of the temple. I read a sutra, offered a votive card there, and the priest gave me the sign of visit  printed Indian ink and stamped in red on the note for the pilgrimage. Also, the local residents are very kind and they gave the pilgrims some food or drinks.
B: I envy you. Hmm… I have to heal my leg as soon as possible and go to the pilgrimage!
A: Make haste slowly. In the first place, there is no need to finish the pilgrimage at one time. You can go at your own pace. I heard that there are many people doing the pilgrimage for healing or knowing themselves. I met many young people on the way.
B: That’s true.
A: I have an idea! I’ll give you my bicycle which I used last year! It may have a benefit of Kukai, which means… You can ride it to pilgrimage! Here! Riding bicycle may lighten the burden on your leg.
B: Thank you…but doesn’t it get rusty? It looks dangerous to go up the mountains by this bicycle…

Manabu, Hiroaki, Keita, Takafumi

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Script

N:Narrator T:Takeshima (interviewer) F:Fujioka(farmer)

N：These days people often talk about stress from work and busy life in cities. Today we will focus on Mr.Fujioka. He has taken farming implement instead of computer, I mean he had started agriculture after his retirement. [...]]]> Many retired people look on retirement as a kind of second life. See what happens.

Manabu, Hiroaki, Keita, Takafumi

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Script

N:Narrator
T:Takeshima (interviewer)
F:Fujioka(farmer)

N：These days people often talk about stress from work and busy life in cities.
Today we will focus on Mr.Fujioka. He has taken farming implement instead of computer, I mean he had started agriculture after his retirement. He used to be an office worker in a big bank, then after retirement, he decided to move to Yamagata, which is the countryside in Tohoku region and start agriculture by using his retirement allowance and pension.
Now our reporter Takeshima is in Yamagata. Good morning Takeshima!

T:Good morning! Now, I am in the Mr.Fujioka’s house. Nice to meet you,Mr,Fujioka.

F:Nice to meet you, too. Welcome to my garden. It is first time for me to be interviewed. So, I am being a little nervous.

T:Ha ha ha, it is no problem. Take it easy. Oh, your hands are covered with mud! Today, you worked in the garden, didn’t you?

F:That is right! I have worked here, just now. This is the cucumber which I harvested in this morning.

T:Wow, it is so fresh!! It seems to be delicious!!

F:Yes,it is so delicious. Please try to have this. Here you are.

T:Thank you.  ……musya musya musya, Ho!! I haven’t eat fresh vegetable like this. I feel natural sweet.

F:It’s delicious, isn’t it? If you  put salt on it, the taste will be more delicious.
T:By the way, why did you think of moving to the country after retirement?

F:At that time, my son was just independent on me. So, I could save a little money to buy the land which had spent for him before his independent. Of course the land price in this area is cheaper than that of Tokyo

T:Well, was it a matter of money?

F:Of course it was one reason. Another reason was that I had been interested in agriculture. When I was in university, I majored in Agricultural economics and hearing the low self-sufficiency ratio of Japan, I came to think I had to make at least my own one!

T:That’s wonderful!

F: Thanks! But It’s nothing!

T:Does moving here after retirement give you anything good?

F:Yes. There are so many!
First of all, products are very delicious as you know. If I make them more than we can eat, I sell the rest and get money for trip.

T:I think, to sell product at proper price and earn from that is difficult, isn’t it?

F: Yes, I think it is difficult for ordinary people but since I worked in big bank, I have much skill of selling product!

T: You mean that your former experience helps your life now?

F: yeah. another nice point is that unlike cities, surroundings are excellent as you see.
The air and water here are so clean, that my wife recovered from asthma!

T:Really!?but I can see that environmental here is better than that of Tokyo. Are there some other benefits from country life?

F:Umm…Here, I can live a comfortably slow life because of many elderly  familiar people. I fed up with busy life in Tokyo. In our community, We can exchange various information and if we get into some trouble, we can help each other! We are like family!

T:That’s nice! I want to live here by now!
But, on the contrary, I think you have had some unexpected troubles.

F: That is for sure too. Right after the move, crop didn’t grow well and first, my wife was not able to adapt herself to local community.
But thanks to advise by neighbors, I succeeded in raising crop well.
This became a cause that my wife got familiar with them.
Now, my wife and I completely enjoy everyday life.
And as you think the public transportation is not convenient enough to go shopping often, and first we were very confused. For example, the nearest station from here is 10kilometers away!

T:Oh! I can’t believe! How did you get over that.

