Living overseas has its challenges, and a commonly agreed upon one is finding that perfect place to live. To help those of us who are curious about the different options for living on Okinawa, readers have answered some of the most frequently asked questions about on-base housing. If you live in an on-base house that has not yet been featured on this site, please contact our Submissions Manager for the template.
Here’s a great link to access, too, if you’re on the fence as to whether to live on-base or off-base.
CONTRIBUTED BY HEATHER NORDELL
What military base is your home located on? Kadena, AFB
What area of the island is your home located on (i.e. North Island, Central Island, South Island)? Central
What is the name of your neighborhood in which your home is located? Sebille Manor
Generally speaking, most on-base homes are approved for occupancy based on military or government rank. If you would like, please provide the range of ranks that your home is approved for? Up to E-6 with at least 2 children
What DODDS school district is your home attached to? Is there a school bus system available? Kadena Elementary is only a half block away from our home so the school bus does not apply.
Please describe the “feel” of your neighborhood (i.e. pet-friendly, child-friendly, level of safety, friendly neighbors, spacious, etc.) We are at the end of a cul-de-sac with a few other buildings. There is lots of grass and the area is very pet and child friendly. We are back off the main road a bit so the kids are safe to run around.
Please describe the style of your home (i.e. detached home, duplex, apartment, age of the home, etc.) It is a Duplex
Please provide general information about your home such as square footage, number of bedrooms and baths, number of stories/levels, special amenities, etc. We are in some of the oldest housing on Kadena. Our house is a 2 level duplex with 3 bedrooms and a full bathroom upstairs. A half bathroom, the kitchen, laundry room and living room/dinning room downstairs. There is a good amount of closets and storage in the house. The kitchen is small but the laundry room is large enough to add a shelf to accommodate the extra kitchen items. I am not sure about the square footage but here are the main room measurements which are approximate.
The living room/dinning room is 12 feet wide and 20 feet long
Bedroom #1 (the Girl’s bedroom) is 9 feet by 9 feet
Bedroom #2 (the Office) 12 feet by 9 feet
Bedroom #3 (the Master bedroom) 12 feet by 10 ½ feet
What places of services are available near your home such as restaurants, shops, commissary, playgrounds, parks, etc.? We are near Kadena Elementary and their playgrounds. There are several other playgrounds spread out between the houses that are within walking distance. We are close to the shopette also.
How is parking provided for your home? There is one space per home and then everyone else shares the extra spaces. There is more than enough parking for all of us.
Is there any yard space or outdoor spaces provided for your home? Yes we are fortunate to have a very large yard and a good amount of space between us and the next duplex.
What do you feel is special about your home or neighborhood – what makes it feel like “home” here on Okinawa? We love that we are so close to the school and that we have such wonderful neighbors.
What housing expenses are included with on-base housing (i.e. utilities, rent, appliances, etc?) Basic utilities such as water, gas, electricity, garbage etc,
Are there any expenses or fees associated with on-base housing? We do pay for our home phone, internet and cable.
Are you satisfied with the maintenance services provided by your on-base housing organization? Yes they have been wonderful. My dishwasher broke the day after we moved in and they were out to fix it the next day. When they couldn’t fix it they decided to replace it the following day with a brand new one,
Finally, what advantages and disadvantages do you feel have been your experience living on a military base here on Okinawa? We had a very hard time deciding where to live when we first arrived. We decided to look at the on base housing first and if it was decent and close to the school we would take it. We did have a hard time with how old the housing was when we first moved in but now that we are settled we love it. The house has a lot of storage and surprisingly seems to be the perfect size for us. We love that our neighbors are American and that the girl’s have so many children to play with. We are very happy living on base especially now that it is getting hot and we don’t have to worry about running our AC!
Want to see more? Take a look at this video by The Lovelys, who have included an example of this housing area in their Okinawa Military Housing Compilation video on YouTube from May 2016:
If you live in on-base housing OR off-base housing that has not been featured on Okinawa Hai, or in housing that has been renovated since its last post, please contact our Content Manager for the on-base housing template and instructions on how to share your little slice of Okinawa with the rest of us.
