先日、桜を見に行きました🌸
The other day, I went out to see some cherry blossoms.
曇りでしたが、とても綺麗で癒されました。
The weather was cloudy, but the cherry blossoms were so pretty and warmed my heart.
そして最近、引っ越しました。
Also recently, I moved apartments.
日本に来てもうすぐ8年、引っ越しも気づけば今回で5回目（多い？！）ですが、いまだに慣れません。
It's been almost 8 years since I started living in Japan. I just realized that this move was my fifth one here (why am I moving so frequently?! lol), but I still can't get used to moving in Japan.
賃貸の場合ですが、私の経験上、日本とアメリカの引っ越し事情にはいくつか大きな違いがあります。
This is only in the case of apartments for rent, but in my experience, there are a few big differences between moving in Japan versus moving in the U.S.
まずアパートを探す際に、多くの人は不動産屋ではなく、賃貸物件検索サイトなどを使って興味のある物件を探し、管理会社や大家さんに直接問い合わせて、内見のアポを取ります。入居のタイミングや家賃の交渉を直接大家さんとすることができます。
First of all, when looking for apartments, most people don't go to a real estate agent like they do here, but instead research apartments they are interested in using online resources like rental listing sites. Once they find a good place, they contact the management company or landlord directly and schedule an appointment to see it. This means people have the option to directly negotiate with the landlord the move-in date and/or monthly rent amount.
なので仲介手数料を省くことができるんですが、そのぶん自分で動かなければいけないのと、大家さんによって全然返事をくれなかったりと対応に困ることもあるので、メリット・ディメリット、両方ありますよね。
So in many cases, in the U.S., you can avoid broker fee, but this also means that you have to do everything that a real estate agent in Japan would do for you, all on your own. In my experience, it really depends on the landlord how quickly they respond to you and how fair they are with you, so there are pros and cons to this.
他にコスト面でいうと、一番大きな違いはアメリカでは「礼金」がないことでしょうか・・敷金と同じような役割を果たす「保証金（デポジット）」はありますが。「契約更新料」も私の知る限りアメリカにはないので、日本に来た時に驚きました。
In terms of other cost-related points, a big difference is that there is no concept of "reikin (gift money, appreciation money)"...but there is a security deposit (akin to "shikikin" in Japan). As far as I know, there is no "contract renewal fee" that is super common in Japan, so when I first came across it after I arrived in Japan, I was pretty surprised.
物件に関しては、アメリカのアパートにはディッシュウォッシャーやオーブンが標準装備として付いている場合が多いです。もちろん日本のキッチンにも付いていることはありますが、一般的ではないですよね。
As for the rental apartments themselves, in the U.S., many apartments are equipped with dishwashers and ovens. Of course, I've heard of apartments in Japan that have these, but I don't think it's the norm.
他にも冷蔵庫や洗濯機などの大型電気製品が備え付けの場合が多いので、引っ越し作業が日本よりも楽かな、と思います。
Also, many apartments come with other major household appliances like refrigerators and washing machines, so moving can be a bit easier than in Japan, since you don't have to take all your appliances with you.
逆に日本ほどお手頃で丁寧な引っ越しサービスはアメリカには少ない気がします。特にアパートの引っ越しの場合は、引っ越し用のトラックをレンタルして、友人や家族に手伝ってもらい、自分で行う人が多いです。
On the other hand, I don't think there are many moving companies in the states that are as affordable and dependable as those in Japan. Especially when moving apartments, it is common for people to rent a U-haul or moving truck and do the move themselves, perhaps getting some help from friends and/or family.
色々と違いはありますが、とにかく無事引っ越しが終わって一安心です
There are many differences, but I'm so relieved that the move is done and over with!
まだまだ寒い日が続きますが、I hope you have a lovely Sunday!