A Spontaneous Hike in Kyoto and an Unexpected Lesson on Aging

My dad and I explored a bit too much and accidentally ended up in the middle of a hiking trail in Kyoto.

We had been walking around Kyoto for the past couple of hours, and after exploring the city and visiting many temples, we craved nature.

We found this little path leading up to a forest in the Nazen-ji temple. As we continued walking, we ran into an 85-year-old Japanese man who was also walking our way. He looked fresh, smiling, and surprisingly energetic.

He told us about a hiking trail straight ahead that he had just finished. He said it was about two hours long and had beautiful views of the forest.

He then turned to look at me and asked if I was strong enough to do the hike.

---

This brief encounter reminded me of something we've consistently noticed across East Asia: elderly people remain impressively active and involved. Whether it's running tracks in Busan, practicing Qi Gong in Hong Kong parks, or driving taxis, older individuals here stay active, purposeful, and in community (a hobby I’ve noticed among the elderly here in Japan is flower photography!!).

This wasn’t just a random observation, but our guide in Busan told us that in South Korea, the elderly either start a business (a cafe, for example) or become taxi drivers.

Now, when I think about the elderly people in the Americas compared to those I've encountered here in Japan or South Korea, the difference is pretty noticeable. In the Americas, retirement often seems to mean slowing down or taking it easy. But here, older people stay active, curious, and involved in daily life. Of course, each country is different, and there are plenty of elderly people in the West who live with that same energy, but it feels far less common.

Maybe that’s one of the reasons Japan and South Korea consistently top global life expectancy charts.

SOURCE

All of this brings me to one conclusion: Keep moving (yoga and qi qong are great at this), keep exploring, and keep challenging yourself, because staying engaged with life makes every year richer. After all, adventures don't have an age limit.

Aging doesn’t have to mean retreating. It can mean evolving. It can mean deepening. It can mean doing things not because you have to, but because you still want to.

---

We never saw him again, but we continued through the hike.

Photo taken by the author at the start of the hike