CONTRIBUTED BY MEREDITH NOVARIO
We have a popular post where lots of you have added your thoughts about the pros and cons of living on-base or off-base. For the most part the focus there is on off-base housing which is useful for those of you considering that. There are fewer details about on-base issues and opinions although the third and fourth comment do give the on-base life great insight. Last night I got this e-mail and realized we ought to gather more thoughts about what you all experience on-base. Here's a bit of the e-mail:
I hear that there are a variety of different building types to live in like the towers, single family homes, etc. Is there any specific type of housing that any of you would recommend? We have a 4 year old daughter who loves to run around, so the on base nearby playgrounds are a plus.
So feel free to pipe up with your experience. If you have pictures of the interior and exterior of your base housing I'd happily set up a photo set for us to get an eyeful. You know how much you would have appreciated some photos and commentary so hand them over. I double dog dare you. Send them on to me at [email protected]
Also pictures of base furniture or issues regarding base furniture are welcome. Like THIS issue. HERE is a set of photos of government furniture. Thanks, Aviva.
Shelly broke the ice for you all. With two days left here she managed to pass on ten inside and outside shots of her house on Kishaba. Shelly, as a thank you I give you an extra set of magical hands to get you through the airports and planes that await you. If only. But really, big stacks of thanks and happy trails.
Who's going to share next? Anonymous contributions welcomed.
But if you loved them and have never...
After 3 years of living on base i feel i can give an opinion on that. Its nice to not have to pay rent each month. I also like being able to keep my ac on all the time and not worry how high the bill is. Its very very very hot here and its nice to be able to cool the house. Housing is old. And there werent many choices when we came…either a townhome like building or the 6th floor of a tower. Housing maintenance is available on base within a day or two when things break. And there are many children and many families so families with kids have it much easier on base finding friends and playmates.
I havent lived off base tho. I have heard that it is nice and you get enjoy the culture more. But we just didnt want to hassle with rent, high AC bills and traffic getting to and from base each day. My only friend off base actually had to move on because her entire house had the ceiing covered in mold.
But id love to hear other peoples comments!
I am SO happy to see on-base housing discussed here. My husband and I will be PCS’ing there in early September, and I’ve been very curious as to what the housing looks like on the inside. This blog has answered so many questions that we’ve had. I’m so glad I came across it!
We’ve heard that it’s financially better to live on base, because the rent is very high off base. I don’t know if that’s true or not. But I know that there are so many “PROS” to living on base. Like Melissa said, you don’t have to worry about those bills. We’re stationed in Arizona right now…I can’t even imagine what the A/C bill would be right now, in the heat of the summer!!
Anyhoo, I’m excited to hopefully see a couple of snapshots…just to see what I’ll be working with.
I too have been living on base for the last 3 years and my family and I are getting ready leave this beautiful island. As Melissa mentioned the not having to worry about certain bills is a plus. I must also mention how great it is to have an american stove with a normal size oven(especially for holiday season) since japanese stoves are much smaller.On base housing also provides you with a dishwasher and a washer and dryer, as a family of five,that is a blessing for me. I have been really lucky to live in a wonderful cul-de-sac that has many nice families and children for my kids to play with. This was especially nice to have when my husband deployed for 7 months. We as a neighborhood did all of our holiday meals together and we still get together and do bbq’s and backyard movie nights. Of all the bases that we have lived in ,I must say that I will miss Okinawa the most. Not only is it a beautiful island but, I have made very lasting friendships out here and I will be sad to say goodbye.
As for the layout of the houses, I live in a two story 4 bedroom house. The master bedroom has it’s own master bath(no tub). The kids bedrooms are small and they have a separate bathroom, with a tub, upstairs. Downstairs, a medium size kitchen with separate dining room, a pacious living room and a guest bathroom. The laundry room is to the side of the dining room with a curtain like doors.There are sliding glass doors in the dining room that lead to a front porch and also some in the living room that lead to the back yard.My house came with mini blinds(which some don’t),but you can get them from self help ans install them yourself. My house is not carpeted, which seems to be the norm, so the tile does get a bit chilly in the winter. Hope that this helps you guys out a bit.It would have been wonderful to have had a site like this 3 years ago. KUDOS!!!
great site!
Wow! I thought on-base housing were mainly made up of apartments and/or single famly homes, but never did i think that they offered 2-story houses! I look forward to seeing some of these pics. This is truly a great site. Thanks for the info everyone!
I would have taken pictures today but our house is very scary and messy right now because we pack out in 2 days…so, I have been scouring my saved photos to see what I have to share. We live on Camp Foster in the housing area called Kishaba. Ours is a single family home with 3 bedrooms. You enter the front door and you are like in a little entry square. To your left is the great room and off of that is the kitchen and off of the kitchen is a laundry room with a laundry sink and a small closet with a commode. Our great room is floored in the vinyl wood floor. Now, I know back in the states you are saying…eww, yuck, but its amazing how good this stuff looks once you are over here! I don’t know if its our ‘Okinawan colored glasses’ or what. It really makes the place look more homey than the traditional tile that was in here when we first moved in. Ok, so now you are back at the entry square, if you go through a door on your right you are in the bedroom part of the house. There is a very big bathroom and three bedrooms off of the hallway. Then, on the opposite side of the hallway, there are sliding glass doors which make a wall (gosh this is hard to describe!) and on the other side of these doors is an area which is like a sunroom. We use part of this room for another bedroom and part for storage. I have a curtain which I used to split the room. Then on the outside of the house we have a really large yard, a storage shed and a storage closet. We are really happy with our house and love living on base. We don’t miss out on any of the culture because we are constantly adventuring around the island at parks, restaurants and stores. (I’ve been stocking up on japanese kids clothes and shoes…I will miss that!) Ok, so enough rambling. I am off to look for photos to share and continue work on packing our bags! I really hope this helps ease someones concerns or worries about moving here. You will love it!! I promise!
