I’d like to start this post off by saying that living on-base vs off-base isn’t really a choice. The military tells you where you’re going to live based on availability. We were given two on-base housing options… and chose to fight to get off-base. Spoiler alert: I personally think it was well worth it.

Obviously, this is based on my family’s needs and wants and that may look very different for you and your family. So please take everything I say with a grain of salt. My advice is meant to help you in your decision process not to make yours for you.

So, that being said, some important (important in terms of deciding where to live) things to note about my family if you’re just jumping in here are:

So now that you know where we stand let’s dive in.

After getting out of our two-week quarantine we were put in upon arriving, we were offered a house on Kadena Air Base that was kind of like a townhome and attached to a string of 6 other houses. *We were also offered a house on Camp Courtney in the “Towers” (which are high rises with lots of apartments all jammed together) that we quickly turned down due to the dogs.*

Now although I’ve already given away the fact that we’re happier off-base, there were a lot of great things about living on-base in our first Oki home and there are a lot of drawbacks to living off-base. So, of course, I’ve sorted everything out into pros and cons for you to enjoy.

Living On-Base

On-Base Pros

I think one of the best things about having to live on-base before we were able to move off-base was the level of comfort that being on-base provides. Moving is stressful, moving with your whole family is stressful, moving with your whole family across the world is stressful, moving with your whole family across the world to a country you did very little research on with a language and writing system you know none of, well, it was definitely a lot. Okinawa is so different from anywhere I’ve ever lived, and while I love it here, but it was admittedly overwhelming at first. Living on-base provided a familiar place to return after a day of exploring. I can see how, if you were a little less adventurous, that living on-base would definitely be the way to go.

Living on-base you don’t have to pay for anything.

Luckily the house we found out in town is within the military’s budget, and so far we haven’t gone over on the utilities allowance, but those costs could both potentially be roadblocks in living off-base. Housing and utilities on-base are completely covered by the military which is really nice during the summer heat! You are also provided with full American appliances. The washer, dryer, dishwasher, and fridge all come with all government housing.

The house was nice.

There were walk-in closets, plenty of storage space, and a big (for Okinawa) kitchen. There were also big bedrooms, three bathrooms and there was plenty of outside space (though that isn’t always the case on-base). We had a front porch with a storage thing, a back porch that led to a yard and we had a side yard because we were the corner home. There was another housing unit near ours that was completely vacant so we would walk our dogs through those backyards to a big field. Our house felt very secluded, however, if that neighborhood fills up with families, the atmosphere would completely change and probably feel crowded.

Everything we needed was right down the road.

The commissary (grocery store), exchange (like a target/Walmart), post office, and gas station (which is very important to squish to have a gas station nearby), were all within 5 minutes of our house. While I do shop out in town, I still drive to the commissary for familiar grocery items and bulk shopping every now and then.

There are lots of families around you.

Because we weren’t on-base for very long we didn’t really utilize this like we should have. Had we stayed longer I’m sure we would have made friends with people in our neighborhood or the surrounding neighborhoods. It’s nice that there is a community of people in the same situation as you all around you.

Familiar roads

All the roads on-base are the width of normal American roads, clearly marked, and no trenches on the side. Driving off-base can be stressful and sometimes sketchy. So something nice about being on-base was having roads that were easier to maneuver. One of the houses we looked at off-base, that we really loved, was off of a tiny road and up on a hill. Since I suck at driving and have a minivan, that was definitely something that concerned me in terms of keeping my family safe. I’ve become a lot more comfortable with my ability to drive around here but not that comfortable.

Trash and recycling collection is a lot less involved.

In Okinawa, there are a lot of rules about how you sort and put out your trash and recycling. On-base there were fewer specifications than we currently have. Nothing against being green it’s just more work when I feel like chores are already endless.

Two weird/random pros:

On-base you’re allowed to hang up whatever, however, you want. Huge plus that I’ll go into more in off-base cons.

They play taps every night on-base at 10 pm. It was a soothing way to end the day and I loved trying to make it in bed by taps. It was a good reminder to get to bed and get some sleep (I always need more sleep)!

