and we need to find a new place to live ASAP.

而且我們需要儘快找到一個新的住處。

Finding a home for a family of six in the Tokyo area is challenging enough, but will it be an impossible task for foreigners?

在東京地區為一個六口之家找房子已經很有挑戰性了，但對外國人來說，這將是一項不可能完成的任務嗎？

Find out in this Life in Japan.

在這本《日本生活》中可以找到答案。

OK let's see, what does the kitchen look like?

好吧，讓我們看看，廚房是什麼樣子的？

Oh, this is tight!

哦，這可真夠緊的!

[Life in Japan Theme Song]

[生活在日本的主題曲]。

Like any search these days, it usually starts online,

像現在的任何搜索一樣，它通常從網上開始。

and that's exactly where we're going to see if there's any housing suitable for a large family near us.

而這正是我們要去的地方，看看我們附近是否有適合大家庭居住的住房。

Nothing?

什麼都沒有？

No 4LDKs, oh here's one.

沒有4LDK，哦，這裡有一個。

It's kind of far.

這有點遠。

¥230,000/month

230,000日元/月

Well...

嗯...

And a little smaller than I'm in.

而且比我所在的地方小一點。

And 3 floors. Won't work.

還有3層。不會工作。

So either I'm going to have to go far far away,

所以，要麼我就得去很遠很遠的地方。

Pay a ton of money

付出一大筆錢

Or go smaller.

或者走小路。

We thoroughly searched the popular Japanese real estate websites at home, sumo and others to find options, but the results were not encouraging.

我們徹底搜索了日本流行的房地產網站home、sumo和其他網站以尋找選擇，但結果並不樂觀。

Look at that. I'd have to have a little burner stove.

看看這個。我必須要有一個小的燃燒器爐子。

Nope nope nope, not going to work.

不不不，不可能成功。

We really wanted to stay in the same neighborhood so that our kids could go to the same Japanese public schools

我們真的想留在同一個社區，這樣我們的孩子就可以在同一個日本公立學校上學。

and because it is also very close to where we work

而且因為它離我們工作的地方也非常近

so we compiled a list of possibilities and sent them to our realtor.

是以，我們編制了一份可能性清單，並將其發送給我們的房地產經紀人。

When she got back to us, the challenging reality of foreigners finding a place to live set in.

當她回到我們身邊時，外國人尋找住處的挑戰性現實就出現了。

What's the word now?

現在的說法是什麼？

Well we got a couple of properties that we wanted to see,

好吧，我們得到了幾個我們想看的房產。

None of them here close, kind of far.

這裡的人都不在附近，有點遠。

And we sent them to the realtor and she got back to us

我們把它們發給了房地產經紀人，她給了我們答覆。

And one of them is not going to open up until next March,

而其中一個要到明年3月才會開放。

One will not rent to us because we're foreigners,

有一家不願意租給我們，因為我們是外國人。

And one we can go see.

還有一個我們可以去看看。

So we're...every third I guess we can go see.

所以我們......每隔三分之一我想我們可以去看看。

The next day, we would go look at some options together as a family.

第二天，我們會作為一個家庭一起去看一些選項。

OK guys, where are we going now?

好了，夥計們，我們現在要去哪裡？

To look at houses!

去看房子!

We go in the house!

我們進屋了！

And we get to go in the house!

而且我們可以進屋了!

The first place we visited had just gone on the market, so it was still under renovation.

我們參觀的第一個地方剛剛上市，所以還在裝修中。

We were glad we were able to go in and see it anyway.

我們很高興我們能夠進去看看，無論如何。

This one to us on paper it looked like a very ideal layout.

這個對我們來說，在紙上看起來是一個非常理想的佈局。

Whoa, look at the size of this.

哇，看看這個的大小。

You might need to change these curtains...

你可能需要改變這些窗簾...

Yea, we would change the curtains, that's for sure.

是的，我們會改變窗簾，這是肯定的。

But boy, look at all that light!

但是，孩子們，看看所有的光!

But look at this though, it's got a big [storage room]

但是，看看這個，它有一個大的[儲藏室]

Oh yea, boy that's nice.

哦，是的，孩子，這很好。

The house was spread vertically across three floors, a common building practice these days in the greater Tokyo area.

這座房子垂直分佈在三層，這是如今在大東京地區常見的建築做法。

We tried to picture what it would be like if we did indeed live here.

