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Imagine that you are a 25-year old Japanese person that spends 9 am - 10 pm at work every day. That’s not uncommon in Japan — actually that’s pretty good since at least you don’t have to spend the night at the office. You eat noodles for lunch and dinner. You have no friends, live with your parents, and don’t enjoy your job.Getting a promotion in your job is unlikely for another five years because the system is totally seniority-based. “Meritocracy” is a foreign concept to your boss. Your salary will most likely stay the same.You spend two hours every day commuting back and forth to work. The length of your commute and your rate of depression are directly correlated, but you don’t know that. The train ride is gloomy. Your neck hurts from constantly looking down at your phone to play games, or maybe it’s from the stress from work.Every Friday you go to Karaoke — by yourself. Fortunately there is an industry around one-person karaoke stands. It’s not surprising this blew up in Japan. You scream your lungs out. There’s an all-you-can drink menu for only $15 for two hours. It’s kind of therapeutic.You spend most of the weekend sleeping, and are back at it Monday morning. You’re craving a vacation. Hopefully you can get some time off soon…Single booth karaoke——-This could be the typical story of a 20- something in Japan working for a traditional Japanese company, of which there are still many.The issue is complex. Suicide is still the leading cause of death for women age 15–34 in Japan. That is crazy considering Japanese women also live the longest in the world.In Tokyo there is a greater support network and bubbling activity everywhere you turn. Many people will find solace in alcohol or make friends and are more likely to get help.It makes sense that the suicide rate is relatively low in Tokyo. It’s actually one of the lowest in Japan. But if you go way north towards cities by the seaside, where it’s cold, dark and gloomy, with no big industries and few hospitals, the picture is totally different.There’s not much going on in Iwate. It’s cold, cloudy and kind of depressing. The area’s major industries are declining.This reminds me of Russia where it might “make sense” that the suicide rates are high. It’s cold, alcoholism is rampant, and it overall kind of sucks compared to the US. The drinking part is said to play a big factor in Russia’s case. And LGBT discrimination. Lithuania is in a similar situation.In the U.S. it’s normal to see a shrink. We see it in movies all the time and it’s a reflection of what’s normal in our society. People go talk about their issues and someone listens. Often times just getting something off your chest is all you need.You don’t have that culture in Japan. Nobody sees shrinks. There is a strong stigma (like Aya mentioned) to even talk about psychological issues, and there aren’t many psych doctors. It creates a recipe for disaster.Social stigmas play a very, very strong part in every part of Japanese life. I think this pushes people over the edge.For example:-The divorce rates are low in Japan. But men that do get divorced are twice as likely to commit suicide.-Shame is prevalent in Japanese culture. It’s a method of social control, and it’s not healthy. When something bad happens to a company, sometimes the CEO or board member resigns…other times they commit suicide. A manager in charge at Japan Airlines (JAL) committed suicide after the crash of a JAL flight that killed 500+ people. He couldn’t deal with the shame.-Students are shamed when they make mistakes in school. This causes trauma at a young age and can’t be healthy.But it goes back further than that…The acceptance of shame stems from a common philosophy in Confucianism. Samurai’s committed seppuku by gutting themselves and WW2 kamikaze pilots followed suit. It doesn’t help that movies, Japanese history, and the basis for some of their culture stems from accepting shame as a tool and suicide as a viable method to deal with the shame.Is Japan a depressed nation? I don’t know. I think that there are certain cultural and structural factors that probably influence people that are already overworked and stressed from their shitty jobs and family duties. In a country like the US maybe they’d be able to more easily talk to a psychiatrist or open up to a friend.Companies are starting to create programs internally to deal with the issue and the support networks are growing in Japan. But there’s a long way to go.I study and share useful content about self-improvement and new technology. If you enjoyed this drop your email here to subscribe to my weekly newsletter.

