OCONUS Guide - Pacific
A Japan PCS puts your family in one of the world's most fascinating countries - ancient temples and ultra-modern cities, world-class food, remarkable safety, and a train system that makes the rest of the world feel disorganized. It is also a country with strict systems: driving licenses require testing, pets require up to 8 months of advance paperwork, and cultural norms take genuine learning.
This guide covers all five mainland Japan installations with honest, practical information to help your family arrive prepared rather than overwhelmed.
Where You'll Be
Largest US Navy Base in the Pacific
DSN 315-243-6217
The flagship of US Navy presence in the Pacific. Located on Tokyo Bay about 1 hour south of Tokyo by train (Yokosuka Line direct to Shinagawa). Home to Commander, US Naval Forces Japan. The base has extensive facilities including a hospital, commissary, and schools. Yokosuka city has a long history of US-Japanese interaction and is genuinely comfortable for American families.
HQ US Forces Japan
DSN 315-225-7679
The only USAF installation on mainland Japan and the headquarters of US Forces Japan. Located in the western Tokyo suburbs (Fussa/Tachikawa area), Yokota gives families genuine Tokyo access - 30 to 45 minutes by train to Shinjuku. The Kanto Plain installation sits between mountains to the west and the massive metro to the east, offering one of the best location-to-quality-of-life ratios in the Pacific.
US Army Japan Headquarters
DSN 315-263-7679
A smaller Army installation in Sagamihara, positioned in the Yokosuka-Yokota corridor. Many families assigned to Zama live in the surrounding Sagamihara area or commute from nearby communities. The installation has a quieter, more residential feel than the larger bases. Access to both Yokohama (45 min) and Tokyo (1 hr) makes it a comfortable assignment.
Navy Aviation Facility
DSN 315-264-7679
A Navy aviation facility in the Kanagawa corridor, home to Carrier Air Wing 5 when the carrier is in port at Yokosuka. The base is compact and many families live off-post in the surrounding Ayase/Yamato area. The location provides good rail access into Yokohama and Tokyo.
Joint USAF / Japan Air Self-Defense Force
DSN 315-226-7679
A joint US-Japan base in the rural Tohoku region of northern Honshu. Misawa is a smaller, tight-knit community with a very different character from the Tokyo-area installations. Winters are cold and snowy (excellent skiing nearby at Towada and Hakkoda resorts). The surrounding area is authentically rural Japan - a rewarding assignment for families who want genuine cultural immersion away from big-city Japan.
Housing
Government quarters are available at most Japan installations, but waitlists can be significant - particularly at Yokosuka. Apply immediately upon receipt of orders. On-base housing gives families a built-in community, proximity to schools and amenities, and eliminates the challenges of Japanese lease paperwork. Many families with young children or EFMP concerns choose on-base.
Living off-base in Japan earns you OHA (Overseas Housing Allowance) and COLA, which can be a meaningful financial benefit. Many families choose off-base for genuine cultural immersion. The challenge is Japanese rental paperwork: most landlords require a Japanese-speaking guarantor (hoshonin), and many properties historically did not accept foreigners - though this has improved significantly near military installations.
Japanese apartments are smaller than US equivalents by design. Features unique to Japan: a genkan (entry foyer where shoes come off), tatami mat rooms, sliding shoji doors, heated toilet seats (the toilets with control panels - figure them out quickly), no central heating (heated floors or space heaters are common), and often tiny kitchens by US standards. Most apartments near US installations come with appliances.
Near Yokosuka: Yokosuka city, Zushi, or Hayama for off-base. Near Yokota: Fussa, Hamura, Hachioji, or any Chuo or Ome Line stop. Near Zama: Sagamihara neighborhoods. Near Atsugi: Ayase, Yamato, or Ebina. Near Misawa: Misawa city (small but functional). Your installation housing office maintains off-base listings and can connect you with landlords familiar with military leases.
Getting Around
There is no license exchange - you must take and pass the Japanese road test at a Drivers License Center. Start immediately upon arrival. You have 30 days on an International Driving Permit. The road test is conducted on a designated course (not public roads) and is strict about head checks, mirror checks, and precise stopping positions. Many Americans need 2-3 attempts. Drive on the left side of the road. Your installation safety office will brief you on the process.
Get a Suica (or Pasmo) IC card on your first day. Load it at any JR or subway ticket machine. Tap in, tap out at any gate - it calculates the correct fare automatically. Works on JR lines, Tokyo Metro, Toei Subway, private railways, buses, and at convenience stores. Apple Pay and Android can store a Suica digitally. Absolutely essential for life in Japan.
The Shinkansen bullet train is how you see Japan. Osaka from Tokyo: 2.5 hrs. Kyoto from Tokyo: 2 hrs 20 min. Hiroshima from Tokyo: 4 hrs. Fukuoka from Tokyo: 5 hrs. Purchase tickets at JR stations or through the JR East app. The Japan Rail Pass (available to foreigners) is good value if you plan extensive travel. Reserved seating is recommended on peak travel weekends.