F:It’s simple…Once we accustomed to use our own car every day to shopping or going hospitals, We don’t have to use buses or trains, now car is indispensable to our life.

T:I see. Sorry It’s time for us to end this talk. Thank you for your time and kind corporation!

＜Returning to studio＞

N: His talk was very interesting you see. there are many difficulties in agriculture in countryside, but what he got from it must be bigger than that
A survey asked to those who have started agriculture shows that many people say that
”Life became full and interesting” or “Life in countryside is refreshing to both our body and mind”
I think there are so many difficulties in modern busy life but many people found their own solution and overcame it. Why don’t you find your own solution!

Masahige, Yohei, Hideaki

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Script

A: This was the first time I watched Rakugo. I really enjoyed the old-fashioned style comedians and storytellers.

B (Japanese): I’m glad you like it. Today’s story, Tegami-muhitsu is not so famous, but I like it. Tegami means [...]]]> A long time ago, families were different, and so was retirement. Check out this interesting system.

Masahige, Yohei, Hideaki

refPod3Per2GC

Script

A: This was the first time I watched Rakugo. I really enjoyed the old-fashioned style comedians and storytellers.

B (Japanese): I’m glad you like it. Today’s story, Tegami-muhitsu is not so famous, but I like it. Tegami means letter and mihutsu means blank. The story is very simple. A man comes to see the village elder named Goinkyo and tries to have Goinkyo read his letter. But actually Goinkyo is also illiterate. Goinkyo tries in vain to read it in order not to reveal the fact.

A: Yeah. Anyway, who is Goinkyo?

B: Well, there was a retirement system called Inkyo in Japan a long time ago. Goinkyo is a person who had, as we say now, retired. But many of us don’t know very well about the details of Inkyo. Let’s take a look at the Japanese retirement system in the old days!

Narrator:
Inkyo is a Japanese retirement system which began in the medieval period, Muromachi, around the 16th century, and it had much to do with the Japanese feudal system.
In old Japan, occupations and households were tied together. Usually, all members of a family worked for the same business. Each family was like a small company. For example, a Samurai family would all work to keep the Samurai supported, or a family of merchants would all tend to sales. The leader of the house business is at the same time the head of the family.
So, when the head of a family stops working because of illness or aging, he must quit leading the family, too. This action was called Inkyo.
At that time, he gives an inheritance and the property to his children and becomes a Goinkyo, which meant a retired person.
Goinkyo helps and educates the new leader by giving advice or using his connections. And he enjoys his post-retirement life.
Inkyo functioned as retirement, family and education system.

A: Now I know what “Inkyo” is. A man who did Inkyo is like a chairman of a board, isn’t it?

B: You got it. The relation between Goinkyo and the owner of a house is similar to the one between president and chairman. So even now there are similar systems all over the world, but the Japanese system of Inkyo is abolished when the Japanese constitution was established. Inkyo no longer exists.

A: I see. By the way, the Goinkyo we saw in the story was very foolish.

B: There are a lot of novels and traditional entertainment about the Goinkyo, and some Goinkyo are clever and others are foolish. Old people generally thought Goinkyo should be intelligent to achieve their duties, so foolish “Goinkyo” often end up being the brunt of a joke.

A: I get why the story is very interesting. The next time I see some Rakugo, I want to watch out for the clever ones.

B: OK. I think you will be pleased because they are so cool!

Chisae, Hiroki, Eriko

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Gf…grandfather   Gc1・Gc2…grandchildren Gf: I’m home! Gc1: Welcome home grandpa! Gc2: Today is your last work, right? Gf: That’s right. I retired from the company today. I’ve worked for 40 years. Gc1: Wow! Amazing! Gc2: So, what are you going to do now? Gf: Well…I don’t have any [...]]]> People that are retired tend to do similar hobbies. Here are a few.

Chisae, Hiroki, Eriko

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Script

Gf…grandfather   Gc1・Gc2…grandchildren
Gf: I’m home!
Gc1: Welcome home grandpa!
Gc2: Today is your last work, right?
Gf: That’s right. I retired from the company today. I’ve worked for 40 years.
Gc1: Wow! Amazing!
Gc2: So, what are you going to do now?

Gf: Well…I don’t have any idea. Until today, I’ve devoted myself to my work.

Gc1: Oh, Grandpa. You should do something as a hobby.

Gc2: How about writing Haiku or Tanka? These are Japanese traditional poems, which
are composed of very limited syllables.

Gc1: You will use your brains when composing them, so I think they will do you good.
Moreover, you can contribute your works to newspapers or magazines.