我們試圖想象如果我們真的住在這裡會是什麼樣子。

Oh but the toilet's in here with the washing machine.

哦，但是廁所在這裡，和洗衣機在一起。

Oh that's a little different.

哦，這有點不同。

It's so big in here.

這裡面好大啊。

Wow, wow.

哇，哇。

It's big Mommy!

這是大的媽媽!

Look at mommy's face.

看看媽媽的臉。

OK, I've got to see the kitchen.

好吧，我得去看看廚房。

OK, let's see. What does the kitchen look like?

好吧，讓我們看看。廚房是什麼樣子的？

Oh! This is tight!

哦，這可真夠緊的。

Yea. So the kitchen is a downer.

是的。是以，廚房是一個沉悶的地方。

It was time to check out the upstairs bedrooms.

是時候去看看樓上的臥室了。

This must be the toilet...

這一定是廁所...

Oo large

大

Is it? That's nice.

是嗎？那很好。

Here's a closet.

這裡有一個壁櫥。

It's nice.

這很好。

Oh wow, yeah.

哦，哇，是的。

This one has no air.

這個人沒有空氣。

I want this to be my room.

我希望這是我的房間。

Well Ruth, what do you think here seeing this place?

嗯，露絲，你在這裡看到這個地方有什麼想法？

This living/dining area is amazing.

這個起居室/餐廳區是驚人的。

The kitchen's—I'm used to a large kitchen,

廚房的--我習慣於大廚房。

So I don't have much space.

所以我沒有太多的空間。

But I would probably try to put our dining here so that could all be living.

但我可能會嘗試把我們的餐飲放在這裡，這樣就可以全部生活化了。

I know, that would be awesome, wouldn't it?

我知道，這將是非常棒的，不是嗎？

And then we could always put out an extra table if we need to.

然後，如果需要的話，我們可以隨時擺出一個額外的桌子。

Well let me tell you what, this first house definitely a contender.

好吧，讓我告訴你，這第一所房子絕對是一個競爭者。

Did you guys like this one?

你們喜歡這個人嗎？

I loved it.

我喜歡它。

OK, let's go see the other ones.

好了，我們去看看其他的吧。

Alright, we're checking out the next place.

好了，我們正在檢查下一個地方。

And it is like 2 minutes from the station, it's so close.

而且它離車站只有2分鐘的路程，非常近。

We're the only ones living on the 5th floor?

只有我們住在五樓？

Oh my goodness! This is the tiniest!

哦，我的天哪！這是最微小的。這是最微小的!

Look at the tiny little elevator.

看看這個小小的電梯。

How do you move stuff in here? That's what I want to know.

你是如何在這裡搬東西的？這就是我想知道的。

I don't think our things would even fit.

我想我們的東西甚至都放不下。

Here comes 5.

5號來了。

Do you hear them coming guys?

你聽到他們來了嗎，夥計們？

Yea, I see them.

是的，我看到了他們。

You can see them coming?

你能看到他們來嗎？

Here we go guys Take off your shoes.

來吧，夥計們，脫掉你們的鞋子。

Look, it's a big bathroom.

看，這是個大浴室。

Big bathroom. Oo la la.

大浴室。Oo la la。

Ooh! Oh this is the living/kitchen.

哦！哦，這是客廳/廚房。

Oh look at that.

哦，看看這個。

It's all in one.

這一切都在一個。

Wow. Now that's something else.

哇。現在這就是別的東西。

Oh, and look at the kitchen, Ruth.

哦，看看這個廚房，露絲。

Bye bye!

再見!

I want to see what Momma chan thinks of the kitchen.

我想看看陳媽媽對廚房的看法。

Oh wow, this could almost be a room.

哦，哇，這幾乎可以成為一個房間。

This right here?

這個在這裡？

It's a storage, but it's really big.

它是一個倉庫，但它真的很大。

Holy cow!

我的天哪!

Look at the pantry.

看看茶水間。

Oh my goodness!

哦，我的天哪！我的天哪

Tatami!

榻榻米！

This would be your office, and this would be our room.

這將是你的辦公室，而這將是我們的房間。

Yeah.

是的。

There's a lot of storage in here. It smells mildewy

這裡有很多儲藏室。聞起來有發黴的味道

Wow, good-sized room here.

哇，這裡的房間大小不錯。

This is nice.

這很好。

Whoa!

哇!

Yea but look at this! Holy cow. This is like a whole other bedroom.

