Your dining room sounds beautiful! I know we’d all love you to share a photo of the view!
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We have solar but we’re still tied to the grid because, without a solar-fed battery/generator backup, we still lose electricity when the power goes out. The solar panels are connected to the grid and provide us with a significant portion of the electricity we use (any excess production feeds the grid) to keep our bills low, but you need a battery/generator to free you from the electric company. We keep looking at the Tesla power wall, but now that we’re only in AZ during the winter months and never seem to lose power, it doesn’t make much sense now.
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We opted out of installation of batteries when we had our solar installed. We are also grid-connected and have never had a power outage longer than a couple of minutes in 6 years of living here.
The installer did not recommend Tesla powerwall as they did not have a good reliability in their experience (and the installer is a Tesla-certified electrical contractor that also does their roofs!). Instead, this installer goes with Enphase products. So while Tesla Powerwall is the most known battery product, there are other options available.
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@ChoatieMom, we installed a generator that is fed by natural gas that goes on within 30 seconds of a power outage. We figured we were at the end of a long street with not too many residents so they would not be getting to us first in the case of an outage. It does work.
We also intended to put in batteries like @BunsenBurner but our original plan was installation by Tesla of solar panels and batteries. Tesla just dropped the ball and didn’t submit the relevant things to the state etc. So a year later, we have asked for proposals from two reputable local firms. One of them uses Enphase as well. Installation will happen in the spring (nobody who cares about their workers installs solar panels in the winter in New England).
I’ll take a picture when we are back @Jolynne_Smyth
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Our panels are made by Silfab (made in WA!) each having a micro inverter (Enphase). We are addicted to our Enphase app. 
Can monitor our energy use/production in real time. A thin layer of snow does not halt energy production 100%, but ice does. 
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We have enphase inverters on our roof as well with our PV. We have solar for our water heater and photovoltaic for everything else. We are connected to the grid and hav no batteries. In 30+ years we haven’t had many prolonged power outages—normally they are resolved in minutes or hours. I don’t personally know anyone who has a backup generator for their home. Everyone we know with PV has it connected to the grid. We don’t know anyone who has a large battery at this time.
I did buy a duracell battery that can power my medical equipment in the event of a power outage for up to 6 or 8 hours. It holds most of its charge for a year and I charged it and store it in the box it came in. If I was more concerned, I could have bought more batteries or a bigger system with a PV feed that is suitable for glamping. Costco carries it beside this smaller 10 pound battery I purchased. I like the one i purchased for it’s compactness and that I could take it if we need to evacuate.
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We have some friends who downsized to a condo/townhouse and they actually have a pretty decent sized patio in both the front and back…they have plenty of room for plants and stuff to grow. The nice thing is that they have no grass to mow
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We have a large deck that I use as my garden. Still have a drawer full of baggies of chopped tomatoes in the freezer from last summer’s crop. One can grow a lot of things on a patio or deck for sure as long as there is sun. So make sure your patio is not facing north or northwest!
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Totally understand, but we’re no longer considering a battery of any kind. We just don’t need it now. We don’t have solar in Maine, but we do have a generator there that kicks in immediately when there is an outage. Fortunately, being without power for any length of time in the AZ winter or ME summer is no hardship.
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I did not mean you. Just put it out there for folks who might consider a battery.
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Congratulations!
My folks lived in Moto-Azabu for years and I have wonderful memories of Tokyo. I remember when they moved back to the U.S. and the movers came to pack up their apartment and put it onto a container ship.
A few months later their belongings arrived, and as they unpacked they discovered that the Tokyo movers were so meticulous and thorough that they packed everything - including the 100 yen shop wastebasket that was under the bathroom sink, along with all the trash that had been in it! 
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I feel ya, @thumper1! We have one 3000 miles west and one 5000 miles east.
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Oh we have one local…and one 2500 miles away. My point is…we can’t live near them both…and neither one plans to move!
Well @blueberriesforsal , that’s amazing - I actually live in Moto Azabu (did you attend Nishimachi, I wonder?) AND we have also had the experience of having an unemptied trash can neatly packed up and delivered by Japanese movers, although in our case that was a move from one part of Tokyo to another, not an international move. I still recall well my very first encounter with a Japanese moving company, when they arrived at our home in Hoboken, New Jersey before our first move to Japan - a team of five, all in tidy uniforms, not all Japanese, appeared, bowed and immediately dropped their shoes at the doorstep. It was kind of a “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore” moment for me.
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What a small world!
I was in college when my parents moved there, but at that age I was lucky enough to be able to go out to visit them 2-3x a year for 3-6 weeks at a time (the era of free plane tickets for “ex-pat” family members, and being young enough on my end to have lots of flexibility in my schedule!).
They moved back to the states in the early 2000s, but I remember the neighborhood fondly and especially how walkable and “neighborly” it was in the middle of the bustling city - I hope to take my S23 to visit Tokyo sometime this year; he’s never been, but has grown up around his grandparent’s many Japanese items, as well as idiosyncrasies from their years there (“it’s gomi day tomorrow,” or a shouted: ikimashou!).
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I lived in Japan as a child. I went to a Japanese kindergarten in Tokyo, but then my Dad was transferred to Yokohama where I went to the International School. My son is stationed in Yokosuka right now, but leaving next week. We were there for a couple of weeks over the holidays.
Now how to tie this to downsizing? Do I want to downsize to a small apartment in Tokyo? No I do not! But it’s great for a visit.
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@mathmom, I was just thinking about this and thinking I should not sidetrack the Downsizing discussion. But I realized in reading @blueberriesforsal 's last response that it is relevant - when we started looking for our “not quite downsizing” house in France, I found that what I was looking for was something similar to what we have here in Tokyo - a “neighborly” area with trees and space but also walkable to shops and very internationally diverse, with some sense of history. I realize I’ve been following this theme for many years, as I’ve moved from the suburban town in New Jersey where I grew up (which I did not like) to New Haven to Hoboken to Tokyo. I’ve been ready to leave Japan for some time myself, but it was a wonderful place to raise our kids - my S19 went to Yokohama International School for high school, by the way - and it’s also been a good place to hang out during Covid. But now’s the time.
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Yes, walkable neighborhoods are appealing.
I ran out of Grey’s Anatomy TV seasons for exercise (and Schitt’s Creek and Grace and Frankie) and last month started Gilmore Girls. I like the way they can walk to town for a coffee. Tis a fictional (and not all that realistic) show, but it’s still fun idea. I actually could walk to a Starbuck’s here but never do. Have been thinking of trying the new donut shop though.
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I love walkable towns! I don’t live in one now (lucky to have a group of nice neighbors) - but I live near a few cute towns (more pricey than my hood) - they are so fun/quaint/active!
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Honestly, walkability to some degree (if not to a business but only for neighborhood walks) is a MUST for me. I don’t live in a “small town” but in our neighborhood we have access to a 3 mile bike trail (or run or walk or whatever) one block from our house and two blocks from our house is a coffee shop, sandwich deli, pizza, and a couple other local businesses.
In a HEARTBEAT I would move to a very walkable small town - a dream life includes walking for coffee, books (library), small grocery store and a couple of restaurants and parks.
I always wanted to be the fit older woman who drags one of those little grocery hand carts on wheels from home to the neighborhood grocer!
And I’ll pay EXTRA to be able to walk to the farmer’s market!!! (this town does exist near where I live - it’s one of our spots we are house hunting)
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