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  • Our application for a new rental apartment was just accepted,

  • but as we quickly move towards our moving date, problems compound that threaten to put our whole move in jeopardy.

  • But as things keep falling into place, the kids are finally able to see their new home for the first time.

  • OK guys, welcome home!

  • [Life in Japan Theme Song]

  • Well, it's typhoon season in Japan,

  • So it means that when typhoons come you get a lot of rain and sometimes wind too, and it's dangerous.

  • A category 4 typhoon is approaching Japan and is supposed to move through over the next day.

  • Japan is pretty well prepared for most typhoons, but the big ones can really cause havoc.

  • It might be raining outside, but oh it's nice inside.

  • Sarah, what's going on?

  • It's raining like crazy.

  • Yeah.

  • You want to come see it? And it's super loud.

  • Fortunately this storm wasn't as bad as predicted and moved through in the night.

  • But it's not just this storm that has us concerned, but two others storms that are backed up, as if in line behind this one.

  • Everyone wants good weather when they're moving, and that's certainly true in our case.

  • We're praying for good weather.

  • It is so incredibly humid today, my goodness!

  • It's supposed to rain later too.

  • Well it sure looks like the fall, but it does not feel like the fall.

  • It is so warm and super humid.

  • In English we have to say two words: hot and humid.

  • But in Japan they actually have one word for it all: "mushiatsui"

  • Very convenient, this word.

  • The winds of change were blowing, and in this case right through our house as we were preparing for our big move that was still not finalized yet.

  • This is what packing looks like, oh my goodness!

  • Let's go see what is going on over here...

  • What's going on in here?

  • Lego Mario? Mommy's getting them all together for the move?

  • Make sure no Lego Mario is left behind.

  • We're all done. That's one's done. That was a short one.

  • Let's add it to this yellow one.

  • Oh nice.

  • So we are on our way. We have a number of meetings today. Paz Staff Meeting

  • Then afterwards we have to get busy on all the stuff you have to do for a move.

  • One of the first things is we need to sign up for a [specific] bank

  • We have address changes, we have schools that need to change

  • We have internet that needs to change.

  • What else? There's a lot of stuff that needs to happen here soon.

  • Well how do you feel about moving?

  • Well it's exciting. It's overwhelming all the things you have to do.

  • As a foreigner I think it's just a little more overwhelming.

  • Thankfully we have friends who help us.

  • Here we go. Here's our Paz Coffee Shop.

  • Four years running now. That's pretty cool.

  • Paz Coffee Shop is just about to open for the day, and the Paz Church staff meets here regularly for meetings.

  • We opened this shop around the same time we started this channel,

  • and it is one of the big reasons we chose a smaller place that was close over a larger place far away.

  • While are meetings are productive, we really enjoy our time together too,

  • so it's nice to do some business as usual in the midst of the moving mayhem.

  • No job is perfect, but having work you love to do is a blessing of its own.

  • What do you got here?

  • This is a double-shot macchiato, a real one

  • Not the weird Starbucks stuff, this is the real stuff

  • And it's awesome, it's really good.

  • It's amazing. It will change your life, actually.

  • It will bless you in the deepest way that's possible.

  • Here we go.

  • Ahhh!

  • That's chicken soup for the soul.

  • Ah, look at Ben. He's full-on winter mode here.

  • Just enjoying his coffee with his parka on...

  • Oh, it's so good.

  • I've been waiting for fall.

  • It can't come soon enough.

  • Work and fun aside, moving day was coming closer, and we still didn't have any papers signed or any boxes from the movers,

  • but on of those things was about to change.

  • Our boxes are being delivered.

  • There's a truck full of boxes...

  • And all the boxes here for us to start using.

  • We soon had a formidable stack of boxes in our entryway.

  • Well, it just became even more real, didn't it?

  • That's a lot of boxes.

  • It's a lot of boxes, my goodness!

  • How many do we have here?

  • [Counting] 70 big ones...

  • Put these on my dishes...

  • [Counting] 60 little ones.

