My landlord drives a ferry. Having grown up on an island in the Inland Sea, it was only natural for him to take up a job on a boat. Many islanders become captains of ferries, cargo ships, and tug boats. Ship captains in Japan can retire at age 55 and get a very nice pension. The problem is, it's hard to find a wife when you live in the middle of the sea. So women, if you're still single, I recommend you head out to the islands to find that rich, but still young, single man.

If you visit any of the islands in the Seto Inland Sea, you can see men sitting around taking it easy, enjoying their retirement. They're not really sitting around though, they're squatting, with legs splayed to the sides as if they're ready to jump up into action any moment like a frog on a lily pad.

If you've ever wondered why Japanese people sit like this, I'll tell you. Quite simply, it's because Japanese houses don't have stoops. So there is no porch to sit on to watch the world pass by. I'm not denying that Japanese have spacious verandas. But those, especially the ones with good views, or those that face east, are for the clothes.