One fine day, I received an email about having to renew the contract for our current place, which was fine as it was something we had to do every few years. The difference this time was, our monthly rent would have to increase by 50,000 yen!
First thing that came to mind was our happy days here at Minami-Senju was coming to an end. I had been living here for a decade now, initially single, and later as a couple after we got married and my wife moved in with me seven years ago. Our whole life as a couple was spent here.
Those were good years, but 50,000 yen may be a little too much, considering the place is already a decade old, and the area was more at the outskirts of Tokyo. Still within the 23 wards, but more towards the outer edges.
We asked if we could negotiate and we also started looking for a new place … maybe closer to central Tokyo this time, since we thought it would still be cheaper (we hoped) than the new price of our current place.
Moving out, especially after living here for a decade does present its challenges. We would have to worry about finding a new place, signing a new contract, paying deposit and key money all over again, hiring movers, not to mention uprooting ourselves from a place we were already very comfortable with.
Initially, there was a resistance to move and we even considered just biting the bullet and paying the extra rent. However as the reality started to sink in, we started seeing it as an opportunity to explore what’s outside of our comfort zone, to start fresh and experience living at a different area within Tokyo.
This would also be the first time we would move to a new place as a couple. That in itself would be an exciting new experience for us.
The place eventually came back to us lowering the price increase from the initially requested 50,000 to just 20,000 yen. Still a hefty increase but was surprised they lowered it by more than half. However by that time, we had already found a new place and we had “almost” completed the initially painful process of detachment from our old neighborhood.
Things aren’t final yet, but most likely in a few months, we’ll be starting our new life at a new place … our new home.
At least until the price increases again and we’ll have to do this all over again.
Filipino in Tokyo 