  • We have a lot of crap in this house.

  • Here let's try one and see how big they are.

  • Let's at least put the heavy things in them and the lighter things we can transport on our own.

  • Then we tape!

  • This is the first box, here it is right now.

  • Let's do this thing.

  • See, it's good size but it's not a beast.

  • That's right.

  • I'm going to put all my plants in here now.

  • Looks like the plants are the first to safely be stored.

  • Get an idea of size...

  • Ready or not...

  • Ready or not, here it comes.

  • Well the typhoon missed us, which is really nice,

  • But all of that warm, windy, rainy weather came this way

  • And it's been quite the weather today.

  • Just with the rain, and then the sunbut lots of wind, always.

  • Well the winds of change are blowing, and they're certainly blowing our way.

  • And while we know there's going to be lots of things that we like about the next place that we're going to live in

  • We're going to be very nostalgic about the place where we've lived. This is very special for us.

  • 8 1/2 years here, our kids grew up here,

  • Special memories. I'm glad it lives on in the YouTube archives.

  • Well I was out getting shots and it's beautiful over here,

  • But over here it's just black and the rain has started, so I got to get back.

  • From sunshine to downpour, let me tell you what, I got wet!

  • Kind of like this guy here.

  • But the biggest change of all will no doubt be for our kids.

  • Talking about school transfers, when's it going to happen. Oh my goodness.

  • Joshua and Sarah will be in October.

  • Wait, they're going to start earlier than us?

  • Yes! 'Cause we're moving!

  • Oh yea, we are.

  • I often drive Becca and Anna to school because they have a 40-minute walk from here to their junior high school.

  • Right Anna? Yes.

  • The move means we have to move junior high schools which isn't so great,

  • But the nice thing is that the new junior high school is very close,

  • Less than 10 minute walk from where we'll be living.

  • Have a blessed day!

  • Are you going to be too cold, Anna?

  • I forgot my jacket! Oh my goodness.

  • Oh no, I'm going to be freezing today!

  • The Mamachari [e-bike] was a real game-changer for Ruth

  • And now that we're going to be living a little further away from the coffee shop,

  • we're going to get a "Papachari" for me, an electric bike.

  • Here we go.

  • And I'm super excited because he'll stop borrowing my bike all the time.

  • Here we go, it's papachari time.

  • There are a lot of options, aren't there?

  • A lot of options.

  • Oh my goodness.

  • We got our bike

  • We got my bike, actually.

  • So another thing scratched off our list.

  • And the packing continues!

  • What's going on up here?!

  • If it works...

  • Ready?

  • Should I do this in slow motion again?

  • Yeah you can, like the boom!

  • It didn't work.

  • The PET bottle didn't work in there. The rest of it was pretty cool though.

  • Guess what Daddy's going to do?

  • Papachari!

  • Going to go ride my Papachari for the first time.

  • Can I go with you?!

  • Yeah, you can watch, OK? Come on..

  • Daddy!

  • Whoa!

  • Now he doesn't have to borrow mine.

  • Japan and Electric Bikes are a match made in heaven.

  • After 8 1/2 years living here, I'm finally getting my own.

  • This feels nice.

  • It does.

  • You going to crash into me!?

  • Look at that, to match my shorts.

  • This goes with your dress?

  • Um hum.

  • This? Cute.

  • Gloves? I can get rid of?

  • Wouldn't you know, it's a typhoon outside. My goodness.

  • We were a little over a week away from our moving date, but still no papers had been signed.

  • It started to feel like the move was in serious jeopardy, but finally we got the news we were waiting for.

  • Well we did, we got all the papers signed!

  • It took about 2 hours

  • There's tons of papers, and there's stuff that we still have to fill out.

  • But it's only one week until we get in there.

  • I mean it's going to be fast.

  • And what did we get to celebrate with the kids?

  • They wanted McDonalds.

  • Well guys, the papers are signed!

  • We are going to get into our apartment in one week!

  • It is really pouring down!

