Moving to Japan

[BrianaHartzell]

This question was submitted by Jes_in_AZ in a blog comment, but I thought she could get some answers to some of her questions by using the discussion forum: "I am a newly married military wife and just found out that were are going to Japan. This is a big change for me since I have only lived in one state my entire life thus far. I was wondering how difficult is it to find work on base and any tips that would help in finding work. Also how big of an adjustment is to move from the states to another country? Any suggestions to not feel homesick?" Does anyone have some advice that can help Jes_in_AZ?

[AshleyMirmak11]

Jes_in AZ- I am also a newly married military wife and my husband and i will be in Japan as well. Where will you be stationed? I am finishing my last semester in school and will join him in November. What type of work would you be looking for? I have been doing a lot of research and talking to other wifes in my husbands squadron and what i have found is that work can be hard to find depending on what area you are looking for. A lot of the wifes teach English over there to adults who want to improve their conversational English. I know how you feel about it being a big adjustment...I have always lived in the U.S. also. I think the best advice I can say is to rely on the other wifes in your husband's squadron...they can be a huge help with homesickness. If you have other questions let me know...i have done a lot of research and talked to a lot of other wifes. Good luck!

[Ladyofthehouse]

Hi. I myself recently married into the military and recently moved to Okinawa, Japan. When looking for a job you'll need a copy of your husbands psc orders and just a little patience. The adjustment might be a little hard due to the humidity. We brought my mom with us to help with the children seeing that I had a baby the month before we moved so I'm not really feeling the homesick affect just yet sorry. Depending on when you're leaving some Japanese lessons would be helpful ( wish soneone would've told me that). Hope this helps.

[Lizzbell]

I also am one of those newlywed wives over in Okinawa! There are tons of us over here, so you will quickly get to know lots of other people going through the same thing as you! My dad was also a Marine, so while I had lived overseas before, it is a big adjustment to be away from my family. Depending on where you live check out MCCS or AFFES (they have websites online) if you are looking for an on base job. I work for MCCS at the pool and it was not a hard process at all. They run everything and always have lots of openings. There are also lots of opportunities to babysit, or teach/sell anything you might be good at. As far as being homesick, my family has always relied on our church and neighbors to be our family, and I've done the same here. We are all going through the same thing and they need some family as much as you do! And you quickly learn that Skype is your BEST friend :)

[Heather G]

I'm not sure where in Japan you're moving, but I help manage a blog that's been up and running since 2007, whose aim is to help Americans - military servicemembers, dependents, and civilians - get information about living on Okinawa. It's filled with TONS of helpful information about moving there, getting settled, and has answers to pretty much every question you could have about that location. We also have a forum that can be accesses from the site where you can go to ask direct questions if one of our posts doesn't have it. Please feel free to take a look! www.okinawahai.com

[ThreeAngels]

It's been awhile since you first posted your thoughts about moving to Japan....Have you gotten involved in any cultural activities, attended any festivals, taken up a hobby, met your neighbors, or explored the area? We lived in Misawa from 1994-1998. Although Misawa is more rural than Yakota, there was plenty to see and do. We have great memories of that time. Best advice I can give is for you to take advantage of your time there and really experience it. Domo Arigato