Old People

I have a had a problem with some rather dominating and overkeen old women in Japan, but that`s another story (and I have it under control now in any case).

There are a lot of old people in Japan. Objectively. This is not just a statement resulting from feeling overcome by the enthusiasms of my old women friends earlier this year. It is widely know to most people that Japan, like all modern, developing economies, has an ageing population. This is obviously true from living daily life here.

England, being a developed economy aswell, also has an ageing population, however I feel this far less obviously than I do in the case of Japan. Why? Because I would say old people really are more invisible in Biritsh society. In Japan it is different. They are out there, on the streets, in restaurants, being active, meeting up with friends for lunch, going to the gym, going on trips, keeping up hobbies and interests (eg Ikebana, learning English, volunteering teaching English).

In Japan the elderly are much more out there in society, doing stuff, together on the trains going places. I don`t remember ever having this feeling about the elderly in England. They are just cooped up more at home I think.

Maybe the health of these 2 elderly populations is the reason for the difference in participation in wider society. The Japanese are undoubtedly a very healthy population with their traditional fish and rice based, low fat diet, and active sports instilled in them from day 1 at school.
This healthy lifestyle is most true for the elderly. It is only the younger Japanese who are being tempted by the fast food and burgers (and nikuman!) that is now widely available in the combinis. The elderly though, stick to their traditional very healthy ways. And so live long. The Okinawans are the longest living community in the world.

Obviously if you are a healthy old person then you are still going to be out there, doing stuff. Perhaps it is just the case that more old people are sick in the UK. But there is also another aspect to this. It seems, (perhaps due to the numbers of elderly) that there is more for them in Japanese society. To me there seems to be a huge range of clubs and activities for older people to do here. I`m not particularly familiar with the situation in this respect in the UK, but my impression is that it is old people`s homes, and bingo clubs. Nothing much which uses any brain or skill that you might have. I do feel, that in comparison to the situation in Japan, provisions and opportunities and older people in general are overlooked. Obviously there are adult education classes – but it is not quite the same. Short courses, perhaps lasting a term or 2. It is not quite the same as the wide spread of community centres with wide ranges of activities in literally every insignificant (and significant) settlement of Japan. The community centre activities I guess are dominated by older people. To be a majority in an organization in your town is also a positive boost for old people. It must therefore be easy for other older people to easily fit in and come out of their home. In England I think we have just got into a cycle of old people retreating into their homes because of a lack of a social life, and lack of activities they want to do outside of their home.

The difference is, old people are out in Japan. They are obvious. The rest of the population don`t overlook them. They are more respected. Another reason for the difference must be something I always mention and am always aware of in Japan. The community spirit of people.

These old people have lived in a society with this strong spirit of community for decades and decades. Ultimately, the result is people with very strong bonds with their friends outside of your family, that have been formed and strengthened throughout all of this time, working together, working on something together, having breaks together, talking together. This community spirit, together with being physically healthy and active means that the many old people of Japan still have a wide and active, not superficial or patronized social life. A big difference from the UK I think.

It has to also be mentioned though – a key difference to explain the out-there-ness of the old people in Japan, is the safety of Japan. The streets are safe everywhere. The streets at night are safe. Crime is so low in Japan (apart from theft of umbrellas! I think is most common). I feel so much safer in my daily life in Hitachi, out in the streets, on public transport, compared to the UK. And it must play a big part in the life of old people. It is safe for frail, old people to be out on their own. They are free to go anywhere, even at night (though they go to bed so early this isn`t common!). In England you frequently hear about old people being mugged or accosted by some chav. This makes them and others afraid to go out (either correctly or incorrectly). In Japan this doesn`t happen, so old people do not feel restricted to go out out of fear, and are therefore more present for everyone to see in the wider society.

Having interests, and friends gives meaning to your life, which helps you live long. But also, respect by the wider society exists in Japan to the elderly, from the rest of the Japanese. I don`t think this character of respect is particularly the same. I think there is more of a feeling in England that old people don`t really have much to offer society anymore. But in Japan, longevity is respected and admired. I think there is a respect of the wisdom of old people. People are more linked to the older members of the family.

In addition to New Year, the other big festival in Japan is O-bon in mid August. This is a 3 day festival of the dead ancestors. People will travel to their home town – perhaps where the grandparents still live, and will make visits to the graves of dead ancestors. (side point – graveyards are on tiny plots of land and crammed crammed full of Buddhist gravestones compared to a typical English church graveyard!) There is a stronger awareness and link to the old generations of families here I think - also because older people live so damn long.

I think in Japan the elderly play a big part in the workings of society so they are respected and appreciated, and the old people themselves benefit from this wider respect. Many Japanese companies/ organizations would not work without the grandparent generation to look after the kids while the parents spend most of their waking hours at work.

I think the elderly have a better time of it in Japan compared to England. And I`ve learnt something because of this. To not overlook people, or patronize them, because they are interesting, and can still be good lunch dates etc (in moderation!!!!)
I`ve already been engaging with the older people I know in in my life more (in letters and emails) and my dominant motivation for this has changed. From a slight sense of duty (which is how it is often made out to me to be from Dad) to a sense that I genuinely want to have a meaningful communication with them because they are interesting people.

When (if?!) I have children I am going to emphasise that communicating with healthy older people shouldn`t be a duty – you should change your attitude so it is something you genuinely want – because you should want to talk to people that have led long lives, and therefore have interesting things to say and good advice. Sometimes I think though, the problem with old people is that they get in to a mode of losing interests so they think they have nothing to say (but perhaps this is society`s fault for the general view of no worth of older people).

I read in an article that to have a strong reason to live is also a strong factor in the longevity of the Okinawans. The Okinawans reason for their longevity is longevity itself! They find a lot of value in living a long time so they can pass on their wisdom and experiences of living well to the future generations. I want English old people to be healthy and socially active and present in society, and have a strong reason to keep living like those people.