First, let me say thanks for having this site up. We will be PCS’ing to Okinawa next month. Currently we are in Misawa Japan and absolutely HATE onbase housing here. Our small 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom houses a family of 3 and two pets.
I was wondering what kind of housing we can expect to get if we decided to live on base? Currently we are in what is called an H style with 4 families in one unit. Only the downstairs families have yards. Is this something that we can expect to be placed in onbase? I am going to try and post some pictures as well.
This is what we have in Misawa…can we expect the same in Okinawa?
Misawa AB, Japan
Hi Yolanda,
I live in the same type of housing on Kadena AB as you do. We live on the second floor which means we don’t have a yard but our downstairs neighbor is nice enough to let our dogs play in her yard.
Hi, I live on Kadena AB as well. We live in the Jennings housing area which is located by the High School. We have a three bedroom unit that is part of a 4-plex. We have an upstairs and a downstairs. The master bedroom is full sized to include a shower and tub. We have another bathroom upstairs as well that my kids use. There is a half-bath downstairs. Our kitchen is in an L-shaped style, and the laundry room is a small room off the kitchen. Our living and dining rooms are combined. We have a patio in the back. We chose to live on-base because we have a dog. For people pcs’ing from the states, if you are bringing a pet, if you haven’t already done so, I would check out this site: http://kadenaservices.com/vetweb/index.htm to get the regulations for importing pets.
If you pet needs to complete a quarantine when arriving here, he/she can finish their time in house if you live on base. If you choose to live off base and they still have time left, they will have to stay in the kennel for the duration of their quarantine.
There was also a question about jobs above. The NAF jobs here are plentiful with both the Marines and the Air Force. But, I would just be sure that you apply and accept only a position you want, because you are only able to use the military spouse preference once.
I wanted to add that only on base housing people have access to the american cable service here. We get AFN and the Japanese stations but we also have the option to have about 30 american channels like bravo and Nickelodeon, TLC, Discovery channel,etc. The prices are actually cheaper then we paid in San antonio. HBO, showtime and Turner Broadcasting, comdey central, etc.
They record the shows then show them 2 weeks after the states do. Having the tv you love (even though you can only watch it after the kids go to bed) makes a big difference for us.
The yards on base also tend to be larger then the ones off base. They do also tend to give you slightly better appliances and furniture on base.
The downside is that the houses can be old, the roof can leak, and if you have Japanese friends you have to sign them in and out of the base. I think the level of base housing here can vary tremendously depending on service and rank.
I would say that the number one thing to consider here when getting base housing is to try and get a place where you control your own air conditioning. It gets hot here in Okinawa and in some of the quads they don’t turn on the air until they have had a certain number of consecutive hot days. Good luck! Julie
I agree downtownjuliebrown that it does depend on “service” and rank as to where you live and what kind of house you get.
Depending on your rank and family size makes a really big impact on housing off base. I agree that there are a lot of great things about living on base (keep in mind that they are continously renovating and are adding new housing). As a parent, I think that the best thing about living on base is having friends over and my children visit with their friends without much worries. I have lived on and off base and truly, that is a big plus for our family. But, there are just as many great things about living off base. Rank, and family size is key here….For the last few years, the housing market for Military and those with LQA (living quarters allowance) is fantastic! The homes are absolutely beautiful, very spacious, Many of them have American appliances (washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers). You might not have too many American neighbors, most likely, you will have a small yard,…compared to living on base, you will definately have more privacy. I do have to add that the Americans who do live off base (Uncle Sam picks up the tab…or depending who you work for pays for your housing) live in better homes than your average Japanese family. The homes that they build for the Americans really stand out….it’s pretty sad but that’s a different topic. If anything, anyone who has the pleasure of moving and living on Okinawa will love the island.
I wanted to add the single family dwellings (esp. the ones commented on and pictured here) tend to be for O-4 and up. O-1 thru O-3 tend to live in the L shaped quads or something comparable. I lived in both and they both have been fine. On base there are also tower type apartments and some single dwelling homes for enlisted personnel. Again, housing definitely does vary by rank and service and for some folks the off base housing is nicer by far!
Does anyone know what the base housing for enlisted is like? Specifically the E-6 to E-7 range?
Just wanted to comment that the housing I listed above is average for E-5 to E-7 with 2 to 3 children with pets on McTureous housing.We live in an U shaped cul-de-sac and everyone is of almost the same rank(most of us are E-6′s), but the housing is a bit old. Courtney is pretty much the same but with the exeption if you do not have a large family or pets you will be offered a tower or apartment like housing.
As a family, we have just decided to move off base. We lived in the townhome style(01-03) and it was fine. The fullsize washer, dryer, oven, and dishwasher were a plus and we had a yard for our dogs. We decided to move off b/c we figured if we were going to live in Japan, we might as well LIVE here! We have a 3BR, 2 Ba HOUSE, with yard and parking for our BAH cap (Y200,000). Plus, we get an additional appx $600 a month to cover utilities and we are 5 minutes from Kadena Gate 1 in Mihama. There are pros and cons to every living situation here, but please do what is best for your family. It is hard when PCSing to not rely solely on your sponsor for info, but we would’ve pursued off base housing except we told it would be impossible to find a yard for 2 dogs. Not true! Many houses/apts near the bases are very americanized inside. See what your housing office offers you then visit a few housing agencies just to see all your options. You may be pleasantly surprised! Financially, it cost us more to live ON-BASE b/c we were paying for cable, internet, and phone ($200+/mo) out of pocket where we now get $600/mo to cover those things (which are cheaper off) plus the other utilities. The biggest challenge to off-base house hunting is not knowing the area/traffic patterns-that is where a good friend/sponsor can come in handy!
