🇯🇵 The Life I Didn’t Choose | Living Alone at 50 in Rural Japan
Today I took a short trip to Okayama for a doll exhibition.
I spent the day helping at the booth and walking through Kurashiki.
On the way home, I found myself thinking about the life I didn’t choose,
and the one I’m living now.
Sometimes the quiet moments reveal more than we expect.
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0:00 A Rainy Morning
0:50 Preparing for the Trip
2:03 Why I Gave Up My Car
5:46 Crossing the Bridge to Okayama
6:18 Kurashiki and Old Memories
7:28 A Small Café Moment
8:01 The Doll Exhibition
9:13 Returning Home
10:00 The Life I Didn’t Choose
14:00 Evening at Home
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37 Comments
The life you choose is the right choice if it's what you wanted. You can't choose the life your mother wanted for you as you would probably be very resentful. I understand the feelings you are going through. I am 69 and never married either. I always wondered if I would have been happier, but then I think I'm not sad with my choice, I'm very content. You made the right choice for you.
Btw, if you could put the ingredients of what you are fixing for your meals on the screen I would love it. I'd like to see what kinds of foods and ingredients you use.
17:30 Add an egg and a few slices of green onion and call it a day.😂
Oh, so you did it!🤗
Je pense que ta mère est fière de toi. Elle veille sur toi et te protège. Je pense, que depuis, elle a traversée mainte et mainte fois ton âme. Une petite fille changée en une Femme accomplie et émancipée. Maya au cœur d'enfant.
☺️مهما كان الطريق اللذي سيسلكه الإنسان سيظل غير راضي ، لان فكرة أنك ولدت لهذه الحياة لتنجز جعل الإنسان لا يحيا الحياة ، و الأغلب للأسف يربطون النجاح بالمردود و المخزون المادي ، و اللذي سيغادر الحياة بدونها ، لم نختر ان نأتي للحياة لكننا اتينا وجودنا حقيقي لبرهة من الزمن ، كزهرة برية في قمة جبل شاهق ،ليس من الضروري ان يرانا احد ، ما دمنا هنا بكل وجودنا الهش ، لكن من الممكن ان نحيا في هذه الحياة متخذين قرارات اقل ضرراً لأنفسنا و الاخرين ، لا يوجد طريق محدد ، خاصة في هذا العصر ، اذا رأينا حتى أنجح الأشخاص سنجد عنده شعور الندم او عدم الرضى ، انه فراغ في داخل كل شخص لا يمكن اشباعه ، أنتي روح جميلة مثل الزهرة البرية ،اتمنى لكي كل الخير 🙏🌱🤍 تعاملك مع الطعام ممتاز 👍المهم طعام مفيد للجسد لكي يمضي كل يوم بيومو🌱 شكراً لمشاركتك 🙏🍀👋🌸
Maya, the fried rice looked more appealing than rice balls ❤ You are a hard working, very neat and organized women, not a doll.
Another great video. Like a movie. I Hope you are content with who you are. That's the main thing. By the way….What is that box in the bed , i am curious. Air purifier?
ℹ can’t tell you friend what’s right or wrong but just enjoy this part of your life 🤗
Maya, thanks for sharing and your videos are inspirational. Did you leave the dryer on while you are out of the house? We never to that beause the dryer can cause a fire. Many homes in where I live are burnt down due to an unattended dryer. Please be careful.
Hi dear Maya! Your video starts with a lot of rain……!
Climate is changing in a lot of countries. Where I live we see sometimes heavy rain and snow on one day. So good and nice that you are visiting another town and his beautiful dolls. I do hope you had a pleasant time.
The food there looks so very good! But when you came home you made yourself a colourful meal aswell!! Before you left home you made yourself a matcha drink.
Here in my country you can buy matcha powder and order somewhere coffee with matcha too. I do like your cooking always and it looks very colourful and tasty!!!
And you are doing very well and you live your life in a good way. It is always a pleasure for me to see your video. Stay Healthy Maya and may God Bless you always. Love from us, Fenny and Lizzy 😊😊🥰😘😘❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏
Hola Maya! El paseo a Okayama, estuvo interesante, y la música de fondo relajante. Tu mamá estará feliz, porque tú elegiste ser la protagonista de tu vida, y ser independiente. Ojalá en un futuro no lejano, vendas tus muñecas. Que estés bien, y cuídate Maya. Saludos!
I take medication and iam so much inspired by this. The only difference is iam a mother as well. So the society treats me differently still Japan is a paradise . Iam learning budget friendly stuffs to eat but still prices are higher if you want to buy quality stuffs.
I like your polka dot socks!
We are often too critical of ourselves. To me you are an impressive cook. Lots of single people eat junk instead of cooking a healthy meal.
Merci beaucoup ❤
Only you can know what you want as they say follow your heart, yes it might upset some people but in the end it’s you that has to make that decision. If you listened to your mother then would you have been happier and probably couldn’t have done the things you wanted to do. It’s all about choices, I’m sure you made the right one
I like your clothes it reminds me of our Swedish Gudrun Sjoden.
こんにちは、あなたは成功していますね：たった9本の動画で、すでに2,000人近いチャンネル登録者を獲得しています！
誰しも人生で間違った決断をしたことがあるものです。私も仕事人生において、なぜ司法庁で働かなかったのかと後悔したこともありました。しかし、30年経った今、当時の法律は正しくないと思うため、その決断を嬉しく思っています。
その経験は免れたのです。そしてあなたも、母親や妻としての多くの悩みから免れています。 あなたは40歳の女性らしい顔立ちをしています。
そのことにも感謝しましょう。
今日は、母から教わらなかった料理を作ってみようと思います…… 私たちの母たちは素晴らしかったけれど、彼女たちにも過ちはあった。
神だけが過ちを犯さない。だからこそ、神は崇められるのだ。イエス・キリストの素晴らしい点に気づいたら、 私は大声でこう言う。「ハレルヤ！」
Please no music. I loved your channel for not underlying music.❤
Life goes on.
