Ayumi lives alone in a spacious suburban house originally bought to raise a family, her two cats now her only full-time companions. Her two daughters have grown up and left home, and her husband of more than two decades moved out nearly a year ago as they finalise a divorce.
For the 62-year-old Kawasaki resident, who spoke on condition that her surname be withheld, this was not how she envisioned her later years.
“He worked very long hours, including on weekends, and I was always busy taking care of the house and raising the children,” Ayumi said. “I think we worked well as a team at the beginning, but somewhere along the way, we just stopped talking like we had before.”
The marriage had its fair share of ups and downs – financial stress during their daughters’ university years and the deaths of their respective parents. But the final break came when the girls left home.