Move-out Meeting

We had our meeting concerning procedures for ending contracts and moving out of Japan.  And the stress begins.  It's good to have some advanced warning of how expensive it will be.  There will several different expenses each around $100 and the big one, an estimated $3000 in taxes.  We'll lose 20% of our last pay check because we'll technically be Non-Residents by the time it is issued mid-month.  We'll have to navigate our way to the city hall to close out our health insurance, and to the phone company to end our contracts, and to the bank to close our accounts and transfer the last amount.  We'll have to make appointments with garbage disposal to take away anything larger than 30cm and purchase coupons to attach to the items.  We'll have to plan our cleaning and sorting to align with the different garbage days, making sure that nothing is put in the wrong type of garbage.

It's the same every year.  I've seen two years of core members depart and live through it and this year is probably the least difficult.  There are only 5 of us departing.  Usually the number is 10 or more.  And this small number means more attention for each of us and our needs.  The office will be better able to help with every step of the transition.  And as from the first day we arrived in Japan, we continue to lean on the experience of our forebears.  We knew it was going to be expensive (I seem to have forgotten the $3000) and we knew it was going to take a lot of work.

For me, it's probably going to mean shedding a lot of things.  I recently read about Marie Kondo a Japanese home making wiz who has tips for tidying up.  I think it was perfect timing.  Thank the thing for being in your life, and then let go.  

I'm hoping that this zen approach to things and the Pointer Sisters will get me through.  And I'm planning not to go into stress mode about it until July.  I should have enough varied garbage days in July to get through most things.  Well, maybe I'll start at the end of June.....