Japanese people who have left our island as young adults to pursue jobs in the cities sometimes come back to live here after retirement. They've got an ancestral home to move back into and can enjoy their days talking with old friends and watching the sun set over the Seto Inland Sea. While drinking shōchū.

If you don't drink shōchū, however, you're bound to have problems adjusting to island life. It's like moving to Okinawa and not partaking in awamori (an even more lethal alcoholic brew): It's a part of the local culture. Those who don't drink shōchū might even find themselves thinking, "There's nothing to do here!" Of course, there is plenty to do here. It's just that most things involve shōchū.

Recently, one retiree who moved back aroused the ire of some of the locals.