So it's hard to believe, but in less than one week this view here will not be our view anymore. [Life in Japan Theme Song] MOVING AGAIN
In One Week You never know where the ride of life is going to take you. Thereâs no reality here on earth that is permanent â everyone has to check out sometime. And if thereâs one thing Iâve learned in my 45 years of life, itâs that things can change fast. What youâve grown accustomed to your whole life can change in a moment, and weâve come upon one of those moments once again, but this time by our own choice. Morning everybody. I've got my cup of coffee, it's time to read the Bible and get my day going. Here we go. Throughout my life Iâve had a solid anchor for my soul not found in any circumstance or situation around me, but found in the unchanging words of the Bible, the very words that guide and direct me. They have led us to this point in life, and they continue to lead us to greater things. Living away from our home country of America has been one of the greatest and most rewarding challenges weâve ever faced, but every once in a while you are able to step back and see the progress weâve made along the way. Another day, another walk along the river. Oh yea. Soon, in one of the most dramatic displays of winter to spring, These sakura trees, the cherry-blossom trees, will be blooming here, and it will be just gorgeous. And it always amazed me how it goes from such a drab, wintery look, right launching into spring. It gets warmer, and that's coming up real soon. But it's not just the seasons that are changing here, there's a season that's changing for us as well. Are we doing are piano lesson, Dude? What's up Sarah chan? Are you ready for school? Who you got there? He's the one from Australia. We won it. Oh, chick from Australia! Sweet! Whoa, are you going to leave any left for school? You're going to have to fill it up again before going, huh? In the year and a half weâve lived in this apartment, weâve squeezed every last centimeter of space out of this place Weâve been hoping and praying for a place with more space in this area to rent, but they are few and far between That is until recently. So Ruth, you've been busy. Yea, would you believe we're moving again?! Oh man! As if it wasn't enough work the first time. So we're packing. We have maybe a third of the boxes packed, Wow, alright. Same moving company, so they were like "Do you want the same amount of boxes as last time?" And we said "Yeah" because everything we put in it to bring here we'll put in it to take out. So we're very excited. Same school district, so that's nice for our kids. Girls, why are we home? No school.
No school!? The whole grade is on break because of influenza. Oh my goodness. Well at least you've been able to help, huh? What have you been helping with, Becca?
Packing! I've been helping with...
Packing! Singing, actually...
Meow meow meow! OK, that's kind of embarrassing!
Ha ha! LIFE'S SEASONS
And Lessons Learned What?! Yeah! Ha ha! Mommy didn't even notice it...
How about that, Dude? Mommy didn't notice it, and then when she was sitting right here, I was getting the coffee, And when I looked outside it was snowing. I was like "Mommy, it's snowing!" It's snowing!
It's a good morning for Kotatsu. Anna loves that cat song. She won't stop singing...
It's my new favorite song. Life changes fast just like the seasons. One day itâs snowing like winter, and the next day itâs sunny like spring. Life doesnât just stop for you to move â it doesnât even slow down! Thereâs still school, work and meetings. Sometimes, thereâs even a wedding cake. Trying my hand at wedding cakes. Wedding cakes now, huh? Whoa! There's a lot of flowers on there because... It's going to be a two-tiered. So I think I'll do a lump like this on the base, I'll have the first layer. I'll do a lump like that one the second layer and then the thing on top. As each day passes, the moving day draws nearer. Not only does all of our normal work have to get done, but we have to work ahead in order to be able to pull off the move. And that doesnât even include all the additional work that comes with moving! I'm working on my last video that I'm going to do in this place. This place right here has been awesome. For the last year and a half I've set up shop here in my little studio, I guess you would call it. In my office. A separate small apartment that we've been renting. But now with the new place my office will be able to be at home We'll save the money that we're not spending here and we're putting it towards that house. Whoa! We're go-cartin! Joshua's steering! All I have to do is hold onto the gas and he's steeringâwatch her! Watch where you're going! Look, Sarah's in front of us! This is as fast as we can go! I think we're catching up to Sarah. We're coming for you Sarah chan! Whoa, turn it, Dude, turn it! Oh yea, oh yea, oh yea. And right behind them! Oh yea. Oh yea! Whoa! Was that fun? Or just kind of fun? We did it! You did it! You won! I taught a kid how to drive already. We're taking a break from all the packing and all the craziness to come out and enjoy a nice day and have fun here. Boy, if that were a real fire, people would have to wait a while for you to get there! Yes! But not all of the vehicles here at Kyodonomori park were toys⌠I'm going to be the driver! You're going to drive this bus?!
