Returning to a Village Where Everyone Is Gone - Retiring in Japan

Описание: Yesterday marked a significant moment in my return-to-Japan story. I went back alone to a remote mountain village where, more than a decade ago, I’d spent time and made a few quiet friendships. Everyone I once knew there is gone now—likely dead—and their homes all shuttered, silent, and sinking slowly into disuse. I had anticipated this, but the reality struck harder than I expected.

House after house was empty. Even the doghouse stood vacant, the leash still hanging from its hook. The old men and women—and the one dog—I once knew are gone, their homes left fully furnished, waiting for owners who will never return. The experience left me deeply moved and strangely hollow. I came home quiet, unsettled, and ready to sleep—to let the day fade away into memory.

Kurt Bell is a writer, YouTuber, and family man living in Shizuoka, Japan. His projects include the channels softypapa, Abandoned Japan, and Retiring in Japan. His writings explore adventure, solitude, family, and the pursuit of the Good Life.

✨ Delve deeper into Kurt’s adventures. Secure your copy of his books here:

🇯🇵 Retiring in Japan (https://a.co/d/3WI9RzH)
🌵 Going Alone (https://a.co/d/6SORY8N)

🌐 Website: https://goingalone.org
📧 Email: [email protected]
🌀 Discord:   / discord  
👍 Support my endeavors on Patreon:   / softypapa  

Be safe… But not too safe.

⸻

Tags
#RetiringInJapan 🇯🇵 #GoingAlone 🌵 #Nature #NotWell #Horror #ShizuokaLife 🏞️ #LylesBrother #TheGoodLife

⸻

CREDITS:
“Japanese Falls” image: Lane Brown | View More: http://lanebrownart.blogspot.com/p/po...
“Song For Kurt” theme: Nowherians | Listen Here: http://nowherians.bandcamp.com/