LostSoxinOki – love that nickname, btw! -
be careful – your electric bill will suck up quite a bit of that utility money in the summertime, so beware. And AFN is it (no cable channels). We had a 46,000 yen electric bill in July for our 3-br 2-ba apartment. (granted we weren’t THAT careful with turning off the A/C all the time – we are NOW!) That’s $400 of our utility money right there. And with a 3 BR 2 Ba house, it’ll be similar. Internet is probably comparable off-base, not cheap – and phone isn’t too bad but we have Vonage for our stateside calls. I think it’s kind of a wash really. And I fully agree with the whole experience Japan idea, though that’s not for everyone.
The best bit of advice is DO NOT take the first thing you’re shown. It’s hard to be patient, but give yourself a minute to adjust and see what’s out there, even though that means another week at the lodge.
my husband and i got orders to Kadena, and i’m trying to find a web site that offers a view of floor plans of all possible on-base housing options for an E-5 with 2 dependants. any info is greatly appreciated!
I think if you email here: [email protected] they will send you floorplans. I know it is not only dependant on rank and number of kids but also their ages and gender so be sure to be clear about that when you ask them. I don’t actually live on base so I don’t remember the details but it was something to the effect of this: if you have 2 kids of the same gender under a certain age (like 6 years maybe?) then they will require them to share a room and probably give you a 2 bedroom. If they are different genders then they still have to share a room for the first few years, but the age at which you qualify for a 3 bedroom house would be lower.
Same sex kids under 12 share a room. Example: You have a 6 year old and a 2 year old girl. They are required to share a room. If you also have a 5 year old boy the boy would rate his own room(because he is male and the others are female). This situation would give you a 3 bedroom, but if the Girls were 13 and 6 and the boy was 8 you would get a 4 bedroom because everyone would rate there own room. Opposite sex kids share a room until 6. Example: Boy is 4 and Girl is 2. However, we came when our son was 4 1/2 and our daughter was 1. Because of our rank and our son going to be 6 in 1 1/2 years they automatically gave us a 3 bedroom. From what I gather as long as you have 2 kids before coming they are offering the 3 bedrooms because there is a lot more of these than the 2 bedrooms.
Also, if you are pregnant when you arrive, that counts for housing. I had to get a note from a doc (even though I was OBVIOUSLY preggers at 7 months!!) to take to housing. But with our 2 year old, that rated us a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2 story unit in a 4-plex. We’re E6.
This is awesome! I’m so glad I found this site. Right now my hubby is E5 and has about a year left on recruiting duty. He really wants to request Okinawa when he’s done, so I’ve been trying to figure some stuff out. Like if age and gender also play a role in number of bedrooms offered and such. (We’ve never lived on base since we’ve been married. So I wasn’t sure.)
How many bedrooms are in the apts. in the towers? I’ve been worried about that because I WILL NOT live in a tower. I used to manage some… No, no, no!
And it’s really funny, cause the house that Cathy Clemons described on Aug. 3 sounds exactly like what I lived in from 88-90 when I was a kid. We lived on Chibana. (Is that place still around?) And my dad was an O3. So it’s nice to know that my husband being enlisted doesn’t automatically disqualify us for something like that.
This site is awesome! Loved seeing some of the base furniture. We will be arriving 11/2/07 and I have been scouring the net to get all info on Okinawa that I could find. My husband is retired Air Force and is now in civil service. We are planning to live off base. Thank you for all the info and once we get settled there, I will make sure to add some more helpful hints.
Hello to everyone on Kadena and the one’s soon to come! To give a little information on the single units on Kadena they are pretty good size and most of them have big yards! My husband is E-5 and we are a family of 5. My house is a 3 bedroom and my girls share a bedroom. We have a full bath and in the storage room area we have a bathroom with a toilet and sink! The house I live in the windows are really big so bring your curtains! I do not have carpet and completly understand why (water can seap through the baseboards during a typhoon). Furniture store has lots of carpets to choose from! The one thing I dislike is the cement walls! You have to use a drill to hang up everything! We have brand new Fridge, Stove, Dishwasher, Washer and Dryer, even though I live in an area that was scheduled to be renovated! I know the bedroom size home you get is based on rank and kids ages but several of my neighbors have 2 children under 5 and they all have 3 bedrooms so sometimes I think they will put you in what’s open! We had the choise of 2 homes and the first one was a duplex with upstairs and down but it was so small and I refused to live in a house that small! Thank God I did cause this house has a huge living room and dining room and good size bedrooms and a really nice good size laundry room! I dislike the kitchen cause the cabinets are really dark and the kitchen is a little small but hey it’s a house!
