ที่อยู่อาศัยของผู้สูงอายุชาวญี่ปุ่นที่พำนักระยะยาวในเชียงใหม่

Abstract

Chiangmai is seen as a comfortable city for the elderly and the Thai government has promoted it as a preferred destination for long-stay retired foreigners. Recently, Chiangmai has become a popular residence for Japanese retirees. This study focuses on the status, conditions, needs and other factors associated with the choice of residence for Japanese retirees in Chiangmai. The study found that most of the Japanese retirees in Chiangmai were more than 66 years old, did not have health problems, lived with their spouse, and had children in Japan. Their expenses while living in Chiangmai were covered by their pension, which was approximately 45,000~200,000 JPY per month. Based on their expenses in Japan, the Japanese retirees can be classified into 3 types, which are the high income group whose expenses are more than 250,000 JPY per month, the middle income group whose expenses are between 150,000~250,000 JPY per month, and the low income group whose expenses are lower than 150,000 JPY per month. The high and middle income groups tended to have a similar or better quality of life, while the low income group seems to be able to maintain a befitting quality of life. This study also determined that although the Japanese retirees used to live in a single detached house in Japan, they chose to live in a condominium in Chiangmai due to the smaller family size. Nonetheless, those who have special needs such as having a pet or wheel chair would choose to live in a single detached house. In addition, it also found that while choosing a place to stay, they tended to receive advice from Japanese friends or Japanese brokers in Chiangmai, as insufficient information could cause problems. Surprisingly most of them were not willing to live in housing developed specifically for the Japanese.