Disclaimer: Nothing useful here. Read only if curious.Note: I am now living a retired life at the Parkside Retirement home of Brigade Orchards at Devanahalli. So this was not how I used to live before I moved here two years ago.I get up at between 5:30 am and 6 am. There is no alarm clock waking me up. The body automatically recognizes that it is time to get up. When my eyes open in the morning, I check the time on my wrist watch which has an illuminated dial face. If it is not yet 5:30 I linger in bed. If it past 5:30 am I get up slowly and do all the early morning washing and toilet rituals like brushing one’s teeth, washing one’s face etc.I swallow one glass of warm water with 2 to 3 pods of Kashimiri Garlic which I chew. The water has a couple of drops of Tulsi juice concentrate mixed and also a pinch of turmeric powder (haldi) added to it. I have been doing this regularly for the past few years. I wrote about this in this old answer:Gopalkrishna Vishwanath's answer to Which small but daily habit benefits you in the long run?(106.7K views and 4.1K upvotes)If it is not yet 6:30 am, I check emails, Whatsapp messages and Quora notifications on my smart phone and often post short, one line replies to comments or messages using my smart phone.At 6:30 am I report for Yoga in our hall along with other residents. Usually between 6 and 12 of us assemble in the hall. A yoga master comes regularly to conduct the sessions. This is Yoga specially tailored for the elderly. The session goes on till 7:15 am. This is followed by 15 to 20 minutes of Praanayama (Deep breathing exercises).I return to my apartment by 7:45am, wake up my wife if she isn’t up already. I boil a large kettle of water that meets our drinking water needs for the day.Between 7:45 am and 8 am my wife and I report at the dining hall for breakfast.The menu varies. There is bread toast/butter/cornflakes/milk/honey/jam/boiled eggs or omelettes and cut fruits or juices for those who prefer it and two south Indian items for most of us. These could be Dosa, Idli, Vada, Uppuma, Poha, Pesarattu, Set Dosa, Sandwich, Parantha, Puri, Paddu, Pongal and the like along with tea, coffee or milk and fruit juice or cut fruits.I chat/gossip with the other residents in the dining hall till about 8:30 am and then sit in our reception area and read the newspapers. I read or rather look through the headlines of all the pages of TOI, Deccan Herald and Hindu.By 9 am I am back in my apartment and have my bath. My wife and I then go down to water a tree that we have adopted and are determined to see it grow to its full height during our life time. I walk in the sun for 20 minutes to get my daily dose of Vitamin D.Around 9:30 am I switch on my lap top. I rush through the online news, emails, and Quora notifications. Between 9:30 am and 1 pm I squeeze in about 1.5 hours at least and sometimes even more, for Quora intermittently, often leaving my desk to attend to various household chores. I might drive down to nearby Devanahalli market (about 2.5 km away) for purchases, or visit the bank or ATM to draw cash, depending on my wife’s instructions.Sometimes during this forenoon session, we may have some common activity in our auditorium like lectures from some speaker on topics of interest to the senior citizens. Today we had a lecture on “fall protection” from a visiting doctor from Ramaiah Hospital. A few days ago the dietician from Ramaiah hospital spoke on the right food and the wrong food for senior citizens. Earlier we had cardiologists, orthopedists, eye specialists, ENT specialists, urologists coming in to give us lectures and advice on how to manage our ailments during old age. The hall/mini auditorium is well equipped for audio visual presentations.Twice a week we have movies scheduled in our mini auditorium. Other common activities organised by our care givers are drawing/sketching classes, craft, meditation, Yoga Nidra, Bhagwad Gita shloka chanting, Aerobics for those who are younger or Music class. Sometimes one of us who is a retired domain expert in some field talks on his speciality.A psychologist spoke about his past experiences.We have two retired army officers who have lectured on their postings in various places and described in more detail the happenings at the front which they are privy to about which normal people are not aware. This is particularly about insurgency in the north east during the seventies, the militancy and terrorism in Kashmir and Naxalite activities. We have retired experts from a variety of fields, including engineering, medicine, law, administration, entertainment, academics, banking and there is no shortage of speakers or subjects as long as there is a willing