This site is pretty good. Loaded with information that has filled in some obvious holes I had previously. I’ve found some helpful sites such as http://www.japanupdate.com which you can browse the classifieds and etc. Also, I found a few car websites of exporters of vehicles in Japan. Their prices are very good and the vehicles are very nice. I will post those sites under a more appropriate blog. As for housing, I lived off base when I was in Okinawa back in 1996. I’m sure things have changed drastically since I’ve left. I had friends that lived on base and life was good for them but I wouldn’t trade living off base for it. My electric bill wasn’t bad because you have to be smart about using the A/C. Yes it can get hot in Okinawa, but during the day I got a good breeze coupled with the fan and I survived. My wife is orginally from Syracuse, NY, so any temperature above 85 degrees seemed like 125 degrees to her and she was fine with the setup. She was pregnant with my daughter our last 7 months on the island and she managed very, very well. Just like someone said previously, the decision to live off base or on base is going to be based on you and your family. They both have benefits its just a matter of which benefits appeal to you most. We will be returning in the Summer of 2008 and I can tell you that we will be living off base in an American Style house. We have been looking at Central Housings website.. http://www.central-housing.jp/001introduce/
For those on base who currently do not have A/C…I just got off of the phone with a very nice woman from the Kadena’s
housing maintenance (I hit option 2 for public announcements). I
called to see when exactly they’d be turning it back on and was told
that they are taking down addresses on a list of those who would like
to get their A/C turned back on early. I guess they do this yearly before
the April 15th deadline when it’s hot and if the commander oks it, then
they go ahead. She said it takes a couple of days once they begin
turning everything on and then an additional couple of hours for the
units to begin cooling again. She also said to just keep checking by
turning on the units and/or calling the telephone number again to ask
if they’ve finally turned it on. So…start calling!!!!:) And,
tell everyone you know to put in a call too! Then maybe we won’t have
to wait another week or week and a half to finally get a little relief.
Hi,
We are due to pcs in June to Okinawa and I was wondering if anyone had any information regarding base housing in the north? My husband hasn’t been told yet if he will be at Courtney, Schwab or Hansen… Anyway, he is a mcep and went from gunney to 2nd Lt. We have 3 kiddos and 2 cats and I am hoping there may be some single family homes on base for our rank? If anyone has knowledge of the area please drop a line. Thanks and see you soon!
Hey Michelle,
The Northern housing areas will be McT and Courtney. Here’s some info on McT:
http://www.okinawahai.com/2008/02/north-island–.html
Is doesn’t look like anyone has show cased their Courtney home. Come on Courtney folks, lets see your casa.
There are multiplex homes on both camps, but I don’t recall seeing any SFH for anyone less than an E8 or 06.
If you do a search on here, you’ll see lots of info on Courtney and Mc T. Good luck
Snuff
My husband and I live in a tower apartment at Camp Kinser. I was wondering if anyone knows if small caged animals are allowed in the towers, such as hamsters. Our “Welcome Aboard” package said no dogs or cats, but mentions nothing about small caged animals. I’ve seen families with turtles and birds out on their balconies, so I was just wondering….thanks for the help
HI all !!! Thanks for such great info. We are going to be in Oki in Aug and I am curious to see what living spaces look like on Camp Courtney. I have seen a lot of Other base housing on this site which is helpful..I don’t want to be dissapointed if Courtney isn’t as nice as others. Thanks
What do you do for renters insurance when you live on-base? Who do you use, how much does it cost, and should I get it before we move there?
Ok so I know that this probably will be a crazy question but is the tap water drinkable? I don’t know who else to ask. I don’t want to sound spoiled or anything. I am very much looking forward to being on the island very soon but I usually drink bottled water or water that has been filtered, like through the fridge. Thanks!
Emily — Sorry, clueless about Courtney Housing — maybe someone else can jump in?
Robyn — Our renter’s insurance is through USAA — it’s like $30 a monht.
Lizz — I have a Brita filter that I bought at the Commissary and attached to my kitchen faucet — I just flip a switch for drinking water. But yes, the tap water is drinkable — I just don’t love the taste.
Thanks Joelle. I’m not crazy about the taste either. Especially here in the states. I’ll just get the Brita attachment when I finally get there. Or I’ll have my husband get it for us. LOL! See y’all soon!
I dont drink the tap water either. My husband has been trying to convince me on how much money we’ll save by using a water filter instead of buying bottled water, but I just think tap water taste nasty … but I think it taste nasty no matter where I am.
Can anyone tell me about AF E7 3 bedroom housing? What type of housing is available for this rank? Single or duplexes?
I love LOVE my house on Kadena AB. My husband had to pick it out without me and I was a little scared at the idea that he would have to do that but he made a great and wonderful choice!
Our home is located in Sebille Manor by Gate 2. It is part of a quad townhomes and it’s a 2 story home. There is hardwood floors thoughtout, no not real but it’s better then the linoleum that I’ve heard about in some other homes. The kitchen has wood cabinets and b/c Erik got a buffet from government housing, we can use that for our plates and silverware. We also got a good size dining room table with an expansion leaf if we need the extra room. The washer and dryer is brand new and just behind the front door. The laundry room is not necessarily something to look at but I’m not a real picky person.
The living room is very large. My husband ordered 2 computer desks, one for him and myself. Because we are keeping the dining room table where it is, on the other side of the kitchen, I get to put my scrapbooking stuff on the other side of the living room. Oh, and there is a half bath downstairs too. There is storage under the stairs and a nice size closet that we can use for minimal storage and hanging our jackets.
Upstairs, there is 3 bedrooms. My daughter’s room is a little small but she’s only 2, so she doesn’t need alot of room right now. My son has the next room. It’s a little bit bigger and he enjoys it. There’s a full size bathroom next and then our room. It’s huge! I love it! And the very best part of the whole friggin house is that there is an echo in my closet! Yes, people, my closet is the size of a small office. I swear to you if there were electrical outlets in my closet, I would convert it to a scrapbooking room. LOL! My husband did so great with this house. When he saw this closet, he knew I would love it!