I lived at Kadena 80 to 83. I was a dependent at the time. I remember a lot about Okanawa. I really enjoyed it even tho we were young when I was there. I remember gong to KES, remember shop in off base with my parents. We also lived off base for a little while, that wasn’t bad either the people are very nice, from what I remember. I do remember the houses and playing in the jungle all the time with my friends, be carful of the Habu snakes, and the banana spiders. As far as our house I remember walking out the back yard and a cross the large back yard was off base and right on the other side of the fence was a main road and this big hotel don’t remember the name. Anyway from what I remember of it, it was a great experience!!
My siblings: Tim,June and I lived on 2395 E Sanorski loop Kadena AFB in 1975-77. We would love to speak to anyone who lived there at that time. Especially: Debbie,Kathy,Dennis,and Neal Harikawa, Monica and Wayne Blanchet, Mary(bing)Zaragoza and lil sis Theresa, Lenny Getts, Richard Toth, Bobby and Mike Beckworth, Randy, Emily and Theresa Punt, also Angie and Mike Ward, Ricky and Christine Chapel, Christine and Laura Hardy,and Pam Tucker. These were our sweet childhood playmates. Would love to hear from any of you.
When we were PCS’ing I could barely find any thing on the houses. Kadena is remodeling tons of houses, building new schools. We like Sebille manor and Kadena Elementary has the BEST staff ever. You are living in Okinawa and the houses are not going to be like in the states. Trust me if there is a storm you are going to be glad you live in a concrete box type house. All our worries were for nothing. We do not have a remodeled house but really made it home, it’s home! The houses are not as bad as the comment from Sept 2012 and it does not matter what rank they are not that bad. There is much to do if you have time and don’t work 24-7. Good luck!
Ok, so the first time we were here we were told that Sebille Manor was for junior enlisted and that’s why we had to accept. We are now on our second tour for Okinawa and my husband is now senior enlisted and they are offering the SAME housing on the SAME street in Sebille Manor that was slated to be torn down 6-7 years ago. How can one go about getting decent housing no matter what the rank? These houses were DUMPS then and they are DUMPS now!
Hopefully you got the same dump you had before, he serves you don’t
We are moving to Kadena in Nov and we are looking to live off base, the reason why is because we only have one child and if I recall on base housing will only allow us to have a two bedroom and we are now living in a three. Could anyone tell me if the rules have change would we be allowed to pick a three bedroom or would we have to stay in two…
Marquese- It depends on your rank. If you are E6 and below with one child, you will most likely be given a two bedroom on base. However, they have been renovating the two bedroom homes here and they are quite nice. Some have a bonus room that can be used as an office or a spare bedroom. Sometimes moving off base is not an option. One of our SSgt was told yesterday that he could not move off base because occupancy for his rank was below 95%.
do military folksstill hire help and how much does it cost i know dad said it cost him about 10 to 15 a month for all that help
we kids loved the downstairs bathroom when we ran in wow the bathroom right there . when housing was brand new we had cleaning lady sewing ladt gardener and lady that cooked for us we were spoiled dad was a staff-sargent in air force. not an officer.
Hello, my husband just got orders to Kadena. I was wondering if you have any pictures of Officer housing o-3. I would really appreciate it.
Thank you so much.
If you end up in Sebille Manor, the pictures above are accurate for company grade housing. We live in company grade housing, and we have the exact layout shown above. It’s cozy, but we love it 🙂
I have a question about pets in housing. I have 2 cats, but I have fallen in love with a small dog at karing kennels and I want to adopt him so bad. Are they strict on the 2 pet policy? Or is there a way we can get a command letter to adopt him. He is very quiet and my cats are so quiet our neighbors didn’t know we had cats til the other day. And he is a corgi, so he is not big at all. I don’t want to call housing to ask in case I give myself away and then they will be watching to see if I get him…Any help would be great! 🙂
@Lisa- Your husband cannot get base housing until you and your daughter are command sponsored. He must have documentation that you are command sponsored and that you have concrete travel plans in order to get on the housing waiting list. If you have both, the military does not force you to live out in town unless there are no units available on base. However, you can still get on a waiting list for base housing if that is the case. The military will not pay for deposits, etc. for off base housing, but you can take out advanced pay if you cannot cover the costs yourselves (to be paid back to the military over one year). As far as your boxer goes, the military will not pay for your dog to fly on a commercial airline. You have to pay out-of-pocket and you have to make sure you take care of all the necessary vet care prior to pcs’ing. Some airlines have restricitions on breeds and size, so make sure you check into that as well. There are off base housing agencies that accept pets- You’ll probably have to pay a pet deposit in addition to your regular deposit in order to have a pet there. We brought our dog because I couldn’t imagine leaving him behind. But I honestly wouldn’t have brought him if I would have known ahead of time how hard it can be to keep pets here.
