This poor page was put up, and then ignored for quite a while :-( After tax season 2001, I was able to update the links, which had gotten embarassingly outdated!!! I also have a Map Page, which you may want to check out! There you will find not only a map of Japan (to which I added Iwakuni) and a regional map, but a total of seven local Iwakuni maps. I do still have plans to expand and improve, but since they seem to be the only English maps of Iwakuni on the Internet, they're probably a lot better than nothing!!! Here's a link to a map, on someone else's page, showing the routes of the Shin and the expressways in Yamaguchi.
I scanned in some of the International and Japanese traffic signs, in use here in Japan. The test for your SOFA drivers license is primarily (not entirely) on the signs. Sets 1-3 and 6-7 are probably the most unfamiliar to Americans. My intention was to add text to the images. I got to some, but not all; the html files have text, the jpg files are just the image. Here's what I have so far (there are 12-14 signs in each set):
Vehicles on base are relatively affordable; generally running beweteen $500 and $3000, the majority are in the $1000-$2000 range. The cars and vans are usually small by American standards, but then again, so are the roads you will drive them on! Motorcycles are occasionally available, at about the same cost as the cars & vans (except the Harley's, which of course are quite expensive). Unfortunately, the cost of the vehicle itself is only a portion of the total cost. The older cars which Americans generally end up with, have virtually no value on the Japanese market. You pay maybe $500 for the car itself... the rest of your cost is for how much JCI (insurance) is left on the car. Get a car with as much JCI as you can find and afford... two years is the max. That way you'll probably won't have to renew more than once (unless you extend). The base has their official Vehicles page, which has lots of useful info on JCI and Japanese Road Taxes!
There are used car dealers off-base, too. TnT is one that now has a web page. We've never dealt with them, so I can't personally recommend them, but you can check the prices of the cars they have listed on their site. I recently found the webpage for Car World, too. They have their inventory online, too, so you might want to look there. For an opinion that comes from someone still living in Iwakuni, check out Where NOT to buy a car in Iwakuni!
Driving in Japan, for an American at least, is a big change! The most obvious difference is that you drive on the left side of the road, sitting on the right side of the car. But, there are many other differences. In fact, so many that I will not even begin to try to explain Japanese driving laws on these pages!!! There are classes every Wednesday, in the Chapel Annex, before the SOFA-license test. There are restrictions as to who can take the test. LCpl's and below must be on-station at least 60 days and NCO's on-station at least 30 days, before they may request permission from their commanding officer to take the test. Active Duty personnel under the age of 26 must complete the Driver's Improvement Course. Teenage drivers cannot get their license until they are 16; even then, drivers between 16 and 18 are limited to driving on-base, only, as Japanese law doesn't allow any drivers under the age of 18. The first of the free, two-day drivers improvement classes for high school students (15-19) was held in February. The class will be offered about 3 times a year, depending on community requirements. If you've never had a driver's license before, you must first pass the written SOFA test; you will then get a Learner's Permit valid for 90 days, on base-only. After no less than 30 days, you may take a road test AND another written test. Pass both of those and you are licensed to drive (here).
There is a bus which goes around the base.
The bus runs every 1/2 hour, Monday-Saturday from 0600-2230 (6am-10:30pm). There is a second bus for rush hours, so from 6am-8am, 10:30am-1pm and 4pm-5pm, Monday-Friday, there is a bus every 15 minutes. On Sundays, it starts at 8am, and on Holidays, at 9am.
Bikes are a popular way to get around (make sure you lock them... they have a way of taking off around here!) There is a bike rental shop, now located at Crossroads Mall, which also sells bikes. The exchange carries some bikes; they just got a whole bunch of new ones in, so at this moment there's a pretty good selection! By the way, non-motorized bikes CAN be shipped with your express shipment, and would be a great idea to include.