And there is A/C on here also. No problems with that. There are 2 ceiling fans here already. One in the living room and one in our master bedroom. And my husband knows how finky I am about tap water and he said that it’s really good, especially cold, so I dared to try it and he’s right, it was good! I just have to wrap my mind around the fact that the water is from tap and not from bottle. With ice, I can drink it. So there is my opinion about on base housing. It’s different for everyone but if you have an open mind, you might get lucky….oh and even though we live on base, we still go out and see Japan. I found a fish market and a produce stand to get veggies from. I am so excited about being here! Talk to you people’s later!
My family and I will be heading to Okinawa in July. My husband is a Marine and will be working on Camp Hansen. We were told to expect housing on McT or Courtney. If anybody has pictures of the housing or information about which one is better, especially for kids, please let us know. Thank you.
I love my house on Kadena. We got very lucky! my husband is a E4 and this is our first base. We got a two story house on Washington Heights. Its so nice and the view is awesome. Very clean and peaceful. The one thing I really love is the fact I can keep my AC on all day long and not worry about the bill
I have lived on Okinawa with my 2y.o. and E-3 USMC husband since Sept 2008 and have had 2 different houses. We loved both of them on Foster. When we first got here, we were offered 2bdr old towers or 2bdr new multi-plex housing. We opted for the new housing, with 1.5baths. We happily lived there for 7 months until we found out that I was pregnant again. I immediatly asked the doc. for the preggers not for housing, and made an appt at the housing office. We were lucky enough to be offered 3 bdr houses with me being only 8 weeks pregnant. And even more lucky, we got to stay in the same housing area with the brand new multi-plex houses. Sadly I have heard the complete opposite of my story. It all matters on rank, service, and who you get at your appt with the housing office on Kadena. I have some really good friends who did the exact same thing as me when they found out they were pregnant and got denied.
I have looked at all the different floor plans that are posted, but have not seen any officer housing for Marines. Can anybody out there tell me about the officer housing options for Marines? Thank you!
I NEED HELP! My husband is an E-6 in the Army and we will be stationed on Kadena with our 4 year old. We have already turned in a housing application and was wondering if anyone could give us information on the 2 bedrooms on Kadena. Honestly we were hoping to be pregnant before we got there (but doesn’t look like it will happen). How does the housing work. They told us we will be living in JRNCO 2 bedroom housing. Is there any 2 bedrooms besides the tower. That is the only information I have found. I saw the layout and I REALLY do not see that working for my family. I am quite nervous and would love if someone could help calm my fears! Thank you
Exhausted in El Paso
It really depends on what you mean. You have to take into account not just financial reasons and house size but the people who live around you. We live in Sebille Manor also and if you like having kids you walk up to your window and stare in, vandalize and don’t get caught and have parents who don’t care about teaching respect by all means, its great. The houses are decent sized, but again- having lived both on and off base, I think you’re better living off base if your choice is sebille manor. It seems to be the spot in housing most people say is bad housing, as far as neighbors go. All it takes is one bad neighbor to ruin it for everyone. I think it’s great to live on base as you’re close to school and stores, etc. but really you will likely run into less problems if you have more privacy. This particular housing has none and trust me, no one cares if you do run into problems.
My husband and I will be moving to Okinawa early next year. I have been researching housing and the rules on pets. Can anybody tell me if housing allows small dogs within the towers? We have an 8yo son and 2 yo daughter, so we will rate a 3 bedroom. Thanks for any insight on this situation.
Renee,
I know for sure that there is a pet tower on Kinser. That is the most southern of all the bases. My friend there says that there are a couple pet towers on other bases so I think you’re okay.
There is one pet tower on Kinser, and two on Courtney – one officer and one enlisted, I believe. I do not believe there are any others. The only pets you can have in the rest of the towers are caged animals like hamsters or fish or the like. When you get here if there is no housing available to meet your needs you can request a waiver to live off base.
Thank you, ladies!
We are pretty sure that we are going to live on Kinser. Our preference would be to live in a house, but believe that we will get put into a tower because of where my husband will work. I just wanted to make sure that no matter what I can have my dog where ever we are put.
Don’t get too excited just yet – even if you make it abundantly clear that you have pets the housing office here on Kinser will likely still offer you non pet-friendly housing in the regular towers. I have never had anything but headache, heartache, and trouble from the Kinser housing office. Your experience may be totally different (and I sincerely hope it is), but they have been hands down the worst part about living on Okinawa. If your husband has been assigned to Kinser then they will tell you that is where you are required to live. It is not true, but that is what they will tell you.
Thanks Jen,
My husband is going to be working on Futenma and we have been told Kinser is where we would be living. We would prefer to be living on Foster because my oldest brother lives in Okinawa (for 18 years) and that is the base that is closest to his house. Hopefully everything will work out…gotta be positive about it is the outlook I am TRYing to take.
Just to clarify, the only pet tower on Kinser that allows pets is the enlisted tower. Camp Courtney has an officer tower that allows pets. We have a dog and cat and were only offer non-pet towers on Kinser and then on Foster. We tried for a waiver to live off base, but housing wouldn’t budge. We ended up turning down our “Tier I” offers and excepted “Tier II” – a duplex on Old Lester. Not the best house, but I think it’s the best location on the island. I agree with Jen, the housing office is definitely the worst part about moving here.
There is a chance that we might be moving there this summer. We rate a 4 bedroom house, my question is are the 4 bedroom houses petfriendly? I really am concerned about bringing our cat if there is a chance that I will have to get rid of him because of housing.
That kind of makes me nervous. It almost sounds like housing tries to make it inconvenient. I hope that we can get through with no glitches, but I am sure it is bound to happen. Can anyone tell me if they had a sponsor and if they helped them with this process?