Not sure what you mean by “forced out in town apartment”, however, agency fees are covered by the military. The deposit is not covered-but you will get that returned (minus cleaning/repainting/damages amounts) when you leave your apartment.
If you would prefer on-base housing, the AD member must put themselves on the housing wait list.
You are flying commercial? As far as I know, it’s up to the owner to make arrangements for their pet-that is not the responsibility of the military. I’m not sure if it’s the same for all branches. You just need to call the airline and find out about getting your dog on a flight. There may be size restrictions depending on what airline you fly in on-I’m not sure.
Hey. We are having a lot of trouble getting my daughter and I over to Okinawa…Not only did travel not book our Boxer on the flight from Tokyo to Naha but we just got word that our forced out-in-town apartment requires an agency and deposit fee that are not covered by the marine corps. Anyone know how to navigate to a base housing unit and getting my large breed dog on the island in a pet friendly area?
I ran across this web-site and the minute I read of the location I knew I had to comment. Sebille Manor – boy does that bring back memories. I grew up in Okinawa: Naha, Awase and Kadena. Our last location was in S.M. We lived in a quad unit on the end about 1/2 from the middle school. To be honest when I read of those preparing to go over there I was somewhat envious. It is a beautiful island with wonderful people. It is obvious that a lot has changed. However, having heard from a couple who were there only recently what truly matters still remains. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
Hey all, the nformation you have given on this site is very usefull thanks for all of your input. One question I do have is about the Hospital. We are ARMY and will be PCSing to Okinawa in November time frame and there is o Army base that has housing. Our 4th child is due in Feb and I am wanting to find out if the Hospital offers midwife services? Any info about this would be wonderful. Thanks
Blythe, we just got here a couple of months ago. My husband is an E-6 and we have a boy that’s 17 and 2 girls, 6 and 4. We were given a 3-bedroom in Sebille Manor. (Pics above look like our unit, but our’s doesn’t have the outside storage unit.) We were fortunate enough to have a great sponsor that warned us about our girls having to share a room so got them bunk beds. Our son’s room can fit a queen, but it would be really tight with his TV/stereo stand and dresser so he chose a futon. We’ve been in houses in most of the other housing areas and it’s all the same–small bedrooms! We barely manage our king in the master, but I chose a big bed versus a lot of space to walk around. We also have found that base housing for enlisted doesn’t really have space for a dining room table. We ditched our’s and spend our evenings eating with TV trays, as do most of our friends. (A small table would work as the living room is shared dining room space). I also do not recommend bringing a large sectional sofa. Also, I have yet to see actual sheds for storing outdoor items you may choose to bring. Some housing areas do have the outside “closets” that store your lawnmower and not much else. If you have bikes and other items you wish to keep out of the elements be ready to purchase one of those plastic sheds you see for sale nowadays. Hope all this helps! Message me with any further details you may need!
we have four children,i was wondering how big the bedrooms are?our daughter has a queen size bed and seeing how she is the only girl she has her own room.our boys all have twin beds,can i fit two twin beds in a room along with a dresser?will a queen fit with a small dresser? if anyone knows,it would really help.
hey, my husband just got his orders to kadena, we are very exited but also concerned…we have a miniature pincher and we are worried that we might have problems with getting our Dog here or are these struggles only with bigger dogs? and does anyone have links or pictures of base housing…we are kinda curious…and didn’t really have a good impression of them from the pics we saw.