Yes. What in the world!? Where you going to take everyone, Joshua? Ticket!
Ticket. McDonalds. McDonalds?! Of course! OK passengers, please put your seat belt on! Ticket...
Oh here Ticket! And please give me the ticket before you sit down. Here, air ticket. Getting to play in these real retired vehicles with friends is a fun experience. Wow Dude! Look at here. Look at the gear shift. I know. Itâs the perfect distraction from moving. Guys, the floor is lava.
OK. The floor is lava game! Oh no, Sarah! This park is wild, this is like where they bring all the old busses and trains out to retire, And you can just play on them, like they have these busses, they have these trains here, We're about to go check out the Sakura. The early blooming Sakura and see what's coming here very soon. Can you sing a pretty Sakura song for me? "Sakura is boring!" Boring?! Oh, we'll have to edit this! I see it everyday of my life! You don't see it everyday of your life, you see it for one week a year! Well, two weeks maybe.
No. I see it like every single day. It's not like "Wow! That's so beautiful!" It's like "Yea, I see that. Hi. Bye." That's fresh water if I've ever seen it.
It almost looks like cactus-y You know, I'm sure those have cleaned the water enough that you can drink it. Get some water here...
That's right. Oh yeah. Now go kiss your wife. Some varieties of Sakura, like these, bloom early and itâs fun to get out to see them. Wow, portrait mode of "Las Chicas" Man- look atâ frame that! Cheese! I feel like I'm following a photographer around... Working it, girls!
That's right! Let go see this by the beautiful tree. The adults at leastâmaybe not Sarah, but the adults are big fans of Sakura. The fun time in the sun and sakura got us to forget about all of the move for a bit at least until we got back to the apartment. My child. Not too much longer here, huh Sarah?
Yea. What's the packing update? I don't know if I really have a "packing update" other than my house looks crazy. I have packed non-essentials, But as you look around my house, I still have a lot of stuff to work with. Lots and lots and lots and lots! It's almost overwhelming at times. LAST WEEKEND
The Final Breath Before the Plunge When it came to packing work, Rebecca was momma chanâs right-hand person. You like the taping part though Becca?
Yea. But this house, it was a surprise. It was a good surprise.
Here, put this in there. If youâre surprised weâre moving, imagine our kids, because we didnât even tell them we were applying to rent this house. It wasnât until after all of the primary paperwork had been accepted that we took them through the house for the final approval. Without hesitation, they fully approved! What do you guys think? Do you want to move here?
Yes!!!! Thoughts of living in a larger house motivated us through the whole process of moving. These are the drumsticks that I own. I only use the lightest ones. You know what, we're going to get rid of that 'cause there's no need for it. Sarah chan!
Eh? It's such a beautiful thing you're making though here. Can you please tell us what you're making? An octopus.
An octopus?! Nice! Oh it looks so good, Sarah! Nate, can these be tossed?
Toss 'em. OK. Do you need this? And so things continued to get packed or thrown away, and as the weekend approached, we set aside time for Paz Church and family as well. We needed to be fully recharged for moving week! As I headed to Paz early on Sunday morning, I walked alongside the neighborhood stream lined with Sakura to see if they would be blooming soon or not. There's all kinds of people out today, Everyone's ready for these Sakura to bloom. We're just waiting for it. While the sakura wasnât ready yet, there were a number of things already in bloom, including the atmosphere at Paz Church. Weâre ready for spring here! Push us, Daddy! We're ready for Spring out here as well! Nothing beats a day outside on a nice day. Itâs just the thing we needed before moving week. Anna can razor-ripstick just about anyway you can imagine. "KEY" DAY
2 Days to Go The next day would be a big day for sure. You could say it was a key day. What did you make at school? Show us! What?! Is it an otter family?! Noice. What's the breaking news today? What? We get...
the keys today!! Wha!!! Yea!! And the day after tomorrow we are moving! Oh
Tomorrow we can say it's the last full day. It's the last Monday morning we have this view. Isn't that crazy? This has been a nice part about living here is this view, that's for sure. Whew, it's cold! Do you feel how cold it is? I didn't know the soccer balls were over here! Must have blown over there, huh? I'll put one there... OK I'm going in, it's cold Dude! So Momma chan, what's the â what's the update here? The packing update? I don't think anything has changed since the last time you asked!
