The BIG Move

Hi all! This is the travel blog of Tori & Miklos. We wanted to document our journey. So, if you're interested take a peek!

A short bit of backstory... Tori & Miklos did long distance (Philly/Houston). When Tori was making the move back to Philly to be with Miklos she made him promise that they would live abroad when he finished school. Miklos held up his end of the bargain and obtained a post-doctoral fellowship in Nagoya! And so our 2-3 year Japan adventure begins ... On 9/19/19 we made the big move. We left Philly and made the move to Nagoya, Japan. We arrived in Nagoya on 9/20/19.

It was difficult to pack all of our belongings. We didn't want to leave much in Philly as we do not plan to live in the USA again. So, we took 3 large suitcases, one big box, 2 carry-ons, and.... TWO CATS! We also shipped two boxes to Nagoya, and took many off-season

clothing to Germany to have Miklos's parents ship by sea (shipping by sea isn't an option in the USA- but it's so affordable elsewhere despite the long transit period).

Traveling with cats is a beast of its own. The total preparation time for the travel with cats was 7 months! Japan is Rabies free. Because of that they have very strict rules on importing animals. In November, we had to get our cats microchipped and their first round of rabies shots (we had to ensure that it was a certain microchip and rabies shot-- Japan is particular). One month later, December, our cats had to have their second round of rabies shots along with a rabies titer test, which required us to ship their blood shipped to one of the two labs in the US that Japan trusts to show that the vaccine worked (thank goodness Miklos knew how to mail bio-hazardous materials). After the results came back clear, we had to "quarantine" our cats (not really-- they lived normally with us) wait for 6 months for them to be cleared to enter the country. The last requirement was to visit a USDA certified vet 10 days before departure to get their paperwork examined and their overall health checked. Finally, we drove to the USDA office in Harrisburg (2 hour drive one way) to get the papers endorsed ... exactly what you want to do 10 days before turning your life upside down.

It was a lot of work to bring the kittes along. We made sure we only saw a USDA certified vet when we absolutely had to because they're quite expensive. However, taking the cats elsewhere for rabies shots, microchipping, and the rabies titer test seemed to make many vets/clinics uncomfortable when they learned we were bringing the cats abroad. This probably was because they didn't want to make any errors that would result in our cats not entering the country. However, we assured them that we did our research (and we truly did research this inside and out) and it all worked out! Our fur babies did not have to be quarantined upon entering Japan. Their paperwork was simply checked upon entry and they were totally cleared to come right on it! Totally worth it since they're our babies.

The actual move to Japan was much more stressful with the cats, however. The USDA certified vet prescribed them a sedative which they took every 8 hours during transit. We put the sedatives in a pill pocket and our kitties had no qualm gobbling them right up. It did help relax them quite a bit. We also brought along a collapsable water bowl, collapsable liter box, liter, and a pooper scooper. We were instructed not to feed the cats morning of, in case it led to a bowel movement. Yes, it was a long time for them to go without food. We did, however, make multiple trips to the bathroom where we gave them access to water and their liter box. Also, bringing a collapsable liter box was so helpful when getting situated in the apartment. Although it was a long, stressful trip for the girls, once they got into our temporary housing unit they seemed much more at peace. And, they're here and have a happy home, which is all that matters!

We decided to take the most direct flight to get over here because of the cats. That meant that we left from the Philadelphia airport and flew to Detroit. We had an hour layover in Detroit and flew directly over to Nagoya. Detroit/Nagoya have direct flights because Nagoya is the home of Toyota, and as our

American friends know, Detroit is the home of the American automobile industry, making this flight connection logical. It was a 13 hour flight from Detroit. Phew!

By the time we got our luggage, cleared customs, immigration, and animal control, it was rush hour. We found a luggage transport company in the area that took our box and large suitcase and delivered it to our temporary housing unit, and we lugged the rest of our belongings (and kitties) through the crowded subway. Luckily, Miklos's direct supervisor (the main boss is located in Switzerland) was kind enough to meet us at the airport and help us move our belongings.

Finally, we made it! Long travels, stressful with kitties, feeling disoriented, missing our friends and family, but also feeling incredibly excited. We are now home.