audience.Sometimes we have general body meetings in this hall to discuss community problems, grievances and matters needing attention from the builders and our caretakers.At 12:45 pm we visit the dining hall for lunch and then spend time socializing with other residents. I get back and spend another hour on Quora or internet browsing till 2:30 pm. At 2:30 pm I call off whatever I am doing and we take a nice afternoon nap for at least 45 minutes, which sometimes extends to more than an hour.We have tea between 3:30 pm and 4 pm. At 4 pm my wife leaves the apartment to socialize with the other ladies or participate in the common activities or classes while I spend time on my laptop,, usually on Quora till about 5 or 6 pm.I then go out for my evening walk. The club is a 10-minute walk away, and twice a week I go there for swimming or just stroll around the stadium for at least 45 minutes.Around 7:45 pm is dinner time. The time from 8:30 pm to 10 or 10:30 pm is my quality time on Quora when I answer most questions, reply to messages and also frame questions. During this period I am undisturbed and my efficiency is at its peak.I hit the sack at 10:30 pm and start snoring within 15 minutes of lying down.This is a typical day in my life here at the retirement home.The routine is broken when I have visitors, or when my children from abroad call for long chat sessions on WhatsApp or Facetime, or during festivals, or national holidays like Republic Day/Independence Day when a flag-hoisting ceremony is organised. Occasionally a bus is arranged by our caretakers, for an outing somewhere. Food from the dining hall is packed and loaded in the bus and we set out together to any place that can be reached in an hour or so. A nurse and a paramedic and and a couple of care-taking assistants accompany us.Sometimes an outing is arranged to the nearest mall / multiplex at Yelahanka and we return after dinner at a restaurant. The transport and tickets are organised by our care takers. We just pay our share of the expense. We are also given an hour or so for shopping if we are interested.On Diwali, Navarathri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Sankaranti we have common community celebrations and activities. The decorations and lighting is done in the common areas by our care-takers.On New Year’s Eve, we have late-night parties and games lasting till midnight.We periodically invite singers, musicians, drama troupes and others to entertain us in our lobby on ceremonial occasions too. The lobby is huge and can accommodate hundreds of people.On some days when an important sporting event is taking place, like World cup finals, or some other event we gather in the lobby and watch the event on TV together and super-large sized TV screen.Only on these occasions does my routine change. On other days it is exactly like what I have described above.The doctor comes in at 4 pm and stays till 7 pm for daily free consultation (except on Sundays) The nurse, paramedic, ambulance driver are available round the clock and they work in shifts. They have a hot line to the nearby hospital which they use during emergencies. They arrange to buy all our medicines. They check Blood pressure and other parameters frequently on demand in the medical room. Electricians, plumbers and odd job men are also available round the clock and they live right in our building in special quarters given to them.We have special technical staff, manning our water treatment plant, sewage treatment plant, diesel generator station, control room, and security guards who patrol the place and also monitor on video screens using closed-circuit TV cameras strategically placed all over the premises. Every apartment has emergency cords in the bedrooms and bathrooms which, if pulled, will bring the security staff, nurse, paramedic and the ambulance driver rushing to our apartment within seconds or at most a minute. The pulling of the cord alerts someone who sits at our control desk 24 hours a day.There is a manager, two assistant managers, an accountant and several junior assistants who take care of our day-to-day needs and who supervise the cleaning and maintenance of the entire premises.They know each resident by name, and our medical records too are stored in the doctor’s room.The ambulance is parked on our premises, and we can be rushed to the nearest hospital within 10 minutes during emergencies.I hope I have been able to give a picture of life here in our retirement home.Pictures of our premises are available here, posted by the architects at their web site.Parkside Retirement Homes / MindspaceThanks to Ashish Kadam for this opportunity to write about my daily routine and life in the retirement home.