Really? Ask me tonight.
Ok, Ok sounds good. Not now! It's all messy! Cut the camera!
Cut! Well today internet is getting disconnected at my office so I'm going there to get ready, And I'm packing everything in the office Because later today when I get the keys I'll be moving all my office stuff to the new house Wow- how exciting! Crazy! This day has finally come! Without this extra office there's no way I think we could have downsized from our other place With the suitcases, with camping gear, with my musical equipment â all that kind of stuff â Between the two places we've made it work. So we're looking forward to it all being in one place now. But it means I gotta get everything out of here and get it over there. OK I cleared out this little crawl space, I think maybe it's made so people can sleep up here, But for me to try to fit in here! Here, let's see if I can do it. Oh. I guess I could if I needed to. I could sleep like this... From corner to corner it would work I guess. Good thing I never need to do this though. My goodness. Well here's the last two bags, I'm going to take them down over there. Let's do this thing. Well last time I was here it was to sign the papers for this new place, Now I'm here to pick up the keys. Here we go, very exciting. I signed for the keys at the real estate office and thanked the agent that worked with us. It was time to head back home â our new home, and I knew just who wanted to go with me. Guess what I got!
The keys! The keys for the new place! I got my keys, I'm going to drive the very first load over and see the place empty, make sure everything is in order. And then it's going to be time to unloading some things before moving day. Whoa! Is that new?!
No. Oh it smells new in here though, doesn't it?
It does. This is exactly where we're going to put the mirror. Whoa! This is new... Is it? I don't know. Oh wow, this is black! Ooo, everything looks nice! Oh, we don't have lights yet. Yea there's no power yet. Open up the windowâwow, this is like [huge] It might be one of my favorite spots in the house! Oh wow! Yeah because we don't have power yet. No power yet. Welcome home, Ruth! I sure hope the power gets turned on tomorrow, because what if I did it wrong?! Ok, let's see it!
Whoa! We have a little message in here, Thank you for moving.
I think Mommy likes this Oh yea, look at that, wow. Oh, that looks nice too, doesn't it?
But there's only three. But there's only three...
Yea, that's alright But it looks nicer.
It does look nice and maybe even new. It is new. Whoa! Oh, this is the exact same thing at school.
Yea? It is.
Mommy, this is so big! Oh, it sure is! And mommy look! Underneath, there's a lot of storage underneath too! It's so high up! Everyone's so excited! Look at how big the sink is!
I know! It's so nice.
Look, thank you for moving! This kitchen feels big! It is big! But we don't have our stuff in it yet.
It always looks big when there's nothing in here. There's only 10 cm more. But it feels so much bigger.
Aunt Debbie, Aunt Debbie! This is the storage... Wow! Echoes! What did you think guys?
It's amazing! It is awesome, huh?! Our new house! The door is prettier from inside. For move week, the Blocks took over feeding our crew, and as if that wasnât enough they even gave us a royal house-warming gift⌠Well Ben and I, we just did it â we finished the move! There it is. It's all done. Move is done. We can move in. LAST DAY
Don't Panic Well, the morning of our last full day has come. You guys are going to school, Daddy and Mommy... For 30 minutes... Oh yea- just 30 minutes?! because of graduation Oh my goodness, that's so fast huh!? What's the plan today, Stan? Well, I wish it was a nap, but it's finishing the house. Finishing the house. Look at our room over here, it is like packing central. You still have the coffee maker.
That will stay out! We will not forget the coffee maker! Until the last moment! We gonna need it tomorrow morning, honey child. Tomorrow morning I need it start early, because...
4 AM? Hopefully not that early!
Probably about 5 AM. After the kids quick visit to school, they came back and started lending a helping hand for the last day of packing. I tell you what, the moving crew is working in full force here, And things are really starting to look like we're moving â we're moving tomorrow! Oh, curtains coming down...
Yep Anna Cakes dancing around... Sarah has got two seats under her... Oh man, and boxes boxes everywhere. While Ruth kept things moving at the house, I made preparations at the new place. We got the office setup, We got the kids room in order and the storage room in order so that when the movers come tomorrow They can just move boxes in and we're good to go. Now time for dinner and our last night at our apartment. Whew! Well even though we've only lived here a year and a half, it is still kind of surreal that we're moving out. This has been a great place to live, and it's been so cool to get to know the neighbors here And fortunately we're still living nearby So we don't have to say goodbye to all of our neighbors, But it will be a big change going from an apartment, to a house. Wow! I think I am almost done. Oh wow! Oh my goodness! She packed the whole time.
