Going to Japan....

edeeZee

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.