Hi Everyone, I am sorry I haven’t written an update in a while. Last Wednesday, Marc and I went up to the Executive Lounge here in the hotel so we could have a glass of Champaign to celebrate our finding a new apartment. The bar stools up there are really high and some how I twisted my back the wrong way. Consequently, I have spent the last few days either laying as still in bed as possible or …… well never mind, I’ll spare you the details! Sunday I had finally had enough and Marc (internet sleuth that he is,) found [View Full Entry]

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Since we hadn't received a response to our previous application, we went out apartment hunting again on Wednesday. The realtor signed us up to see nine apartments; some revisits and some new. We ended up seeing only two. The second apartment was fantastic; it had just come on the market that day. We immediately put in a new application. This blog won't let me copy over the floorplan but our guests at Levin's Inn will be very pleased. We have two bedrooms, two and a half baths (inlcuding full bath ensuite the guest room) and over 1800 square feet all in [View Full Entry]

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Well, still no news on the apartment…. Maybe someday! In the meantime, I thought I would share some more observations with you all. Every time we go out, it seems we find something new to tell you about. I have taken to carrying a notepad in my purse so I can jot down notes to share with all of you. So, in no particular order, some observations from my notes: Last Saturday, Marc and I went out exploring on the subway. We were coming down an escalator and saw the subway car was there. Not wanting to wait for the next [View Full Entry]

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I realize that we don’t even have an apartment yet, but….. For all of you who have planned to visit, promised to visit or those of you who will (at some point) have your hands tied behind your back and “convinced” to come visit…. It is now available..... The much anticipated, long awaited “Levin’s Inn Guest room booking Calendar.” Advance bookings are being taken now for those adventurous souls who will book now, not even knowing exactly what the accommodations will be! We have made it easy - just cut and paste the link below to you [View Full Entry]

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Hi there everyone! Thank you all for the nice, sweet comments about the blog and all the messages. It really means a lot to both me and Marc. I hope you will forgive me if this bores you, but I am going to respond to a few people quick. Karen - I know you want pictures. I actually did take some of the two apartments. Marc and I just went to down load the pictures and found that the necessary card reader is not is the camera bag. That means that it got shipped with everything else and we won’t have [View Full Entry]

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I am sorry I haven’t posted an entry lately… We’ve just been busy finding our way around Tokyo a bit. But… more about that all later… today I am going to tell you all about what it is like to find a place to live in Tokyo. To put it in one word… UGH! In many ways, this is no different from looking for a place to live back home in the states. There are always so many things to consider, and it all becomes a balancing act of the things that are most important and trying to get as many [View Full Entry]

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Thank you all for being so interested in our blog, and all the nice comments. Marc and I are beginning to settle in a bit and “find our way”. Some of you have emailed me and said I sound homesick already. Thanks for your concern and kind words - I am sorry to worry you all. I really don’t think I’m homesick (but I am sure it will come!), I think I am just a bit overwhelmed by everything. Somehow when I lived in Germany as a teenager, things didn’t seem so “foreign” as they do here. Maybe it was being [View Full Entry]

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First of all, thank you all so much for your kind comments on my blog. They really mean a lot to me. I hope that I can keep you all interested, rather than bored, over the long haul! Well…… WE ARE IN TOKYO!! We are settled into the Tokyo Hilton for the next few weeks until we find an apartment. This location is working well for us as it is near Shinjuku station, which is a major subway and train station. This location is great as it is easy to get all around Tokyo from here (maybe even to some [View Full Entry]

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I haven’t been able to write a blog entry in quite some time as Marc and I have been totally consumed with packing, moving, Japanese language lessons and all sorts of other details over the last several weeks. Now that we are actually in Tokyo (more about that later as I am trying to write these entries in chorological order) I can finally bring you all up to date on our activities. This entry is about our last couple of weeks in Orlando. I realize not all of you are interested in these details, but I will add them here for [View Full Entry]

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Well, it is less than 30 days now until we leave for / arrive in Japan (November 2nd). It still seems so far off until I think about everything that needs to be done before we go. I have officially left my job and am now unemployed. For the first time in my life I am a totally dependent wife! I definitely have mixed feelings about that. I always wanted to be able to stay at home and not work, and now that I can, it feels strange being totally dependent on someone else. Last week was Marc’s last business trip [View Full Entry]

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