是的，但看看這個!我的天哪。這就像一個完全不同的臥室。

It is.

它是。

The space in here is just ridiculous.

這裡的空間實在是太可笑了。

I don't know if my stuff would fit in here because the elevators the size of a peanut.

我不知道我的東西能不能裝進這裡，因為電梯只有花生米那麼大。

So now we've seen the second one. Decision's harder, huh?

所以現在我們已經看到了第二個。決定更難了，是吧？

The thing with this house is that it's next to the station,

這個房子的問題是，它緊挨著車站。

The space is amazing

這個空間是驚人的

They said it's been cleaned, but I would probably have to hire cleaners because it just kind of—yuck.

他們說已經打掃過了，但我可能不得不僱用清潔工，因為它只是有點--噁心。

I don't know how long it's been opened.

我不知道它被打開多長時間了。

And the elevator is like me and her wide.

而電梯就像我和她的寬。

And you guys aren't wide.

而你們並不寬。

Yea, like that!

是的，就像這樣!

It's teeny teeny tiny.

它是十幾釐米的小東西。

We were squished.

我們被擠壓了。

Over the course of several days, we went back and forth,

在幾天的時間裡，我們來回走動。

searching for options on line, sending them to the realtor, getting turned down for nearly half of them and seeing the other half.

在網上搜索選項，將它們發送給房地產經紀人，幾乎有一半的選項被拒絕，而另一半則被看中。

All that searching almost makes you a little bit crazy,

所有這些搜索幾乎使你有點瘋狂。

so we needed to take some time with family to clear our minds and make a decision about where to live.

是以，我們需要花一些時間與家人一起理清思路，並就居住地做出決定。

What's happening Sarah?

發生什麼事了，莎拉？

The hunt begins again.

狩獵又開始了。

The hunt begins again? What are you going to find today?

狩獵又開始了？你今天要找到什麼？

What's on your list?

你的清單上有什麼？

A frog or a lizard.

一隻青蛙或一隻蜥蜴。

Oh ok.

哦，好的。

That's a scary path.

那是一條可怕的道路。

I just found some poop.

我剛剛發現了一些大便。

Huh?! Fresh poop.

嗯？新鮮的大便。

You found some fresh poop! Awesome!

你發現了一些新鮮的大便!真棒!

Let's put it in the bug box. Gross.

讓我們把它放在蟲箱裡。噁心。

Oh, we see a grasshopper! Oh!

哦，我們看到了一隻蚱蜢!哦!

OK get it.

好的得到它。

We're still going for the big hunt?

我們還是要去打大獵？

I guess so!

我想是的!

We're going to find some bugs here.

我們將在這裡發現一些錯誤。

Good things we have Ben here to help us out!

好東西，我們有本在這裡幫助我們!

When we made our big international move over 8 years ago, we moved close to where other friends and family were living.

8年多前，當我們進行國際大搬家時，我們搬到了其他朋友和家人居住的地方附近。

Those relationships were key for us adjusting to life in Japan.

這些關係是我們適應日本生活的關鍵。

But then, along the way, we've built some strong friendships here in this area.

但後來，一路走來，我們在這個地區建立了一些牢固的友誼。

It's fun to imagine ourselves in a bigger house with more space, which we could afford if we move over 30 minutes away from here.

想象自己住在更大的房子裡，有更多的空間，這很有趣，如果我們搬到離這裡30多分鐘路程的地方，我們就能負擔得起。

But our life revolves around these relationships and this area.

但是我們的生活圍繞著這些關係和這個領域。

In the end, the decision of a bigger place or a closer location became clearer.

最後，更大的地方或更近的地方的決定變得更加清晰。

Izzy, what did you get?

Izzy，你得到了什麼？

I got a grasshopper!

我得到了一隻蚱蜢!

You got a grasshopper? Yeah.

你有一隻蚱蜢嗎？是的。

Oh that's pretty good. That's a start, huh?

哦，這很好。這是個開始，是吧？

I got a pikachu.

我有一隻皮卡丘。

A pikachu?!

一個皮卡丘？

Yeah!

是的!

What? You got three grasshoppers?

什麼，你有三隻蚱蜢？

Hold 'em up, let me see!

把它們舉起來，讓我看看！

Oh nice.

哦，不錯。

The day out did just the trick. In the end, we knew which place we needed to move on.

