Military Duty in japan questions?

1) Housing will not be immediately available when you arrive. The wait time can vary depending on the location you are going to and what he qualifies for. You will be authorized to stay in base/post lodging until it is ready.

2) If you decide to live off base then you can qualify for OHA, it is different than BAH. There are set amounts for each Rate/Rank that you can have, but if your rent is lower you do NOT keep the difference, he will only receive what the rent is. There is a separate allowance for utilities so sometimes you can be paying out of pocket.

3). Unless you are restricted on weight, your furniture is fine. It is better to take it with you. You can leave things behind in storage paid for by the military.

4) The military will NOT pay for your car to be shipped there and then it will have to meet local standards when there which is expensive and difficult. Plus they drive on the other side of the road. The military though will pay for proper storage of your vehicle. You should purchase a USED vehicle when there from someone selling it as they leave.

5) Again depends on where, be prepared for apartment style, smaller places as it is more compact.

You might want to stock up on some things like shoes, types of clothing and so forth depending on your size. Also definitely Christmas decorations as they can be gone quickly.

1: umm there are a LOT of duty stations. which branch, which base hell will you be on the Kanto Plain or Okinawa? Housing is never a guarantee under any circumstances.

2: you may not have the choice. is MFH is available you MUST live on base. oh and you cannot 'hold out' for a larger place or a different unit. you will be offered 1-3 choices and that is is.. and they are mostly tower apartments on the Kanto Plain. if it not then you only get OHA which is the exact amount of rent up to a ceiling based on his paygrade. there is no pocketing the extra and the utilities allowance WILL NOT cover the true cost.

3: all that will be fine. leave King size or antique/family heirlooms behind.

4: you will NOT be allowed to bring the car at all. the gov't wills tore it at their expense. spring for the heavy duty car cover. disconnect the battery and drain fluids to the bare minimum.

5: we were in a Tower in Yokosuka and loved it but they ARE anal. and you will get exactly what your BD allotment is and no more.. no kids you will only qualify for a 2 BR unit unless he is an Office( no 2 BR officer housing at all) they are not carpeted. In Okinawa he was in the BOQ ( didn't PCS with him due to failing my overseas screening)

When you get to your base it will at least a week or so before you can get a house. Depending on your base you're allowed to move off base, you will get BAH for that as well as an advance on your deposit (deposits are INSANE out here so you're going to need it). How long the wait is depends on how many people are trying to get on base housing and what the occupancy rate is (this all changes daily). During the time that you're waiting for a house you'll be in TLF (temporary living facility) essentially it's a hotel, you will be reimbursed for the cost.

For off base the wait for a house might be longer depending on what the housing agency wants to do and what places they show you. Every place they show you will cost your BAH cap, the military will pay your rent and whatever utilities you can get included, you should get an extra allowance for your utilities as well but negotiate the hell out of the housing agent to get them included because you'll need the extra money for things like AC and heat.

Your furniture will be TMOd, if you're under your weight limit then cool, if you're over the limit then you'll have to decide what you want to get rid of. TMO typically takes about 1-2months for your goods to arrive. DOCUMENT what you have in your shipment.

Get rid of your car or put it in storage, TMO won't ship a car here and you don't want to buy a brand new car when you get here either. Also, when you do buy a car here make sure you don't pay more than $4000, you can get a decent car for less than half that and paying more than four is seriously getting swindled.

Japan has many bases, the housing will depend on the base, his rank and more importantly your husband's branch of service, if he's Air Force he'll have nicer options than Marines. I know that here on Kadena the housing is pretty nice, a lot of it is newly remodeled. It really depends on what base you're at.

You should go to the facebook page Moving House for the Military Spouse with these questions. You can send them in a message, they'll post them as a status, and their thousands of subscribers will read and give you any advice they have. They also have pictures of housing at all duty stations. I don't know anything about Japan, but good luck!

I find it "ODD" that No One has even Mentioned

the possibility of Radiation Exposure and Poisoning

for those that were and are still stationed in Japan..

Japan is still a "Hot Spot" with Radiation leaking every day...

There is NO such thing as a "Little Radiation"...

Which will cause severe problems with the "Reproductive Organs"

and WILL cause SEVERE Birth Defects...for years to come...