For someone as young as me, 29 years old to be exact, retirement feels like a long way off. It’s hard for me to even imagine what job I’ll be doing when and if I can ever retire.

But I do often dream about all the things I’d like to do if I had more free time. So I think of retirement as a second chance for people to enjoy themselves after working hard for so many years. And I guess I just assumed most people have a similar opinion about retirement.

Obviously not everyone is the same and there are plenty of people who throw themselves wholeheartedly into work.

Japan is notoriously known as a country with long working hours and overtime, and you can see the seas of salarymen commuting to work in cities across the country everyday.

Maruiganmo (@kenihare) is a jack of all trades. Along with writing and leathercrafting, he also creates his own manga strips.

One of his recent works shared in August depicts a salaryman reaching retirement age.

His state of mind upon retirement really struck me, but it’s the twist ending that’s gotten everyone’s attention on Twitter.

Reaching Retirement Age

Mr. Tanaka has probably spent the majority of his life working for his company and retirement has finally come. But instead of being excited, he seems lost and without a sense of purpose.

But the staff where he usually buys his morning paper realizes something is different. Upon finding out Mr. Tanaka has retired, he congratulates him, presenting him with an energy drink and a new outlook on life.

Mr. Tanaka walks off with his energy drink, still looking a bit down. But as he makes his way toward the escalator, he takes the staff’s advice to heart and decides to take the stairs, marking the beginning to the rest of his life.

If you enjoyed this short manga strip by Maruiganmo, then check out more of his work on Twitter here.

Thanks for reading and I hope you make the best of your day!