Monday, April 02, 2018

update

How are you?

Thought I should bring you up to date as to where we are...

So, after we found out that the price of the rent for us to look for was set, we also found out that the square footage that we were allowed was set too...eep! (550 square feet max)

The company labels our housing as "company housing" so everyone has to be the same rent and same square footage.

Apparently rent and square footage is more for families of 3 or more and less for those who are single or live/work away from their families.

If you remember, right now we live in a 600 square foot apartment.

Over the past couple of weeks, we worked with a real estate agent familiar with Satoshi's company's conditions.

She sent us all sorts of prospects, and one apartment that struck our attention was located in Shinagawa.

It was so convenient that Satoshi would be able to avoid riding the trains and walk to work!

The last Thursday of March we met up with the real estate agent in Tokyo and to our disappointment the Shinagawa property was poorly maintained and scarily dark.

Luckily the agent had two other properties lined up to show us in the Ikegami area.

To commute from Ikegami, Satoshi would need to ride two trains but both rides are not very long.

The commute time should equal to just about the same amount of time he takes to commute in Osaka, though I am sure the trains in Tokyo have a different kind of crowding.

Out of the two properties we looked at in the Ikegami area, one stood out...it is 470 square feet and on the top floor of the building, getting lots of sunlight, just like our apartment now but of course, smaller.

It is not too far from the train station, just like our apartment now.

The weekend before we looked at properties, we met with the moving company, they gave us an estimate and scheduled our move for April 15 (which could change if we cannot move in by the 16th).

Most of our appliances are old (17 years) so we are planning to get rid of them.

The cool thing about the moving company is that they sell new appliances and will get rid of our old ones (for a fee).

Among our belongings there were some things that we (mostly Satoshi) are not ready to part with, so we talked with MIL and she has allowed us to store these things in a room of her house. (thank you!)

Over these weeks, we also went several times to Kyoto to clear out the area for us to put these things and also help her clean a little.

During most days I have been packing boxes and purging (lots of purging!).

Thank goodness our city has an emergency bulk garbage pick up (for a fee) and they will be coming tomorrow!

During the past two weeks, I was also able to meet up with my host mom, host sister and some friends for lunches.

I was worried I would have to throw out some butter I had in the freezer but the family next door kindly accepted it. (thank you!)

Unfortunately I know I still will have to throw some food things out but at least most things have been eaten or given away.

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks.

At this point, we're still waiting for the real estate agent to get back to us on the apartment we are interested in.

Thank you for all the advice and good mojo from you readers, friends and family.

Be well.

14 comments:

kabocha808 said...

Wow! It’s been quite a busy several weeks for you & Satoshi. Good luck with the move. Looking forward to reading about life in Tokyo.

Anonymous said...

引っ越し先が決まってよかったですね!ご主人の会社が近いし、便利ですね。
心配していたバター引き取り先見つかり安心ですね。
今年の春はお花見どころではなかったと思いますが、こちらは散ってきています。早すぎる~
ともみ

Tamakikat said...

Hi Kat.
Sounds like you’re super busy but have a great handle on things.
Interesting to know about the emergency bulk trash collection. That sounds really helpful.
You will have fun with new appliances I’m sure.
As always wishing you and Satoshi all the best for the move and settling into your new home.
TK

jalna said...

Whew!! Glad things are coming together for you. Too bad about the Shinagawa apartment. That woulda been so cool if Satoshi coulda walked to work.

Anonymous said...

So busy, having such short notice to arrange everything. The conditions of Satoshi's company are so interesting. Too bad they don't give something like a COLA especially for Tokyo. Would you be able to move later on if you find something a little bigger within those conditions, or once you select, you stuck?
I was so excited to first read Shinagawa because I usually stay at the Toyoko Inn right next to the Prince hotel for airport shuttle convenience (and too cheap to pay Prince prices). Then when you said Ikegami, I got all excited again because my cousin has friends who live in Ikegami so we catch those 2 trains to visit them. They mfg. salt and pepper mills and their business shop is in Ikegami. They belong to a wholesale store, something like Costco, but more wholesale vs. retail like Costco called Tajimaya, which is the main reason we visit them (hehehe).
V
Wishing you all the best on your new adventure!

alibaba37 said...

Thank you for updating us. Wow, busy bee you are. I truly hope you two get the rental you want and the move goes well. Blessing for a smooth transition.

Jo said...

You have been rather busy over the last week ! It must be exhausting to do house hunting and pack .... It is a good chance to throw things out too .

K said...

So much to have to deal with- hope everything goes well!

Happy Little Bento said...

Wow sounds like you have accomplished a lot in a short time. Kudos! I wish the walking distance place had worked out, but your living space is more important than proximity. Sending best wishes for everything to proceed smoothly. 😊💕

Rowena said...

the moving company sounds super efficient, and this post explains that pic on instagram! I thought that if those things sat out and it decided to rain, what a mess it would make. I'm kinda shocked on the square footage limitations but I suppose 470 isn't so bad, and on the top (and with elevator?) ^-^

Lindsay-Jean said...

Wow, what a stretch it's been for you. I'm happy to hear you found a place that you're happy with (even if it wasn't the one that seemed better on paper!).

tofugirl said...

Crazy that the employer can set rent and space requirements! Hope the rest of your move goes smoothly 😊

K and S said...

Thank you Teri K!

Yes Tomomi, the cherry blossoms were too quick this year!

It would've been cool if he could walk Jalna!

If we move after this one to Tokyo, V, we would have to pay everything--moving and rent expenses.

Thank you Alibaba37!

Definitely a good time to get rid of things Jo!

Thank you K!

Thank you Sheri!

Actually the elevator will only go up to the 4th floor Rowena, we still would have to walk up a little.

Thank you LJ!

They are paying for everything Tofugirl, so they can set the rent and space requirements.

Take care everyone.
Kat

KirkK said...

Man, so much to deal with......