She packed the whole time! I believe it because look at this! There's a hallway. Oh my goodness, there's a tiny, tiny little hallway in there! This place has certainly been a very picturesque place for us to live, I have loved the views here. One thing I think I'm really going to miss about this place. That and being able to throw out trash at just any time of the day, that's very nice too. During all of this, our friend Allison was visiting us from the States. She was our last houseguest in the apartment and our first in our new house. Everyone's enjoying one last evening here, huh? Yes but I'm freezing because I packed all the blankets! The Kotatsu, it's all in here, or over here, Oh my. Well at least Masterchef still works. MOVING DAY
The Longest Day of Them All It's here: moving day. Whew! I didn't really sleep that well last night, pretty excited and thinking about all that's going on today, but here we go. Not-so-little Littles, isn't it crazy? We're starting the day with all of our stuff in this house By the end of the day...
Ginormous! In the ginormous house! Yea, which is two floors, that one! Two floors, oh yea! The movers were coming soon and so the last things had to be packed. A lot would be happening in both places at the same time, so we divided the crew up to make it work. Rebecca, how's it going way over there? Good, it's nice and warm here. It looks nice and warm, huh? I don't have any socks. Aren't your feet cold?! Yea, I want to put shoes on. Ruth's over at the other place right now so she can be helping the movers get the stuff, and I'm here on the receiving end. But it's not just the movers that are coming today. The gas is getting hooked up, the power is getting hooked up, internet is getting hooked up, And it's all happening this morning. Back at the apartment, the movers were busy dismantling and moving beds and other large pieces. Ruth had a front-row seat. Well the girls' room actually looks large now that there's nothing in it. Oh my, it's so crazy! Wow, my bed's gone! I walk out and there's my stuff right there and right there! It was well into the afternoon when the movers took the first load over. Wow.
It's going. It's going. It's exciting. OK, well the first round is done, Oh yeah!
I have the top bunk! It was well past 4 oâclock before they were ready to get the last load and the sky was looking ominous. Oo, the weather looks really nasty over there, fortunately it hasn't come this way I hope we can just hang on to this weather for the rest of our move. We still have a whole other load to go â the rest of the stuff that's in this house and then we'll be done, But it's a lot of work. As the dark clouds moved in, our things still hadnât moved on out. When we first moved into this apartment, the whole move was done by 3:00 PM. Now at 4:30, we still hadnât started the final load, and I was getting concerned that it would be a late night. Here we go â they have stuff lined up real well, Our refrigerator and some other things and then all these boxes yet to go still. All the rooms have been done, so that's nice. It's a little wild seeing it like that! As the movers worked on the pile, it did indeed rain. I guess the apartment was sad to see us go. Well fortunately as fast as that storm came in, it left, and we're good to go. And with that I enjoyed some of the last views out of our apartment while it was still our apartment. The movers kept whittling away at the move while the evening set in. I did all I could to stay out of their way and make sure they could move us as efficiently as possible. Oh my goodness! What a long day. They just finished the last load packing up here in the apartment, It's empty and now they're heading over to the house. I'm going to go over to the Blocks to get some food while Ruth directs them where to go. The movers stayed busy into the evening, moving our stuff into the house. Moving is not an activity for the faint of heart. Well! Here we stand...
Yes, here we do... Freezing!
Freezing. The kids found little places to wait out the move. By the time the last mover left the house, its was 9:15 and we were ready to crash hard in our beds. Now if only we could find the coffee maker. OK, well...
Bathroom... Throw blankets... Shoes...man the good guy was organizing the other ones, He had all of my labeling facing out On the next episode of Life in Japan, we begin a new chapter of our lives and start getting settled into our new home. The girlfriend has found some coffee... Hot chocolate for the kids. Oh, hot chocolate for the kids...
Joshua, you have to come sit at the table though, baby. But another huge thing happens just as we move in. Looks nice- what are you working on?! Sheet cake for the wedding. Gotta serve cake at weddings! Wow Ruth! Is this your first wedding cake you've ever made? First one â it might be my last. Don't come asking for a wedding cake?
No.