On-Base Cons

Our biggest point of contention was the dog situation.

Had we stayed on-base we would have had to build our own fence. Which would have been a tiny space for the dogs to go potty in and would have cut off a lot of our yard space. They have people come out and tell you where exactly you can build the fence and you have to build it with the materials they approve of. It was going to be a whole thing. Before the fence was built though, I had to load the whole household up anytime the dogs wanted to go out. Let me just tell you that taking out two kids and two dogs every time was not working for us.

Our second-biggest point of contention was the commute my husband had every day.

It was generally about an hour to get from point A to point B and that was using the expressway (which is a toll road). We were already working on adjusting to his busier than we were used to work schedule, so adding an hour onto an already long day was taking an unneeded toll on us. On top of that, taking the expressway twice a day every day adds up money wise.

Rules.

The military has a lot of rules and living on-base there are a lot of eyes. Although we never personally encountered it, there are plenty of Nosey Nellys and By-the-Books Bobs that will enforce the rules or snitch on you for breaking them. Not that I’m out here trying to cause trouble, I’m just not really a fan of following rules either. Living on-base is like having a cop car driving behind you.

The nearest beach was about 15 minutes away.

Obviously, that was specific to where we were living at but on Kadena Air Base you have to drive off-base to get to a beach. That may sound like a stupid complaint to anyone landlocked, but we’re living on a tropical island, I want my beach.

Mold.

Also specific to our house on-base vs off-base was that we were getting mold in our on-base home even with two dehumidifiers. The place we lived at on-base was just a lot more humid than our off-base house is.

It just felt too safe.

Part of the excitement of being out here in Okinawa is getting to experience a different way of life. While living on-base was still a culture shock at first, it just wasn’t the full Okinawan experience that we were seeking. I think going out of your comfort zone and overcoming challenges can be so rewarding.

And as much as I loved taps in the evening, I didn’t love the morning or afternoon music that played on-base. It just felt very dystopian world-esque to my civilian ears. The morning one was particularly annoying as I would be up hours before it would play (and I was salty about my inability to sleep in).

Living Off-Base

Off-Base Pros

We looked at a lot of houses before we settled on the one we did. I think we got really lucky with the one we chose. All the ones we looked at were very different and all came with their own pros and cons so I’ll try and mention what is specific to our house vs the normal for off-base housing. We had three houses that we were really considering and I think we would have been happier in any of them than we were on-base.

My favorite part of our house is that it’s (pretty much) right on the beach.

There is just a little parking lot separating us from the sand. The views from our bedroom, Waylon’s room, and the porch are stunning. Before coming out here, I just naively assumed we would be living in an adorable beachfront bungalow. When that turned out to not be the case I was admittedly pretty disappointed (I’m a brat, I know). The house we’re in was the closest to the beach we were offered. All of the other contenders would have been a drive (however less of a drive than living on base was). Though it is also important to note that having the dogs really limited us in our housing options. But, magically, it worked out and I got my almost beachfront bungalow (I don’t actually know what a bungalow is but I don’t think our house is one). Being able to walk to the beach is a game-changer and absolutely helps with my sanity when it’s just the kids and me.

Really though, our yard is the biggest sanity saver.

We also lucked out with the {fenced-in} yard sized at this house. There’s enough space for the dogs to do a few zoomie laps and burn off some energy (which is especially great when the husband isn’t here to take them on runs). This isn’t the norm on- or off-base in Okinawa. We looked at one other place with a pretty decent-sized yard (we called it the green house, it was an amazing Japanese-style house and it was our second choice and we still miss it) but it was so beautifully landscaped that I’m sure the dogs and or kids would have destroyed it. Everywhere else essentially had grass strips for the dogs to potty on.

Off-base, you can choose where you want to live.

We chose to be closer to my husband’s work without being too far away from Kadena Air Base. His commute is now only 20-30 minutes depending on traffic. We’re almost in the middle of the island. So nothing that I want to get to really seems like it’s too far away.

