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Iwakuni

Lebowski

Lebowski

The Dude Abides.
Just got orders to Iwakuni, looking for some gouge. About me, I'm Marine Hornets, I have a wife who is a social worker that would like to work in some sort of professional capacity. Any info at all on the lifestyle in Japan from the family perspective would be much appreciated. Thanks!
 
P

Pags

N/A
pilot
Lebowski said:
Just got orders to Iwakuni, looking for some gouge. About me, I'm Marine Hornets, I have a wife who is a social worker that would like to work in some sort of professional capacity. Any info at all on the lifestyle in Japan from the family perspective would be much appreciated. Thanks!
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Have your wife look at FFSC jobs. An intro email to the FFSC director would probably be a good way to start.

I don't know what's in Iwakuni other than tiny deer, but my family loved our time in Sasebo. My daughter went to Yochien (Japanese preschool) out in town and spoke fluent 4yr old Japanese by the time we left. We went to Tokyo Disney but pretty much all of Japan seems like it's designed to appeal to kids; lots of anime, flashing lights, hello kitty, etc.

Japan, in my opinon, is the most unique first world culture you can find and is worth exploring as extensively as you can.
 
hlg6016

hlg6016

A/C Wings Here
Any info I have is well dated (30 years or so) My understanding is that the base has been done over in the last 10 years. Family wise lots to see and do on mainland Japan vs. Okinawa.
 
revan1013

revan1013

Death by Snoo Snoo
pilot
There were/are (?) some solid Indian restaurants in town, if that's your thing. Two were in the ginza, and one in the 'burbs. Ganesh was one of them but I can't remember the names of the others. You're also close to Hiroshima and Miyajima, which are great places to spend a weekend or visit for a day trip.
 
Rockriver

Rockriver

Well-Known Member
pilot
Learn some Japanese. Mingle and make some Japanese friends. Don’t restrict your world to just your military comrades. It’s easy to simply hunker down on base, avoiding the strange and different world beyond the gates.

And enjoy some Kobe beef.
 
A

ATIS

Well-Known Member
Japan was my first tour and would have been my first choice if I stayed for DH. I lived off base Atsugi. Don’t know if that is an option for you. Travel your tail off on your down time all over that country. Learning the train system is key.
Enjoy your time over there and eat a ton of okonomiyaki. Japanese whisky isn’t that bad either (Nikka Coffee Whisky).
 
hlg6016

hlg6016

A/C Wings Here
I cant remember the name or exact location but I recall going to a restaurant up on a hill in a historic castle. The tables? had wood fires at the base of them roasting my feet while we ate. It wasn't Mongolian BBQ but good local fish and noodle dishes served there.
 
Renegade One

Renegade One

Well-Known Member
None
Am guessing that any "professional employment" in her career field would be inside the fence line, and while your wife may not want to consider this, teaching conversational English to local Japanese can be a very lucrative option, as well as creating wide friendships and all the non-standard opportunities that entails outside the wire. Just a thought.
 
A

ATIS

Well-Known Member
Renegade One said:
Am guessing that any "professional employment" in her career field would be inside the fence line, and while your wife may not want to consider this, teaching conversational English to local Japanese can be a very lucrative option, as well as creating wide friendships and all the non-standard opportunities that entails outside the wire. Just a thought.
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Bunch of wives in my squadron did that. Quick train ride from Atsugi to Tokyo, cha-ching. They made more coin than we did.
ATIS
 
villanelle

villanelle

Nihongo dame desu
Contributor
I don't know about teaching in Iwakuni, but it's definitely huge in Atsugi (and definitely no need to go as far as Tokyo!). If you are semi-reliable and professional, you can easily make 3500y+ per hour (about $30), and often more than that. I had no teaching experience and had no trouble finding jobs and as I did a good job and word spread, I had more offers than I could handle. And it was one of the best parts of my time in Japan. And unless your wife is in a few very specialized career fields, there is almost no opportunity to work in "real" jobs off base, and almost nothing on base as well.
 
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