baby_doll_1831@hotmail.com
Lankris, I too have developed a severe mold allergy from my home on Shields. I’m taking 4X the normal daily dosage on two different anti-histamines and frequently am forced to be on oral steroids for long periods of time due to uneplained rashes that pop up (which is fun b/c it makes you gain weight lol:). I had a fam. practice doc tell me that there was no allery clinic available on the island, however…there is on Kadena and if you can get a referral I’d check them out. Lester is also completely capable of doing a rast (sp?) blood test which they send away to test for allergies and that takes about a month to get it back. Kadena is also fully capable of doing a full allergy skin test and to treat with allergy shots! I’m only submitting this info to try to help others out as I’ve been given the run around for about an entire year now until recently finding a new doctor at Internal Med at Lester who’s been such a help. He offered to sign a waiver to get me out of our house (I’ve however decided to stick it out for another 4 months until we PCS due to constant deployments and the pain of moving). Not all of the housing in Okinawa has severe mold issues but I’ve known about 12 of my own neighbors who have developed sensitivies here from this specific base. I hear they’re getting ready to remodel which will help greatly if they ever do. As for housing, get that waiver or get your husbands command to politely involve themselves. I really hope this info helps. I have a page on okinawahai if anyone would like to discuss it further. Good luck!:)
We have lived in several different base housing areas in the many years we’ve lived on Kadena (moves due to additional babies, mandatory remodels). We’ve never had a mold problem in any of them. I feel bad for the people who have written about mold problems, but I honestly haven’t talked to many people who share the same experience with their base home. So don’t let that scare you if you’re pcsing here.
https://okinawahai.com/2007/02/kabi-killer.html
Try this product for your mold issues. It may help. As for dealing with housing, I’m not sure why they won’t help you.
We have been dealing with mold and moisture in our unit on Shields since we moved here in July this year. It has been an unbelievable problem. We’ve had the head of housing here and were told there is a problem, but what they offered to move us into was worse than what we are in. We are disgusted at the level of consideration that is given to the families. My last letter to housing was a request to search for another unit after a section of the shower tile cracked away. That letter went ignored. The concern is that it is winter now and we are still having problems. What happens when the humid weathers returns?
Beware of the housing and mold. We lived in Kadena housing from 1999 to 2003. My family got very ill. Asthma, headaches, nausea, sores, swelling. My wife ended up in the hospital unable to pee and having muscle twitching. All of this was unexplained. Later found the kitchen sink p-traps in the housing in 2 of 4 units had been rusted out and draining into the 4-plex’s cement crawl space. We were exposed to decomp gases and molds. Today my wife is still very ill and I and my girls, now young adults are still having medical problems. Make sure you clean molds and report fowl smells.
Hi my husband just got orders to Kadena ab we r supposed to be there sometime in feb.so
i just have few questions. Does any one know if there is a long waiting list for housing? is housing nice? I have a 15 month old and one due in april. is the post a good family post? should we bring our furnitur? do they have a good hospital? and any comments on how u guys like it there! please email me at armywife010908@yahoo.com thank you catherine
I just received orders to go to chibana and was wondering if the military lets u bring your car there from the states because I recently purchased it. Email me at smurphymoney on yahoo . com
Wow, nice house unfortunately I live in the dumpy house for the past 4 1/2yrs. The whole upstairs when we moved in full of mold, big black thick mold growing out of the wents.. X’s all around our windows, we were told they were going to tear this duplex down. The first yr here we kept getting pneumonia. Housing never did nothing about it.
We ended up moving my kids downstairs to sleep on the livingroom floor. For the past 4 1/2yrs we have been living on 1st floor. Sleeping on livingroom floor for 4yrs.
When we moved in, the blinds where all broken, the vent were all moldy, my upstairs bathroom ceiling was moldy, the kitchen cupboards so warped coudln’t close right. Appliance’s didn’t work. We learned that this place was going to be renevated but at last minute changed their minds and put this place available. WTF?
I was wondering if anyone had any photos of officer housing for 0-3. I see plenty of other housing photos but haven’t found any for Kadena AB. If you happen to have photos or know what the inside looks like could you please email me.
thehudsons24@nc.rr.com
Thanks, Dawn
Hi, my husband just got his orders to move to Kadena AFB. We have a Golden Retriever I am curious about what we need to do before the move to help with the process, if anyone has pets and may be of help with any info please email me at larandacarnahan@hotmail.com
We will be living on base. How is base housing by the way? It looks very small by the photos I have seen.
We have two dogs as well and I am freaking out about bringing them. Did anyone respond to you about the quarantine process and if they need passports, etc???