In the Tokyo metro area (Yokosuka, Yokota, Zama, Atsugi), a car is convenient but not essential for daily life - trains go almost everywhere. Parking in central Tokyo is expensive. For Misawa, a car is essentially required as transit options are limited. All vehicles in Japan require the JCI (Japanese Compulsory Insurance) inspection, which your base VRO handles. Annual road tax is also required.
Culture and Daily Life
Always remove shoes before entering a home (yours and anyone else's). The genkan (entry area) is where shoes stay. Most Japanese homes and many traditional buildings require this. Keep a pair of indoor slippers near your entry. Many families adopt this custom permanently - it genuinely keeps floors cleaner.
Japanese recycling is complex and mandatory. Burnable (moeru gomi), non-burnable (moenai gomi), and plastic (purasuchiku) are collected on different days. Breaking recycling rules upsets neighbors and can result in your trash being refused. Your base housing office will provide a recycling calendar and guide when you move in off-post. Take it seriously.
Hot spring baths (onsen) are one of Japan's great experiences. Rules: shower thoroughly before entering any communal bath, no tattoos in most traditional onsen (some now accept tattooed guests - check before you go), no swimwear in traditional onsen (bathing is done unclothed), and absolutely no phones or cameras in the bathing area.
Japanese residential neighborhoods are very quiet. Noise after 10pm is considered antisocial. Engines idling, loud music, and parties are poorly received by neighbors even if technically legal. This is simply the culture - and honestly, most military families find the quiet enjoyable after the first week.
7-Eleven, FamilyMart, and Lawson are not convenience stores in the American sense - they are community institutions. Hot food (onigiri, karaage chicken, sandwiches), ATMs that accept US cards (critically important - most Japanese ATMs do not), bill payment, printing, money transfers, and genuine fresh meals. Learn to love them immediately.
Japan remains significantly more cash-dependent than the US. Many restaurants, especially smaller ones, are cash-only. 7-Eleven ATMs and Japan Post ATMs reliably accept US debit/credit cards - find the ones nearest your base immediately. SOFA tax exemptions apply to purchases on base. Tipping is not practiced in Japan and can actually cause confusion or offense - do not tip.
Critical - Start This Immediately
Japan is one of the strictest countries in the world for pet importation because it is rabies-free. The minimum preparation timeline is 8 months before your pet arrives. If you miss any step in the sequence, your pet will be quarantined at your expense (costs can exceed $5,000) for up to 180 days.
Contact your installation veterinary clinic the day you receive orders. They manage Japan pet import paperwork regularly and will guide you through the exact timeline for your animal.
Common Questions
Unlike Germany, Japan does NOT have a license exchange agreement with the US. You must take and pass a Japanese road test, which can be strict - many Americans fail on the first attempt due to the precise driving course requirements. You have 30 days to drive on an International Driving Permit after arrival, then must convert to a Japanese license. Start the process immediately. The test is conducted at the local Japanese Drivers License Center (not on base) and requires a Japanese-speaking translator at most locations. Plan 4-8 weeks to complete the process.
Japan has strict rabies-free status to protect. Requirements include: microchip (ISO 11784/11785 compliant), two rabies vaccinations at least 30 days apart, a rabies titer test (blood test) conducted at a USDA-approved lab showing adequate antibody levels, then a mandatory 180-day waiting period from the date the titer test was collected. This means you need to start the process at least 7-8 months before your pet enters Japan. Contact your installation's veterinary clinic the day you receive orders. Missing any step results in quarantine at your expense (can be $5,000+).
Suica (Tokyo/East Japan) and Pasmo are rechargeable IC cards that work on virtually every train, subway, and bus in the Tokyo metro area and most of Japan. Load them at any ticket machine with cash, tap to enter and exit the gate, and the fare is automatically deducted. You can also use them at convenience stores (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson) and many vending machines. The train system is extensive, reliable to the minute, and once you understand it, the most efficient way to move around Japan.
Japan experiences thousands of small earthquakes annually and significant earthquakes regularly. Your base will provide earthquake preparedness briefings during in-processing. Key steps: secure heavy furniture to walls (straps and anchors are available at AAFES), keep an earthquake kit (water, food, first aid, documents, flashlights) in your home, know your building's evacuation procedures and muster point, install the Japan Meteorological Agency alert app on your phone, and discuss what to do with your children. Tsunami risk varies by installation - Yokosuka and coastal installations have evacuation plans that families should walk before they need them.
Japan is an extraordinary base for Asian travel. Korea is 2 hours by air from Tokyo or can be reached by overnight ferry from western Japan. Taiwan is 3 hours. Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines) is 5-7 hours. China is 3 hours. Domestic Japan travel is exceptional - the Shinkansen bullet train connects major cities at up to 320 km/h. A 3-year Japan assignment that does not include a trip to Kyoto, Osaka, Hokkaido, and multiple Asian countries is a missed opportunity.
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