Back when we lived in Tokyo, we initially moved to a hotel for a couple of weeks. Then it was up to me to find an apartment. I had some amazing assistance from the liaison company working with us, but Dan was at work during the apartment search. We looked at three places. One was in Roppongi. It was large and basically like a hotel suite. Another was somewhat medium sized, but was at the lowest level of a building and very cave-like. The one we ended up in was small 30-40 square meters, but bright. It was also not located in Roppongi, where most foreigners choose to live, but was two subway stops away from Dan's work.
http://dang-adventures.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_archive.html
Now, we find ourselves with similar criteria, but also with two children.
Children's Goals
The children have simple demands.
* Space where they can play minecraft and hopefully have minecraft playdates
* A place where they don't have to speak French
* A pool
* Will wants to live above a sushi restaurant
* Possibly a chicken
Parental Goals
Our goals are slightly different.
* Close to school and work
As it will be up to me to take the children to school, I would like to be close to school. It does not interest me to drive for 20 minutes to take them to school. Then drive home for 20 minutes. Then drive back to pick them up for 20 minutes. Then drive home for 20 minutes. Simple math says that I would be spending 1 hour and 20 minutes driving around each day. Well, except for the school-free day of Wednesday. This is not how I plan on spending my first retirement. For Dan, if we only have one car, it will be useful to be close to work in case he would like to ride his bike.
* Within walking distance of shops.
As I will be alone for many hours at a time, it would be useful for me to live close to shops. And cafes! Don't forget the cafes!
* Decently Small
I don't want to worry about cleaning a large house.
* Bike Space
It seems we may have sept velos. We must put all of these bicycles in a safe place. A garage or a shed or an extra room would be great.
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| Hotel Living Room turned Garage - Deux Velos et Troph Gear |
* Access to Bike Areas
Dan must bike in the countryside. While he finds that people here are much more considerate of bicyclists than motorists in California, it's not as fun to bike in the city. A nice clear path without stops would be great. And hills, there should be hills. He must create the Ride de Flog de France. Or maybe the NCR, the New Canal Ride.
* Guest Space
People say that they will soon invade our space. We welcome visitors. It means that I will have something to do while the children are at school. When we were in Japan, people who visited had to stay on the very small futon in the very small living room. We hope to have a separate room for guests that has actual beds in it. Who is in?
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