  • Ruth was so excited we were going to live close to her younger sister, whose family also works with Paz here in Japan.

  • We visited over 10 different places looking for the right one, and when we saw an apartment here, we knew it was the right place.

  • Now our kids were anxious to visit the apartment for the first time.

  • Tis the season for typhoons, I'll tell you what.

  • OK, you want to see something cool?

  • Whenever I get a notification

  • Bam! Look at that!

  • It's the girlfriend, but after she went to the beach and her hair could stand up on end

  • Ever since we came back to Japan from traveling this summer life has been in a typhoon-like whirlwind.

  • But after the typhoon comes clear weather, and that's exactly what we experienced the next day.

  • It was a perfect setting for what was about to happen.

  • Well guys, do you know what today is?

  • We're going to go and see our new house.

  • You guys are going to see it for the first time ever!

  • [Singing] For the first time in forever....

  • Everyone was excited and maybe a little bit nervous to see the new place for the first time.

  • OK guys, welcome home!

  • I'm so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so excited!

  • It's just like Aunt Debbie's

  • Let's go this way.

  • This way?

  • Which one is our room?

  • This is Joshua and Sarah's room...

  • Wait, our room is smaller than this?

  • Can we survive?!

  • Oh this is scary right here. It goes down.

  • Oh it's fine.

  • OK, let's go

  • And then this is the big room...

  • This is the big room?

  • It's mommy and daddy's room.

  • What happened here?

  • They had to take out at the screens and stuff because of thedon't step on that

  • Because they're doing the balconies.

  • This is where you can see to Aunt Debbies.

  • Yea so if Aunt Debbie is coming, you can see her coming down the path.

  • Oh my, I'm so excited

  • Wait a second... Our room is right here?!

  • OK, close your eyes.

  • Close your eyes, close your eyes.

  • It's tiny.

  • OK

  • How's a desk and a bed going to fit in here?

  • The bed will go right here. I'm on the top.

  • And then we'll put your two desks right here.

  • Can that fit?

  • Yea it will, we measured it.

  • We're going to put shelves in there You have a little closet.

  • We have all those like colored pens that we put on that shelf.

  • Well you know what?

  • We might be able to put a tall little shelf right here.

  • Wait for mommy...

  • Is this a toilet?! Yea, that's the toilet.

  • Oh my! It's pretty big.

  • It is big. Oh my goodness, it's so pretty.

  • Where's the washing machine going to go?

  • Is this a like a door right here? Can I open it?

  • Yea, that goes into the kitchen and washing machine.

  • Oh my freaky-freakiness!

  • You have your own washing machine room, Mommy.

  • And then here's the shower/bath.

  • It's tiny.

  • One person at a time.

  • But it's nice.

  • Yea it is.

  • OK, now we're coming out this way. Come this way Joshua.

  • This isn't bad.

  • So the refrigerator...goes like right here, right?

  • Right here.

  • And then you have shelf space right here.

  • Oh my freaky freaky, hey, can this be our room?

  • I want this to be our room!

  • Can this be our room? No.

  • Is it good for spinning, Dude?

  • Yea. Yea.

  • Is this part really cool here though?

  • Oh my goodness, the balcony is huge!

  • Well the balcony is huge!

  • That is nice, isn't it?

  • I want to see something

  • Is that our school?!

  • Oh Sarah!

  • Go ahead Sarah's checking it out.

  • Where is it? Where is it?

  • It's right outside the room.

  • Can I come in?

  • Yea, come in.

  • It's a little dirty, so be careful.

  • Yeah, that is a good statue place, huh?

  • This is weird to think that this is our house.

  • Well, it doesn't feel like anybody's house at the moment because it's empty.

  • My freekin' goodness

  • The Mamachatti

  • Packing kicks into high gear as moving day approaches,

  • Look what we got

  • Keys

  • and once it finally does, we say our final farewells to the home of our Life in Japan for over 8 1/2 years,

  • Oh my goodness! I'm trying to find curtains!

Our application for a new rental apartment was just accepted,

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