The manga centers on Yamagata Shoichiro, a novelist in his late sixties who has chosen to live alone in a worn-down apartment on the edge of Setagaya, Tokyo. A lifelong bachelor with a fiercely independent spirit and a love for beer and cooking, Yamagata has spent decades refining his own philosophy of life, which he calls the way of the Great Citizen. This latest chapter of his long-running series finds him confronting the realities of being classified as a senior citizen, a label he resents given his continued dedication to daily strength training and self-discipline.

Despite his grumbling about societal expectations, Yamagatas apartment functions as an unlikely gathering place for a cast of struggling neighbors and acquaintances. Central among them is Sagawa, a man who lost everything in the bubble economy and now lives with only the memory of his former wealth and two mistresses. Other regulars include a young cabaret girl named Marilyn, various unemployed and underemployed men, and the younger residents of the apartment building who are drawn to Yamagatas unconventional confidence and his willingness to share a good meal.

The narrative is structured as a series of episodic vignettes focused on the mundane details of daily life. A significant portion of the story revolves around Yamagatas culinary adventures, from cooking simple dishes like pot-boiled udon to enjoying a full moon with sake and pampas grass, always punctuated by his signature exclamation of Umashi when he finds something truly delicious. However, as the subtitle suggests, this installment in the series pivots toward the practical and philosophical challenges of aging. The carefree, almost fantastical elements of his younger years give way to pressing concerns about health, physical decline, managing limited finances, and the approach of death.

The notable narrative arcs are defined by Yamagatas struggle to maintain his identity in the face of physical deterioration. He develops his own theories on stretching and exercise to stave off the inevitable, while his interactions with others force him to confront issues like becoming a solitary hoarder or the fear of dying alone. Through his ongoing dialogues with the younger generations and fellow aging residents, he moves from a stance of simple social critique to a more urgent need to define what constitutes a good death and a life lived with dignity when one has no family to rely on. The story tracks his emotional journey as he transitions from a proud, able-bodied critic of society to an elderly man who must learn to accept help and say goodbye to his own vitality.