🇯🇵 While browsing a thrift store in Shizuoka with Yumiko, hunting for furniture for our new home, I stumbled upon a corner filled with Japanese antiques—familiar relics that once defined my life.
Soroban (abacuses), tansu (Japanese dressers), kiseru (traditional pipes), and more—these were the treasures I shared with a global audience during my five years running Suruga Trading Services on eBay. Back then, these items sparked a sense of purpose and excitement in me.
But today? I regarded them with quiet detachment. They felt like echoes of a past life, artifacts of a chapter I’ve left behind. It reminded me of seeing a high school crush and realizing the connection belonged to a version of myself that no longer exists.
The passion I once had for antiques burned out when I closed my business in 2008. And that’s okay. Life moves forward, casting off what no longer fits and making space for what comes next. Some chapters aren’t meant to be rewritten—just read, remembered, and left where they belong.
➡️ Secure your copy of Retiring in Japan here: a.co/d/eEJQpTI
🌐 Website: www.goingalone.org/
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📧 Email: dinnerbytheriver@gmail.com
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Be safe… But not too safe
#RetiredInJapan #KurtBell #JapaneseAntiques #ThriftStores #LifeInJapan #SurugaTrading #PersonalGrowth #MovingForward #ExpatsInJapan #GoingAlone
CREDITS:
“Japanese Falls” image: Lane Brown | View More: lanebrownart.blogspot.com/p/portfolio.html
“Song For Kurt” theme: Nowherians | Listen Here: nowherians.bandcamp.com/
☀️softypapa