@Renee,
Everyone should have a sponsor-if you don’t, contact your gaining unit and request one.
However, the sponsor cannot really help out with anything pertaining to pet-friendly housing-it’s really just the luck of the draw. Getting pet friendly housing depends on what is next on the list, who is helping you, and what kind of mood they are in that day. Seriously. You can ask 10 different people the same question about housing and get 10 different answers about what housing did (or didn’t do) for them.
Some people initially don’t bring pets and then fly them over here once they have housing. Others come with their pets and get housing without an issue-I’m sure some get approved for off-base, and there are probably some who end up having to re-home their pet. There is really no way to predict what will happen.
We are moving to Kinser in February and have so far only heard of the towers being our only option for housing. Are there houses/duplexes etc. On Camp Kinser?
@ Jessica, we live in a 4 bedroom on Plaza (Foster) From what I understand, all houses are pet friendly, only towers have the pet restrictions. I’m not sure if they even have 4 bedroom towers. If I’m wrong, can anyone else clarify? I would hate for you to leave your cat behind for no reason!
Melissa, are there an abundance of 4bedroom houses for on base housing right now? Also what branch are you in?
We just got here last week and although we were eligible for a four bedroom, we were asked to “waiver” that and get a three bedroom in order to get a house on base. At our housing meeting they gave wait times based on both number of bedrooms and rank. Most (but not all) people were eligible to live off base because most unit types are at 90+ % capacity. The women running the meeting did tell us that there were no four bedroom tower units and all multiplexes/single houses were pet friendly. Hope this helps a bit.
@ Jenny, my husband is in the Army, there is no Army family housing, so we live on Plaza. Plaza is a part of Foster, but not actually attached, if that makes sense. It’s like it’s own little base. I don’t think there are a lot of 4 bedrooms left, especially after reading what MS had to say! I know summer is big PCS season, we got here in December and got housing within 2 weeks. My husband is an E6, and I know there are a few empty or soon to be empty houses in our area.
We are moving to Okinawa in June/July. I am an O2E and will be an O3E shortly after arriving, we have 3 kids (girl 9, boy 6 and 4). Does anybody know where we might be living or how many bedrooms we will get?
Is there any O1-O3 with 3 kids (female 9, boys 6 and 4. That have pictures of the size, layout and neighborhood. I will be working at the Naval Hospital. So after 1-3 years all the kids will be 12, 9 and 7. Please and thank you. Gerat site by the way!
Hello Everyone, My Husband and I will be moving to Okinawa In March 2011, He will be working in Hanson, Does anyone know what the housing is like, we also have a 9 lb Maltese poodle, is their housing that is pet friendly? we also have a 16 year old junior and a 13 year old middle schooler, does anyone know about the schools? Does anyone have recent pictures of housing area around Hanson and the schools. It would be greatly appreciated.
Hansen doesn’t have housing. You’ll be on one of the other Marine bases. Probably Courtney or MCT, but you may end up on Kinser, Lester or Foster. Either way, it’s going to be a fun drive for him in the mornings.
GET YOUR DOG STUFF DONE YESTERDAY. IT IS A HUGE TASK TO GET THEM OVER HERE. TALK TO YOUR CURRENT BASE VETERINARY COMMAND AND THEY WILL GET YOU HERE. More than likely, with two kids of that age, you will be given a house. Unless I’m wrong, I don’t believe towers have three bedrooms.
I know nothing about the schools.
ANGUS!!!- You’ll probably get three bedrooms. A four bedroom usually requires the boys to be older, or the girl to be the middle child. If Housing has it available, you’ll probably be on Lester-which has no towers. It’s all worthwhile housing.
Hansen does not have housing. Hansen qualifies under the Courtney housing office. They did not have housing available to us when we moved here so we are out in town. I am pretty sure that towers do have three bedrooms. There is no way they are going to stick you in Kinser housing if he is stationed at Hansen. Towers at Courtney are not pet friendly unless you are in Officer housing.
I think the only middle and high schools are over on Kadena. McT has the school for the Courtney area housing and it is elementary school only.
There is a high school on Foster (Kubasaki). If you are on Courtney or McT, the bus is to Kubi.
If you are out in town, the bus is also to Kubi from this area.
Sorry – I don’t know about middle schools.
Why cant i read what Leah and Kassady Commented on my post? Anyway if you ladies can email me your comment it would be better, This is my email [email protected], Thank you so much.
God i feel like a full , I can read it now. Sorry Girls, My Brain has not been working lately with the whole getting everything ready for our move to Oki.
So i just spoke to my Hubby, and we will be getting housing either on courtney or Mac T. He also said that the kids will be picked up by Bus. Our dog Must have all his shots and Up to Date Licences, They told him not to bring him until we make sure we will be getting a Pet friendly Home, But alot of his Marines have told him to take our puppy no mater what. I dont know what to do! I really dislike moves, all these rules and stuff. He also told me that there is a pound limit like 3000lbs. I guess we will start selling our Second set of Furniture and Patio set. Anyway, I wanted to say Thank you to Leah and Kassidy, Michelle. Very nice of yo ladies to take the time to reply back with some info.
Hi there- We are arriving in June and are so excited. My husband will be working at Courtney and we rate 3 bedroom officer housing. We are also bringing a dog. I would love to hear some info/opinions from someone who lives in the pet tower on Courtney.
Thanks so much!