I can’t say how other senior citizens spend their time but I can answer for myself.In fact I had answered a similar question earlier. Let me reproduce it.The link to the earlier question is :Gopalkrishna Vishwanath's answer to How do you spend your whole day from morning to night?For convenience I am reproducing the content here in block quotes.Disclaimer: Nothing useful here. Read only if curious.Note: I am now living a retired life at the Parkside Retirement home of Brigade Orchards at Devanahalli. So this was not how I used to live before I moved here two years ago.I get up at between 5:30 am and 6 am. There is no alarm clock waking me up. The body automatically recognizes that it is time to get up. When my eyes open in the morning, I check the time on my wrist watch which has an illuminated dial face. If it is not yet 5:30 I linger in bed. If it past 5:30 am I get up slowly and do all the early morning washing and toilet rituals like brushing one’s teeth, washing one’s face etc.I swallow one glass of warm water with 2 to 3 pods of Kashimiri Garlic which I chew. The water has a couple of drops of Tulsi juice concentrate mixed and also a pinch of turmeric powder (haldi) added to it. I have been doing this regularly for the past few years. I wrote about this in this old answer:Gopalkrishna Vishwanath's answer to Which small but daily habit benefits you in the long run?(106.7K views and 4.1K upvotes)If it is not yet 6:30 am, I check emails, Whatsapp messages and Quora notifications on my smart phone and often post short, one line replies to comments or messages using my smart phone.At 6:30 am I report for Yoga in our hall along with other residents. Usually between 6 and 12 of us assemble in the hall. A yoga master comes regularly to conduct the sessions. This is Yoga specially tailored for the elderly. The session goes on till 7:15 am. This is followed by 15 to 20 minutes of Praanayama (Deep breathing exercises).I return to my apartment by 7:45am, wake up my wife if she isn’t up already. I boil a large kettle of water that meets our drinking water needs for the day.Between 7:45 am and 8 am my wife and I report at the dining hall for breakfast.The menu varies. There is bread toast/butter/cornflakes/milk/honey/jam/boiled eggs or omelettes and cut fruits or juices for those who prefer it and two south Indian items for most of us. These could be Dosa, Idli, Vada, Uppuma, Poha, Pesarattu, Set Dosa, Sandwich, Parantha, Puri, Paddu, Pongal and the like along with tea, coffee or milk and fruit juice or cut fruits.I chat/gossip with the other residents in the dining hall till about 8:30 am and then sit in our reception area and read the newspapers. I read or rather look through the headlines of all the pages of TOI, Deccan Herald and Hindu.By 9 am I am back in my apartment and have my bath. My wife and I then go down to water a tree that we have adopted and are determined to see it grow to its full height during our life time. I walk in the sun for 20 minutes to get my daily dose of Vitamin D.Around 9:30 am I switch on my lap top. I rush through the online news, emails, and Quora notifications. Between 9:30 am and 1 pm I squeeze in about 1.5 hours at least and sometimes even more, for Quora intermittently, often leaving my desk to attend to various household chores. I might drive down to nearby Devanahalli market (about 2.5 km away) for purchases, or visit the bank or ATM to draw cash, depending on my wife’s instructions.Sometimes during this forenoon session, we may have some common activity in our auditorium like lectures from some speaker on topics of interest to the senior citizens. Today we had a lecture on “fall protection” from a visiting doctor from Ramaiah Hospital. A few days ago the dietician from Ramaiah hospital spoke on the right food and the wrong food for senior citizens. Earlier we had cardiologists, orthopedists, eye specialists, ENT specialists, urologists coming in to give us lectures and advice on how to manage our ailments during old age. The hall/mini auditorium is well equipped for audio visual presentations.Twice a week we have movies scheduled in our mini auditorium. Other common activities organised by our care givers are drawing/sketching classes, craft, meditation, Yoga Nidra, Bhagwad Gita shloka chanting, Aerobics for those who are younger or Music class. Sometimes one of us who is a retired domain expert in some field talks on his speciality.A psychologist spoke about his past experiences.We have two retired army officers who have lectured on their postings in various places and described in more detail the happenings at the front which they are privy to about which normal people are not aware. This is particularly about insurgency in the north east during the seventies, the militancy and terrorism in Kashmir and Naxalite activities. We have retired experts from a variety of