And while we might be farther away from the on-base stores, we have a station (just the mart part not the gas, they do that separately here) right down the road. We have the cutest little restaurant right next door Yaka Beach Parlor, along with a coffee food truck, The Sunrise Shack, parked there, and normally a second food truck (which has changed since we’ve lived here but I’m not sure if it’s on a purposeful rotation or if there were creative differences among the businesses). There are also two Japanese groceries stores pretty close by, one north of us and one south (which makes stopping by convenient no matter which direction we have gone adventuring in). Again, these are things specific to where we chose to live, but these things factored in when picking a house.

We have a garage!

Another thing that’s not super common out here, especially on-base. About half the houses we looked at had a garage. Coming out here we were told not to expect to have a garage so it’s an awesome bonus!

The post-beach clean-up situation is on point.

We have a spigot outside to wash off the sand and then a door that goes from outside into the laundry room/bathtub area. This means you can rinse off the sand, throw the dirty clothes in the washer and hop in the shower/bath without having to go all through out the house. Genius. Can you tell I’m a beach bum?

The houses off-base just feel more like “home” than the on-base houses do.

There is more character and diversity between the off-base houses. I’m not a huge fan of cookie-cutter anything so it’s nice to have someplace that feels uniquely ours (I proclaim even though the house next to ours is a mirrored copy… but it’s just to two of us so we’re still special right?).

You get a better Okinawan experience!

I wouldn’t say full Okinawan experience because a lot of the homes they show you are more “Americanized”, like the one we went with, but it’s a couple of steps (or a giant leap) closer than being on-base is. Which is ultimately our goal out here, to experience a new culture and to really enjoy the land we’re living in for the next few years. Such a great opportunity to learn and explore!

Off-Base Cons

Dishwasher.

We don’t have one. That’s one of the biggest drawbacks for me. If there was space to put one, then the military would have provided it for us (they provide whatever appliances you need for free) but there wasn’t, so they didn’t. Two or three of the other houses we looked at didn’t have dishwashers either nor space for them. I just accepted my fate and deal with it. For me, it’s worth the extra work.

Not a ton of outlets.

I’m sure there were more in our on-base home (and there were more three-prong outlets as well). We’ve had to get a little creative but we’ve figured it out… mostly.

Less closet space.

We have one walk-in closet but it’s in our nursery room. It’s a strange layout, but again, we’ve made it work. We also downgraded our shower space with the move but again, again, not the end of the world.

Huntsman Spiders.

I don’t know much about what their favorite habitat is, but what I do know is that I didn’t see one until we moved into our off-base house. I’ve seen MULTIPLE (at least 7, 3 babies-small ones- and one pregnant mama) in the almost three months we’ve lived here. They’re huge and they’re fast! They aren’t poisonous but also they aren’t ideal and if I think about it too much I might die of fear and paranoia so we’re gonna move along. The bugs in Okinawa suck, deal with it. (Someday I’ll tell you about my horror movie experience with the garden spiders at the lovely botanical gardens).

We can’t put holes in the wall

Or at least we can’t without getting charged (also they’re concrete so why would we), so everything hanging on our walls is up with command hooks and strips. It’s been a process, that isn’t fully complete. A lot of trial and error and heavier things falling off the walls (like squish’s paddle, which if you don’t know about paddles it’s a very meaningful artifact), but we’re adapting and making progress. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, command strips/hooks/Velcro can get pricey when you’re talking about hanging up everything in your house. However, I’m pretty sure it’s less expensive than the holes in the walls.

Last but not least is the trash and recycling situation.

Not to dog on being green and helping the environment, I’m all for it, but again it’s just a lot more work than we’re used to in that department and the trash-men are pickier off Base than the ones on base were. If you don’t have it right they won’t take it and you’ll have to fix it. A couple of times they’ve rung the doorbell to explain to me what we’ve messed up.

Both in both of these pictures, we’re about the same distance away from our home (on-base and off-base respectively). When each of these were taken we were having a nice family day and were perfectly happy where we were at. Loving where you live is about appreciating what you have. We could have loved our on-base home, made it ours, and appreciated all the good things about where we were at. But let me just tell you, appreciating what you have is a whole lot easier with some sand under your feet.