Gf: But, I’ve never written Haiku or Tanka.　I don’t know how to compose…

Gc2: Then, how about going to lectures for them? At a community center, you can take many kinds of lessons, such as Haiku, Tanka, English, cooking, a computer,…
I’m sure you will enjoy them and you can make many friends.

Gf: That’s sounds interesting! But isn’t it expensive? How much does it cost?

Gc1: Most of them are free! Anyway, you don’t have to pay more than 50 dollars per month.

Gf: Good! But ,as you know, the community center is a little far from here. It’s hard to go there every week.

Gc2: Mm…then why don’t you play gateball?

Gf: Gateball!? What’s that?

Gc2: Gateball is Japanese croquet. The rules of gateball are similar to those of croquet.

Gf: So it’s just croquet?

Gc1: No, it is different. In gateball we organize a team of five and we try to interfere an opponent for our team more than we ourselves try to make a goal.

Gf: It’s unique!

Gc2:Gateball is not a tough sport that many elder people play it.

Gf::But I may injure my legs. I’m worry.

Gc1: Why are you so hesitant to do anything?

Gf :I’m very afraid to start something new. Do you know any habit that requires my career?

Gc2: Hoom… You have high skill of construction, so… Oh! I’ve got it! You can participate in a volunteer group, and work as an adviser of construction in developing countries.

Gc1:I’ve heard about it, too. You can register with JICA, Japan International Cooperation Agency and go to developing countries to help people.

Gf: That seems to be interesting! But…

Gc2: What? Aren’t you satisfied even now?

Gf: Oh, it is not very serious, but I don’t live apart from you, and…

Gc1: And whom?

Gf: My wife, of course. For the present, I want to live with her, the only woman I have loved.

Yohei, Sayoka, Syaka

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Script

Podcast3　Script (Japanese Life After Retirement) N: narrator    S: Susan    A: Adviser

N: Susan has worked in Japan for ten years. This April, she retires and she decides to live [...]]]> People have a lot of time on their hands when they retire, and there are lots of activities they like to do. Find out which ones.

Yohei, Sayoka, Syaka

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Script

Podcast3　Script (Japanese Life After Retirement)
N: narrator    S: Susan    A: Adviser

N: Susan has worked in Japan for ten years. This April, she retires and she decides to live her life here in Japan. She will have a lot of spare time, but she has no plans for her old age. She wants to do Japanese traditional leisure, so she goes to a community center and gets advice from a welfare adviser.

S: Hello, I want to know about Japanese popular leisure after retirement.
A: Sure. I think many elderly Japanese people enjoy “Shodo”, “Kado” and “Sado.
S: Uh… “Shodo”? “Kado”? ”Sado”? What are they?
A: Oh, sorry. Shodo, the way of calligraphy, is the East Asian calligraphy using kanji, or Chinese characters. When you write kanji in Shodo, you use Fude, a paintbrush, and Bokuju, a black ink, India ink. You dip the brush into Suzuri, a small stone with a depression filled with ink, then you write on Washi, a Japanese paper, which is often made of trees. In Shodo, there are ranks of skill. So you can find how you brush up your skill! Sorry for the pun.
S: I love kanji! It’s so cool!! But, please, tell me the others.
A: Kado, the way of flowers, which is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. You put flowers in a small container. Contrary to the idea of Western floral arrangement as a collection of partly-colored or multicolored arrangement of blooms, Kado often emphasizes other areas of the plant, such as its stems and leaves, and the shape, line, and form. In Kado, all the elements used in construction must be organic.
S: hmm…it seems difficult for me. Is it different from Bonsai? I remember one of my friends enjoyed Bonsai.
A: Oh! Actually Kado resembles Bonsai. But Bonsai is the art of miniaturization of trees and you need to grow, cut, and shape trees in small containers. Then, Sado, the way of tea, is the Japanese tea ceremony. Sado is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of Maccha, powdered green tea. The event is called Chakai in which you can also eat Japanese sweets, Wagashi, but Sado is not only to drink Maccha and eat Wagashi. In Sado, the spirit to be hospitable to others is the most important.
S: When I lived in America, I often held a party in my house, but Chakai seems to be attractive too! The way of calligraphy, flowers and tea… I think they are very interesting! You explained things so plainly for me! Thank you!
N: A year later… she enjoys all three. Her skill in Shodo is great and she won an award in a contest. Her house is full of flower arrangements every day. Her husband also enjoys Bonsai. And she holds a tea ceremony once a month and many friends visit her. Now she recommends that her friends too enjoy Japanese traditional leisures.