I was waaayyyyyy excited to come here to Okinawa and two and a half years later (living in a 2 bedroom tower mind you) I still love just about every single day of living here. There is always something new to see and learn and experience. The Towers, just like every other housing option here (or anywhere, for that matter) has its ups and downs. Sure, my living space is literally half what it was in the US. Sure I hate the housing office and I miss having a little bit of backyard. Sure there is an enormous language barrier just about everywhere I go. Sure I sometimes have trouble finding the things I think I need. But, overcoming challenges is just part of life, no matter where you live.
If you see every challenge in living here as an insurmountable inconvenience, then yes, you will have a frustrating, bitter, miserable time here.
Kim- I hope you have a wonderful time here on Oki and can embrace the joys and the challenges that semi-tropical island life in a foreign country has to offer. It’s like the Monty Python boys used to sing – always look on the bright side of life. Your attitude and outlook will make a world of difference, all the world over.
Thanks for that comment, Jen. I, as well as others I know that frequent this site, am tired of a certain Debbie Downer’s constant negative comments. Some people that comment on here should just start their own “I HATE OKINAWA” site and stay off one that celebrates living the “Hai” life here!
Jen-
That’s what I’m talkin’ about! I have always believed that there are 2 kinds of families in the military: those who don’t really care for anywhere they are stationed and those who make the most of everywhere they move and thank God for the opportunity to experience such diversity. My husband and I pride ourselves on being the latter. This will be our 8th duty station and we plan to love it as much as we have the other 7. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Oki living.
Im going to be moving to okinawa,with my husband in August.Im still not sure what to expect. I just wanted info. on the housing on the base, how does it look like, wand what do we have to do. before we get there.
My husband and I are coming to Kadena at the end of August. I’m an O3 and he’s an E5, so we are wondering how that will come into play when we are getting our housing assignment. We’ve got (soon to be-I’m due in 3 months)two kiddos, both under six so based on my rank we are allowed a 3BR unit. A bit of irony- if I were a civilian still, we’d be in a 2BR unit despite having the same # of children; that’s just SAD.
Anyone have any thoughts how the finicky housing folks might handle my situation?
We are PCSing to Camp Foster in June. We have 2 cats and I’m wondering if there is pet friendly housing on Camp Foster?
Andrea, yes there are multiplexes (like townhouses) and single houses. Please know that just because you are pcsing to Foster does not mean that you will live there. There are many Marine Corps bases here (some with family housing and some without, an Air Force Base, Navy bases and Army bases. They do try to put you either where you work or on a base close to where you work. My husband worked on Foster when he was active duty and we lived in a 3 bedroom single house on Kadena Air Base. Of course, your housing assignment depends on things like rank, # of children, etc. Off base may be an option as well. We have kived off base 2x and prefer it much more than on base. There are beautiful rentals here! Good luck! Any more questions, just ask. Hope you love it here!
What you’re saying is not necessarily true here on Kadena. You will most likely get a 3 bedroom, but anyone with two kids (usually regardless of the kids’ age or the active duty rank, no matter what the actual policy says) will probably get a 3 bedroom as well. If you were O5 or above, they would give you one of the nicer single family homes. However, as an O3 you will probably get the same type of two level multi-plexes most everybody gets here, only your’s will be in a SNCO/CGO neighborhood. The housing office here will not likely give you any extra concern unless you are O6 or above.
Same exact thing happened to us. We arrived on island with 3 kids, a dog & a cat. My husband was to work at Foster and we were offered 2 “non-pet friendly” towers at Kinser. Our only option was to turn down our ‘tier 1′ and take our ‘tier 2′ option which was a multiplex in old lester. The house is a concrete bunker, but has a small yard. The only other option we were told was to give up our pets for adoption. (yes, after all the money we spent to get them here) The location at camp lester is great though. Really the best on the island. They will not offer you the tier options. You have to just know about them and demand your tier 2 option. We were also made to live in a 3 bdrm even though our kids are all 5 years apart. We were told prior to coming we would rate a 4 bdrm so we ended up here with way too much furniture for our ‘closet’ of a house. The housing office here is nothing but a pain and I’ve yet to hear anyone have a ‘pleasant’ experience with them.
We don’t have kids and are e5. I’m just worried that when we get over there they will deny us pet friendly housing and be stuck. Hubby mentioned him going and waiting longer if necessary to get the proper housing. Can he do that if I’m there?
*correction – if I’m not there can he apply for family housing
Unless they have changed their policy in the past year, you have to have your dependent’s set travel itinerary in order to apply for base housing. You can always travel together and see what they offer you, and opt to move off base if they don’t offer you a pet friendly base housing unit. There are plenty of off base houses/apartments that accept pets for a fee. I will say that owning a pet here is difficult, and getting a pet friendly house is only your first hurdle. If we would have known how much they do not accomodate pets on Okinawa, we would have asked a family member to keep our dog for us until we returned.
I just read something on the Kadena housing site that stated all accompanied military may NOT live off base as of Jan 2009. Is this true?
No, that is not true. Beginning in August of 2009, the Housing Office mandated that all newcomers to Okinawa move into base housing units because the housing capacity was under a certain amount. They have since lifted the restriction because they have reached their base housing occupancy quota.
You may not move off base unless the base you are going to is over a 95% occupancy level. The rate fluctuates throughout the year as people PCS in and out so you never know if you will get the chance to move off base or not until you get here!
Hi everyone!