Walking is always a possibility! Almost anything you could want to get to is within walking distance of everything else. I personally wouldn't want to have to walk home carring groceries, but if you had to, it would be possible. Dodger and I have walked all over the mainside of the base, from Northside to Monzen; Paul and the kids have gone ALL around the base, on rollerblades. It's not a big base, at all.
Flights into and out of MCAS Iwakuni are the responsibility of the AMC (Air Mobility Command). The Commandant has directed mandatory use of AMC Catagory "B" flights. Those people with PCS (Permanent Change of Station) orders will be booked via AMC, rather than through a commercial airline, with very few exceptions.
Escape from Iwakuni comes in the form of the flight known as the "Freedom Bird", though in a cruel twist of fate, it's this same flight that brings you here in the first place! In an effort to change their image or something, they have recently renamed the Freedom Bird, as the Patriot Express... I don't care what they call it, it still means "freedom"!!! The Patriot Express (in and out of Iwakuni) is a weekly flight. It is a very LONG flight, although it is 4 hours shorter now than it was when we took it, because it no longer stops in Alaska. It was a nicely sized 757, with attentive flight attendants, movies and meal service, though. For a schedule and Space-A sign up info, see Air Mobility Command.
One piece of good news that I can give you, about this flight... Yokota Air Base (unlike MCAS Iwakuni) has a USO lounge (DSN 225-2095). They serve coffee, provide a place to sit and relax (seperate areas for unaccompanied and families), are putting together an adorable baby/toddler room with volunteer labor, and will provide soap, shampoo and towels to use the shower facility there in the terminal (I know this because I took full advantage of it). Knowing that the showers are there though, you may prefer to have your own toiletries with you in your carry-on baggage. There was also a cafeteria (DSN 225-7146) in the terminal, and an esspresso bar which serves a great hot, spiced tea :-)
Links to other sites on the Web
Shinkansen Schedules
4/29/2001 This is on the official pages... images of the bullet train schedules!
International Drivers License You might want to get one of these, if you're coming here to visit. You won't need one if you are SOFA sponsored.
Transportation in Japan This site has several pages of info on various forms of transportation in Japan (mainly major cities).
Japan Rail Pass
If you are coming to Japan for a visit, and plan to travel a bit, look into buying the Japan Rail Pass! It's only available OUTSIDE of Japan, and you can only use it if you're here on a sightseeing visa. But, if you qualify it could save you a bunch, and allow you to take the faster (and more expensive) Shinkansen on a regular basis :-)
Shinkansen Route Map The Shinkansen is the "Bullet Train", though there are many lines and different types of trains, travelling at different speeds.
Japan Train Routes
4/29/2001 Great CGI site... enter the place of departure and your destination... it'll give you choices of routes, times, stops, costs- everything!
Military Livings Space-A Travel Links 4/29/2001 This links page has many links for Space-A travel, and military transportation. From the menu
in the sidebar, you can get to other pages... this
is a commercial site, and the maps and books are for sale, not
online. There is still plenty of helpful info there, and the
merchandise is worth the small price (IMHO). Japan Youth Hostels- Yamaguchi Prefecture 4/29/2001 First one on the list is the Iwakuni YH, located near the Kintai Bridge and the lovely Kikko Park! Inns and Hotels in Iwakuni This is from a local page; lists contact info for local hotels and Ryokans (a ryokan is similar to a Bed & Breakfast- Japanese style!) Hotel Locations 4/29/2001 Another local hotel page- 5 listings, map, rates, more. Hotel Accomodations 4/29/2001 This hotel listing for Iwakuni, Hiroshima, Miyajima, and other cities, is from our very own MCCS! Imagine that! MCAS Iwakuni's Kintai Inn 4/29/2001 Here's the page for Temporary Lodging... they accept reservations for the Kintai Inn and the TLF :-) Adventure in Japan Thought you might enjoy this page about Japan, from an Aussie visitor's point of view :-) He and his wife even made it to Hiroshima and the Kintai Bridge!
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