Backpackers of the Past

Good evening.
About something interesting from a conversation I had with someone today.

When I mentioned that I love traveling and used to work at a travel agency,
a man in his 50s, a senior to me in life, told me about his days as a backpacker.

Backpackers are often called 'bappers' for short.
Everyone, let's try traveling with just a backpack!

Sorry, back to the main point, haha.
It seems that in those days, there was no internet, and information was passed along by word of mouth.
So, when traveling around the world, everyone would gather at hostels that had a good reputation among Japanese travelers.

Apparently, there were many encounters there too, haha.

He said there is no single right way to live life.
He had been living overseas since he was young and seems to have returned to Japan after COVID.

He said that in this day and age, if you save money steadily through investments, it grows, and the more you look for information, the more you find—it's a good era.

Until a little while ago, it was like 'follow the leader,' and working at one company until retirement was the mainstream.
But now, changing jobs is common, and I think it's an era where you can live as an individual.

It's fine for everyone to have their own color in how they live, though it's hard to think that way if you're just living in Japan.
I want to live my own life in that same way.
I want to earn money, so I guess I'll be working seriously to some extent.

He was composed and calm.
His back looked cool.

*I also learned that you can hear interesting stories if you get close to the older generation, haha.
(Are you really going to say that too?)
I hope to become someone like that in about 25 years. ☺️