這一天的外出活動正好起到了作用。最後，我們知道我們需要在哪個地方繼續前進。

We just needed to make the phone call and make it happen.

我們只需要打個電話，讓它發生。

We put in an offer on an apartment... Oh!

我們提出了一個公寓的報價...哦!

Now we're just waiting to see if we get accepted.

現在我們只是在等待，看我們是否被錄取。

The movers came this morning, gave us an estimate,

搬家公司今天早上來了，給我們做了評估。

And now we have to pack, pack stuff up and throw stuff away to make it work.

而現在我們不得不打包，把東西收拾好，把東西扔掉，以使其發揮作用。

Ties ties ties. I used to wear a lot of ties, but now hardly anymore.

領帶領帶領帶。我曾經戴過很多領帶，但現在幾乎不戴了。

We chose a place that is more convenient over a place that was a bigger house

我們選擇了一個更方便的地方，而不是一個大房子的地方。

But a long ways off from the station, a long ways off from all that we do here at the coffee shop.

但離車站很遠，離我們在咖啡館所做的一切很遠。

So we have to downsize a little bit.

所以我們必須縮小一點規模。

A full life is built on good relationships, first with God and then with others,

充實的生活建立在良好的關係上，首先是與上帝，然後是與他人。

so prioritizing these relationships will only help our lives flourish more and more.

所以優先考慮這些關係只會幫助我們的生活越來越繁榮。

Read the Bible and asking God to speak to me through your word this morning.

閱讀聖經，請求神在今天早上通過你的話語對我說話。

[Japanese translation]

[日譯]

Look at the Sakura trees, they are changing colors.

看看櫻花樹，它們正在改變顏色。

Fall is on the way, oh boy!

秋天就要來了，哦，天哪!

And in case you think this episode is going to end on a cliff hanger, I have good news for you.

如果你認為這一集會在懸崖邊上結束，我有個好消息要告訴你。

Guess what? We just got a big call!

你猜怎麼著？我們剛剛接到一個重要的電話!

We're going to move!

我們要搬家了!

I've gotta call my sister...

我得給我姐姐打電話...

I'm going to be close to my sister!

我要去接近我的妹妹!

The search is over. Oh!

搜索已經結束。哦!

Hello?

喂？

[Excited noises]

[興奮的聲音]

Yea!

是的!

Oh, it's so exciting!

哦，這太令人激動了!

It happened, wow!

它發生了，哇!

Oh my goodness!

哦，我的天哪！我的天哪

Our new neighbors! Say hi!

我們的新鄰居!打個招呼吧!

Did you hear the news? We're going to move, it's official!

你聽到這個消息了嗎？我們要搬家了，這是正式的!

In two weeks we're moving.

兩週後我們就要搬家了。

But with the good news, came some not so good news.

但是，伴隨著這個好消息，也有一些不那麼好的消息。

What's that say there?

那裡說的是什麼？

Japan braces for flooding/destructive winds from super typhoon Nanmadol

日本準備應對超強颱風 "南瑪都 "帶來的洪水/破壞性大風

Anyway, is it going to come hit us?

總之，它要來打我們了嗎？

Yea, category 4 major hurricane.

是的，4級大颶風。

Just what you need while you're trying to move, right?

這正是你在試圖移動時需要的，對嗎？

Hopefully it passes within the next week because we move in two weeks.

希望它能在下週內通過，因為我們兩週後就要搬家了。

Sustained winds of 130-156 mph.

持續風速為130-156英里/小時。

Whoa.

哇哦。

We might be able to skip school.

我們也許可以逃學。

We're getting like...

我們正在得到像...

Oh yea, baby.

哦，是的，寶貝。

Yeah, we'll keep an eye out.

是的，我們會繼續關注的。

Next time on Life in Japan

下一次是在日本的生活

Now that the huge hurdle of finding a place is done, we move towards an even bigger challenge —

getting ready to move out while a typhoon moves towards Japan.

準備在臺風向日本移動時撤離。

We do our best to keep things moving forward, but a snag in the process could put everything in jeopardy.

我們盡最大努力使事情向前發展，但過程中的一個障礙可能使一切陷入困境。

We got the word, tomorrow we are signing the papers for our new place.

我們得到消息，明天我們將簽署新地方的文件。

And then very soon after, the move!

然後很快，搬家了!

Subscribe and don't miss the next Life in Japan.

訂閱，不要錯過下一期《生活在日本》。