Life is what you make it!

PCS moves, or "Permanent Change of Station", are always hard, nerve-wracking and scary! Imagine moving to a new country? My GOSH, that makes it 10x's worse! Not really, your PCS, just like everything else in life is what you make it out to be! 

I have been married to my marine for four wonderful years. In that time we never left San Diego, he deployed every other year so we missed out on moving to a new duty station. In 2013 however, that changed! We were finally leaving California and heading across the WORLD to Japan.

We went in totally blind, I read later how other people look up Facebook pages and groups that consist of other wives of the base they are heading to....well, that sounds like a super smart thing to do! Me..well, I don't always use my head! I didn't google anything, or look up Facebook pages...hell I didn't even know what base we were going to! 

We are now Stationed at MCAS Iwakuni, which is a SUPER small base in the middle of nowhere pretty much. When I thought of Japan, I thought oh Tokyo and Okinawa! Well, we are on mainland so we are not near the Island Okinawa and Tokyo is northeast-ish on mainland Japan. If you look on the above map, Iwakuni is so small that there is not even a dot with its name anywhere to be found! It's over next to Hiroshima, a little south of it. 

After arriving here in Iwakuni I quickly realized I wasn't in California anymore. It was a SHOCKER! The base is under MAJOR construction, so finding my way around without a car in the middle of summer was pretty hard. I discovered MCCS Iwakuni had a website. The website is really helpful, it lists events that are happening on the base, the weather, the services that are on the base and important telephone numbers.

WHEN DIALING A DSN NUMBER FROM A CELL PHONE FIRST DIAL 082-779-XXXX ( LAST FOUR OF THE NUMBER YOU ARE DIALING.)

Now that I had figured my way around base it was time to explore Japan! I found a Facebook  page MCAS Iwakuni Classifieds, where I could ask other people, who also live here in Iwakuni, questions about anything.

When you are ready to go out and explore Japan, Iwakuni Explorer is a good page to look up fun and interesting things to do in the surrounding areas!

I mentioned before that the base is currently under construction, so at the moment it is not exactly " family" friendly. If you check out Jessica's BLOG you can see what the base will be like and have to offer in the not so distant future! 

Are you pregnant, or trying to have a baby and might be delivering here in Japan? I was 15 weeks pregnant when we moved here. You have two options, you can either deliver out in town at the local Japanese Hospital with Dr. Shoji or you can take a nice (kind of long) train ride to Naval Base Yokosuka and stay there and await the arrival of your bundle of joy! You can check out Dr. Shoji and USNH Yokosuka for more helpful information.

Now that you have all the links to helpful websites and Facebook pages let me share with you some local and home businesses.

There is a Salon on base called Head to Toe Salon, you can find their price list here. I hear that they fill up pretty fast and that they aren't that great. Yare is a spouse who lives off base and comes to your home to do your hair, make-up and nails! You can reach her via phone or her Facebook page Space Beauty. There is also Lily at Lily's Nails. She is another spouse, but she works out of her home. Daniella Hernandez is another amazing hairstylist!

IronWorks gym offers Spa Services for massages. However, they do not give prenatal massages until you are past 20-24 weeks. I also find them to be a little pricey. Shannon at Renew Massage and Bodywork offers prenatal massages no matter what stage of pregnancy you are at AND her prices are great! She also does aroma therapy and foot massages, along with other fabulous things!

Iwakuni is a very small base that doesn't offer a lot for families. Once the base is done and completely finished it seems like it will be a lot better for military members and their families. It is definitely a culture shock once you start to look around. There will always be a language barrier wherever you go and you will got lost a time or two. 

The MCX and commissary are always running out of things, have expired items and just don't carry things that you are used to. In some cases you might have to shop at the local grocery stores. Shopping for clothes is hard, the Japanese locals are all small people so finding clothes and even shoes that fit us American's are hard to find and you will find that you are limited to what the PX has. 

There is not a Pediatrics department or any specialists. For anything other than check-ups you have to go out to the local Japanese Hospital. You will have a translator who goes with you, the Hospital was just recently opened and everything is brand new. The staff are very nice and helpful and you have everything you need there.

There also is a VERY limited maternity and baby department. You will find that a lot of things you will need you will end up having to order online.  

If you have pets, more specifically dogs, it is hard to bring them with you. You are only allowed a dog if you live in a town home and those are hard to come across. There is a long waiting list for them. If you live in a tower aka midrise then you are NOT at all permitted to have a dog, but all other animals are OK.

The CDC is VERY limited and a little expensive, there is only one in-home care provider here that I know of. It is hard to get licensed and be approved by housing to have a day care here on base. There are other options however! There are Yochiens all around the base, they are like Japanese preschools. It is a great experience for the kids and they are well taken care of. 

There are off base homes available to you, be prepared to pay a pretty penny upfront though. You need to have the first months rent, pay Realtor fee's and in some cases pay a little extra for pets. 

Any PCS is hard, having to move again. Leave friends and family, start over and begin anew. Moving to an entirely different country can be a little harder. As long as you stay POSITIVE and keep an OPEN MIND you will be able to adjust very well! Japan is a beautiful country, take advantage of the opportunity that you were given and embrace your new home!