I am a SSgt in the Air Force and will be PCSing to Kadena sometime later this summer with my 2 daughters (ages 6 and 4) and my 2 dogs, hopefully. I’ve read some of the comments above and I’m curious as to what a “tower” is. Is this a separate area that pets have to be kept at? I would like to live on base just because it’s a new country and I’d feel safer so ANY and all advice, tips, help you can provide would be awesome! Also, how much trouble is it to ship your car there? As you can see, I’m new to the whole overseas experience *smile*
Towers are basically apartment buildings. The ones that I have visited are nice and spacious. Some people like them, some people don’t. On the bases here, there are towers, multiplexes (like townhouses), duplexes, and single family homes. There is really no way to know what you will get until you get here. Based on the base occupancy rate when you arrive, living off base may be an option for you. You can look at pictures of some off base houses on this site and search for an off base home based on location, your rent ceiling, etc. on http://www.totalokinawa.com I have lived off base 2x and on base 1x. I much prefer living off base, but that’s just me. As far as feeling unsafe out in town, that should not be an issue for you. After things I have seen myself while living on base and things I have heard about happening on base, I feel much safer off base than I would living on base. On base is not horrible by any means, but it is not always crime free either. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
Sorry, I totally did not address your car question! Shipping over a vehicle is not easy. I do know that you can ship vehicles here, but there are a lot of modifications that have to be done and in the end you may have to pay out of your own pocket to ship it. Shipping an older model car (1970ish) is easier than a newer car. Whatever car you have in the States, I would either sell or store in a GOOD storage facility. I say GOOD because after returning from overseas the last time, all our tires and belts were dryrotted, the leather inside our car was ruined and after replacing the tires and belts and driving it for 2 days, the transmission went out. You can get a decent 4 door car here for as little as $1000 (sometimes even free-if the JCI is due) or you can spend a little more and get a nice van or suv. The dealerships out in town here offer no interest financing and have tons of cars. There are also lots on base where people park their cars to sell them a.k.a The Lemon Lot. Hope this helps!
You’re living in LaLa land if you think off base is crime free either.
Nice personal attack, M. You are right though and I should have clarified that crime does occur off base. More often than we even hear about, I know. I can only speak from my personal experience and I will tell you that the 2x I have lived off base(in very different parts of the island), if my car was left unlocked nothing was removed and if I left something in my yard, it was always there the next day. I cannot say that about where I lived on base. With my post, I was just trying to calm the fears of someone coming over here that might think that she will be unsafe off base. Her only option when she arrives may be off base and she does need that stress on her mind.
To update, Kinser’s pet policy is now that you can have a dog or cat if you live on the first couple of floors in any of the towers AND there is still the pet friendly tower. You can still only have 2 pets and they don’t allow certain breeds of dogs (determined by some Corps-wide directive on dangerous breeds). This policy went into effect within the last month and they are working out the kinks but that’s where it stands now. The base housing is 70% full though, so you can figure out your odds of getting to live where you want.
our family will be there in a few weeks,we will get a four bedroom for e7.can anyone help me if they know how many sq. ft. our home could be? or any helpful info would be nice.
I would love to know about E7 housing on Kadena, too. I have googled, searched this site, and everything else I can think of but come up empty.
Blythe & Mrs. Q,
A good starting place is http://www.okinawamfh.com/housing.htm
There you can type in your rank and see some of the housing styles available.
To update my question about SNCO housing on Kadena, we were offered one in Washington Heights which is being renovated (NEEDS IT BADLY) bit by bit and one in North Terrace. They are similar in appearance. lino floors, tile, high sided tubs, ancient sink vanities with funky medicine cabinets, register style AC/heat. The North Terrace kitchen has stainless counter tops – funky!
So, what is the housing situation now in summer 2011? That last comment is nearly a year old! We will be moving in August. What do I have to look forward to if hubby is going to 3rd Med. Battalion?
I am with Polly….any updates on housing? We are interested in housing for hospital personnel as well. Is there a specific location for hospital staff? Houses, apartment, townhomes? Yards? Where can we find more photos? The military installations website is not easy to navigate.
I am interested in all things family in Okinawa, especially on base. My husband will be stationed there in Summer 2012 and i’m preparing to move our 2 young kids. We have a house here in California and i’m not sure how we’ll continue to make payments on it. I’m not working and my husband wants me to us my GI bill to pay our mortgage, but I don’t know what college programs are offered in Okinawa. Any advice?
Pennie, I don’t think you’re eligible to receive GI Bill BAH if your husband is receiving OHA here (or in base housing). Check with your VA Rep.
Hello. My family and I will arriving in Okinawa this October. My husband is in the Navy and will be working at the White Beach facility. Does anyone know which housing area is closest? Our last duty station was Sasebo, Japan and it seems as though the housing is very similar. We enjoyed living in housing there and would like to again. However, I’ve read that the Air Force instruction is different from the Navy’s and we’re only entitled to a 2 bedroom, even though we have two daughters. Is this something the housing office strictly enforces? Lastly (I think), I know I’ve seen some posts regarding weight restrictions on household goods. Where would I go to find about out that? We had a packout done in Sasebo and our hhg are in NTS in California. We didn’t know where we were going, other than to an intermediate duty station so we didn’t take any weight restrictions into account. Thanks for any help or insight you can offer!
I just wanted to comment on single soldier housing on Torii Station. If you are Fuzzy to E-4 you will live on Torii and you will more than likely have a roommate. If you are E-5 and above and are single you will receive your own room and also live on Torii
Overall the housing is okay, although I think it’s too bad single soldiers are forced to share a room as E-4′s and below, while married soldiers receive housing on Kadena. I understand the military catering to families but in reality it seems since all soldiers do the same job and run the same risks in joining that single soldiers deserve at least their own rooms. Just my thoughts of course.
I will say that overall Torii is a great place to be stationed with the beach, pool, and gym all being very nice. I do also like the fact that they take care of families very well in my mind even if I do not have one here. It’s nice to see them really think about soldiers and their families