Many Japanese have dreamed of living their last days in London, just as Americans in the 1920s used to dream of romantically passing away in Paris. Now, as Japan grows grayer with each passing year, an increasing number of older Japanese are eyeing Great Britain's capital city with a particular longing.
It's been said by culture critics and emigrants that you can live in England on just ¥2 million a year and still enjoy soccer games or sit down to afternoon tea in cashmere sweaters — because British society is kinder and more respectful of seniors than Japan's.
Frankly, I'm ready to believe that after seeing "The Lady in the Van," which features 81-year-old Dame Maggie Smith as a homeless curmudgeon who smells god-awful and lives out of a van in a nice, residential area of Camden.