Hey man, I am on my way BACK from Japan... actually in Hawaii now for a week before the rest of our jets get here... then pushing on.

If you want to know anything about the Kuni or whatever, let me know.

Brian

I appreciate it man. I'll be getting up with you when you get back. Then that will give us time to talk. Thanks

Rick


Thanks again for everyone's input. I'll definitely be considering an FD. I did own an 8 before, so besides it being turbo, there can't be much more that I would need to learn.

No brainer, skyline or 370z.

Well, like some other guys have said, I can always get a 370z when I get back. They are right in a way. Sure it won't be a RHD but other than that, it's the same car. I think I am going to go with a Skyline R34 and just chalk it up as an experience rather than going through the hassle of bringing it back.

Well when I was in, Iwakuni being my last duty station, I remember you had like a 8,000 lb. limit for free freight to ship back to stateside. A car weighs 4,000 lbs. or less. There you go for free. But I'm sure there are stipulations to this. I remember reading in Super Street a few years back that some U.S. service people stationed in Japan bring back their JDM hipo cars pretty cheap, like several hundred bucks or something.

But hey bro, if you get stationed at Iwakuni...oh my gosh, the best F*CKING chicken nuggets in the world are at "California Chicken" right outside the main gate. SO DELICIOUS. And the BLT sandwiches in Japan are awesome! I hope cali chicken is still there. It's been a little over 10 years since I last been there. But yeah, don't forget to drink some shots of habu-sake.

Don't go to Oki, it's all the PT-freaks, religious freaks and Marines do a lot of stupid sh*t there because they lose their minds. But other than that, Okinawa is beautiful. Been there 4 times on deployment, it's tropical.

"L,L,L,R,Leeefft...everywhere we goooo, people wanna know...who we are...so we tell...ain't no flyboy...who o who o"

Really??? Iwakuni huh?! Haven't really thought about Iwa but my package is in for Oki right now. I should probably check that out a little more before everything gets finalyzed

You know that Oki is like 70 miles north and south, 2 miles east and west....it's a tiny island. It's gorgeous and tropical, humid and warm throughout the year. I went there 4 times on deployment, the longest I stayed was for a month. But I often heard from Marines who were stationed there, that a lot of stupid sh*t goes down because a lot of boots are homesick, it's the 1st time they've visited a foreign country, they lose their minds, etc.

I liked mainland Japan in Iwakuni because you can go to big cities like Hiroshima, Tokyo, etc. But you got to hook up w/ a Japanese girl i.e. get a Japanese g/f in order to make things work out smoother. It's not the same as when you're stateside w/ a bunch of Marine dudes wearing their high-end-tights and "USMC" shirts all over town.

I guess the Corps has changed a lot since I been out. But I had a friend who got out in '05, went to Iraq and he sufferred from PTSD, felt bad for him.

But if you go to Oki, you can always take leave and a mac-flight to mainland Japan.

I've been in for 6 years and I'm a grunt. I was in Iraq in 05' and have been dealing with PTSD **** ever since. That's why I'm LAT moving over to logistics/embarkation. I know how it is to deal with dumbass boots like that. Honestly, that's why I'm considering Iwakuni now that you have mentioned it. .....Looks like a trip back over to the career planner is in order this afternoon.

Damn, you're an 02 huh? My hat goes off to you. I was a 1345, heavy equip operator. My friend who I mentioned above told me a lot of MOS's have been discarded because civilians do them now, for example, cooks, admin and logistics. I didn't want to plant a negative seed in your head about Oki. You gotta realize that it's typically boots who act stupid. If you're one of those guys who's gotta go out on the weekends, in town away from base, then maybe mainland Japan is the way to go. If you can get PCS to Mt. Fuji, which I remember was hard to get (because only like 20 Marines are there), that'd be better than Iwakuni. You can go to Roppongi, Tokyo, and all that good stuff. And yeah, JDM cars are plenty, even in Oki. You'll actually get sick of seeing them because they're so ubiquitous.

But man, this stirs up some nostalgia. I kind of miss the Corps at times.

Well, I'm an 03 but yeah.... 02 is all intel and crap.

Forgot, 0311.

Every Marine is basic rifleman...

lol, it's cool. Yeah, every Marine a rifleman but it still doesn't mean that hey can all shoot haha. So I'm still trying to figure out if I want to go to Kuni or Oki. I guess the biggest decision right now has to do with the housing. I got a wife and 2 little girls so I need some room. How is the housing in comparison with each other?

I was a pizza box in boot camp and the 1st year in fleet, and with some good coaches I hit expert twice until I got out. I always sucked at pistol-qual. I hate those damn Berretta 92FS's they used. It's either I sucked at them or the pistols were abused cause Marines treated them like sh*t.

I don't know what the housing is like for married folks in Oki, but in Iwakuni, I remember you either lived on base, or they gave you housing allowance for out of town. It's not any different from stateside. But physical space in Japan is very scarce, you'll know what I'm talking about when you get there. Since you're married and have a family, Oki wouldn't be bad if you like scuba diving and checking out all the scenic tropical places in Oki. But if you rather be in a concrete jungle, then Iwakuni is better.


But housing outside of the base i.e. civillian housing is too small. The housing is physically very small in Japan, no kidding. You want to try to get housing on base if possible. But if you're only going to be there for a year or two, it's no big deal, even w/ 2 daughters. You'll get used to it. I know they give you COLA, but the cost of living in Japan is noticeably more expensive than stateside e.g. gasoline, housing and food.

Used cars are dirt cheap though, especially JDM high performance cars.