May u bless with happiness n good health ❤
I did not choose the life path my mother wanted either, and I am still single. Like you, sometimes I wonder if I would have found fulfillment in the life she wanted for me. I hope that if one day love finds me, it will love the genuine person I am. I like your videos because they are real life.
I enjoy your calm and comforting videos. We live worlds apart- I am from South Africa, but I can relate to you. I think we all think of the road we didn't take, especially in midlife. I married very young, and I have two children, both living their own lives. My husband passed away three years ago, and the new road I am on as a widow is starting to feel less bumpy. Although I miss him very much, I love the quiet life I live on my own. My mother passed away four years ago, and I never knew if she approved of my choices. I tell my children often that all I want for them is happiness, and that they can never disappoint me.
As the mother of a daughter I know your mother's intentions were from a place of love. She wanted you to have stability and well being. We want our children to have better things than we did, ultimately your life is your own. I hope you continue to do well and stay healthy, and yes your mother is proud of you ❤
Thank you, Maya – I love your quiet life videos! I appreciate the skill that goes into the recording and editing, and how you show the real life and how you share your thoughts. It was great to see the day trip to Okayama, too! I think you have chosen the right path.
How was the World Expo 2025 in Osaka? I went for only one day and I didn't see the countries that I wanted to see.
It is very difficult to go anywhere in Shikoku without a car, I understand why you don't have a car anymore.
My regret in life was failing in my marriage and alone now…
I do discard things but like magic other things appear. Parents can be a burden but i still treasure their sacrifice.
Hello, thank you so much for this video. It's very calming. It also gave me food for thought. I'm retiring from my job in two months and I'm thinking about what I'm going to do afterwards. One of the things I want to do is visit Japan again and travel around to places that aren't Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, but things are so tense right now (not in Japan, in the world). I didn't get married until I was 64, and it was to a guy I met back in university. I didn't feel free to marry or even get on with my life until after my mother died because I was one of her caregivers. Since I've done both things (single and married), I would say both have their benefits. I liked the freedom of being single, but I also like that I married someone who will have my back. Plus my cats (now our cats) love him. You are doing good!
Turning it the failed rice balls into fried rice reminded me of time when I made a sourdough loaf and forgot to add salt. So much effort and the bread tasted like cardboard! I went to bed and meanwhile my husband cut it up into small pieces, adding herbs and salt and toasting them in the oven until they emerged as croutons! I would have never though of it but it reminded me to keep making lemonade out of lemons, like you did. Keep forcing myself to see the glass half full as well as half empty.
No it is not your mother's fault that you dont have husband and children. It is yours! You are still processing about your mother. You haven't healed to this day. It is NOT too late to find husband, but, you must be healed of the narcisstic mother……or your marriage will fail. STOP blaming your mother in this PITY PARTY vlog. I just yesterday fin I am going to be a grandpa……..If you want to find husband GO find one and stop whinning.
Personally, I think she would be proud of you. It's difficult in todays world for a family to get by much less a single person . I wish you well from the U.S.
Hello from the USA. Your channel gives me hope. I’m in my mid-30s, childless, and in an unhappy marriage that I cannot leave because I’m not financially independent and am disabled by ASD. Sometimes it feels like I’m running out of time as a woman, if that makes sense, yet at the same time it feels like the “standard” life society expects from women was never meant for me.
When I watch your life on this channel, it seems calm and peaceful. Your honesty about your life and your inner struggles comforts me. It reminds me that I’m not alone.
Sometimes I wish I had been born in Japan so I could live quietly in a rural place like you do now. From where I’m standing, Japan seems like one of the few places left in the world that still feels healthy and sane.
Thank you again for sharing such an intimate look into your life. Many of us truly appreciate it. I hope you will continue sharing your experiences and stories with us.
これからもお話や日々のことを聞けるのを楽しみにしています。どうかお身体を大切にしてください。
🩷
I think some of us aren't meant for the life our mothers wanted, no matter how hard we tried. My dream that seems out of reach is traveling overseas.
Your video is well put together and elegant. I wish you could have had the peach parfait. I miss my peach tree that died. I have a giant cherry tree instead. At 67, it has taken me a good while to see my cup as half full instead of half empty. We have those regrets in our past, but with a second glimpse, you can see the many wonderful moments too.
Bad idea to run the dryer while not at home.
Just turn it into fried rice?? I spoke too soon, I see you did. YUM!!
Maya, we have much in common , i also fight with my mother about my life, she dreamed i as a good wife wuth children in a lovely house,,you know, but i wanted to travel, i did not want to fix in a home with a man and children, and i realize my dream as i worked for an'airline for so many years, and traveled a lot , and finally just like you, i know my choice was the good one, when i see friends the problems they have between them divorce etc.. and also with their kids, i don't envy them, yes i am alone , i have some good friends i see, but i have a peaceful life in rural France and i feel very good that way. By the way the movie Amelie Poulain is a great movie
Thanks for the video and i hope you will realize your dream for the dolls, you have many skills
i really like your temper, your positivity and personnality , Take Care , Sophie ♥
Have you thought of adding some color to your home to make it more cheerful. Add some art to the walls.
お抹茶ラテ・・いいねぇ そう言えばお袋が言っていた 朝茶の一杯はその日の難を逃れる