fields, including engineering, medicine, law, administration, entertainment, academics, banking and there is no shortage of speakers or subjects as long as there is a willing audience.Sometimes we have general body meetings in this hall to discuss community problems, grievances and matters needing attention from the builders and our caretakers.At 12:45 pm we visit the dining hall for lunch and then spend time socializing with other residents. I get back and spend another hour on Quora or internet browsing till 2:30 pm. At 2:30 pm I call off whatever I am doing and we take a nice afternoon nap for at least 45 minutes, which sometimes extends to more than an hour.We have tea between 3:30 pm and 4 pm. At 4 pm my wife leaves the apartment to socialize with the other ladies or participate in the common activities or classes while I spend time on my laptop,, usually on Quora till about 5 or 6 pm.I then go out for my evening walk. The club is a 10-minute walk away, and twice a week I go there for swimming or just stroll around the stadium for at least 45 minutes.Around 7:45 pm is dinner time. The time from 8:30 pm to 10 or 10:30 pm is my quality time on Quora when I answer most questions, reply to messages and also frame questions. During this period I am undisturbed and my efficiency is at its peak.I hit the sack at 10:30 pm and start snoring within 15 minutes of lying down.This is a typical day in my life here at the retirement home.The routine is broken when I have visitors, or when my children from abroad call for long chat sessions on WhatsApp or Facetime, or during festivals, or national holidays like Republic Day/Independence Day when a flag-hoisting ceremony is organised. Occasionally a bus is arranged by our caretakers, for an outing somewhere. Food from the dining hall is packed and loaded in the bus and we set out together to any place that can be reached in an hour or so. A nurse and a paramedic and and a couple of care-taking assistants accompany us.Sometimes an outing is arranged to the nearest mall / multiplex at Yelahanka and we return after dinner at a restaurant. The transport and tickets are organised by our care takers. We just pay our share of the expense. We are also given an hour or so for shopping if we are interested.On Diwali, Navarathri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Sankaranti we have common community celebrations and activities. The decorations and lighting is done in the common areas by our care-takers.On New Year’s Eve, we have late-night parties and games lasting till midnight.We periodically invite singers, musicians, drama troupes and others to entertain us in our lobby on ceremonial occasions too. The lobby is huge and can accommodate hundreds of people.On some days when an important sporting event is taking place, like World cup finals, or some other event we gather in the lobby and watch the event on TV together and super-large sized TV screen.Only on these occasions does my routine change. On other days it is exactly like what I have described above.The doctor comes in at 4 pm and stays till 7 pm for daily free consultation (except on Sundays) The nurse, paramedic, ambulance driver are available round the clock and they work in shifts. They have a hot line to the nearby hospital which they use during emergencies. They arrange to buy all our medicines. They check Blood pressure and other parameters frequently on demand in the medical room. Electricians, plumbers and odd job men are also available round the clock and they live right in our building in special quarters given to them.We have special technical staff, manning our water treatment plant, sewage treatment plant, diesel generator station, control room, and security guards who patrol the place and also monitor on video screens using closed-circuit TV cameras strategically placed all over the premises. Every apartment has emergency cords in the bedrooms and bathrooms which, if pulled, will bring the security staff, nurse, paramedic and the ambulance driver rushing to our apartment within seconds or at most a minute. The pulling of the cord alerts someone who sits at our control desk 24 hours a day.There is a manager, two assistant managers, an accountant and several junior assistants who take care of our day-to-day needs and who supervise the cleaning and maintenance of the entire premises.They know each resident by name, and our medical records too are stored in the doctor’s room.The ambulance is parked on our premises, and we can be rushed to the nearest hospital within 10 minutes during emergencies.I hope I have been able to give a picture of life here in our retirement home.Pictures of our premises are available here, posted by the architects at their web site.Parkside Retirement Homes / MindspaceThanks to Ashish Kadam for this opportunity to write about my daily routine and life in the retirement home.