Hi Tara,
There are advantages and disadvantages to both on and off base. We live on base on Kadena, and we have a single unit house, 3 bedrooms, obviously American style appliances since it’s on base, huge rooms, “fake” wood floors, lots of cabinet space in the kitchen, (I think it was newly remodeled before we moved in) and a big yard. Being on base, we are close to everything. Sometimes I wish we would have had more time to look at places off base, but they only give you a couple of days to decide after they show you the two places. One of the apartments off base we were shown was really beautiful, had a huge bay window overlooking the ocean, only problem with it, though, was that there was no living room, 1 bedroom, 1 small kitchen with no space for a table. Some people are able to find really nice places off base and are able to negotiate the payment and utilities and everything into their housing allowance. Living off base, you can experience the Japanese culture, you can find places big and small. On base, you have the convenience of being able to run your AC a lot in the summer. When we got our two choices of houses to look at on base, one was the house we have now, and the other one was on Chibana housing and it was a multiplex…and it looked like horrible base housing (with stains left on the stove and floor in the kitchen, so definitely didn’t pick that one.) So you can find good and bad both on and off base. It’s really just your preference. Hope this helps. Also, look at some of the other housing posts on here to see examples of on and off base places.
Hello everyone. So my husband just got his orders to go to Kadena in July of 2009. I am pretty scared we are having our 1st child in May of 2009. Is the base housing nice? We are located in wichita kansas right now and well, base housing is not the best here, so we live in an apt. My husband wants to live off base. Does anybody have any suggestions as of where to live? Does it cost more to live off base? I am not sure of the prices of homes off base there. If anybody can help me, that would be wonderful. I don’t want to stress to much and the baby come early! lol.
you can email me at : shorty_babe1816@yahoo.com
Thank you all!
Meghan, checkout the drop-down menu “To Live”
In this menu click on “Cars” This listing should be of help concerning info for buying cars on Okinawa.
hi im trying to find cars for sale in okinawa japan for sale we will be pcsing their next month and need to buy two cars when we get their
Hi Angie! Sorry I get so into these blogs I forgot where I wrote..:) my bad! My email is presley214@cox.net Im in San Diego at Camp Pendleton! Will be of any help I can! Email me and let me know what I can do!!
Rachel..we just arrived on island a few weeks ago and are struggling to get our English Bulldog here too…maybe we could help each other out….I have some info on the ordeal, but not enough to take the actions to get her here just yet.
Chris I just noticed your post. You were living in our next door neighbors building. I am sure it looks just the same inside and out!
Rachel, if you could email me, I will try to answer your questions the best that I can! msgtheal@yahoo.com
Misty, checkout the “Island Newbies” on the upper left side of the home page. Downtownjuliebrown has done an outstanding job cover a number of your concerns. After reviewing all the various postings in the Island Newbies section then checkout the various items in the drop-down menu “To Live” at the top of the home page.
We just got orders to Kadena. We will be there in April. Just wondering if you flew commercial or military? How long is the wait for base housing? Where did you stay while you were waiting? Do you know anyone that lives off base? What do you think about living off base? What is the traffic like? I have a lot more question….I would love to be able to get into contact with some that is over there and that has children. I have 2 and a dog. Thank you!!
We use to be stationed in Okinawa in 1973 to 1975, when we first got there I hated it, bingo ditches, etc. When we left I hated to go. I always wanted to return, as of now couldn’t afford it. I would like to communicate with someone who is still there and try to find out what all has changed (I know a lot)! We were stationed at Machinaro Service Area 191 Hughes St. Across from the skating rink. If anyone would be so kind as to e mail me back, I would appreciate it.
Jon in Oklahoma
is the skating rink still outside and is the pool right next to it and is there a place close where you could buy hamburgers and fries and ice cream ect. when i was there in 1962 -1966 . all this time i have miss okinawa and wished i could go back for a visit.
We were there 1972 to 1974 in Sebille Manor. The word is binjo ditch!! Do you remember Koza Bread???
Hi! We are being stationed in Okinawa we are USMC in July 2009, I have SO many questions if anyone can help that would be great!
1) We have 2 English Bulldogs, There shipping issues are becoming a problem because of there breed and time frame we are PCsing…. Anyone face these issues before?
2) Is housing really hard to get into when you have pets? I know we cannot live in the Towers and we are PCSing at prime PCS time. Any suggestions?
3) Internet, Cable (any US cable there) and phone…… Who is the best as far as Calling back to the states cheap?
4) Car and furniture…. Take it or leave it?
Anything Ive missed please feel free to let me know!! Thanks!
Hello,
What is your house number?? We lived in 5302-B about 1976 which if you went out the back door and turned to the left and walked just a block or so you were at the first wing of the elementary school.
Chris
i will go look at moms pics and get house numbers and I am not sure about first wing. The school had many outsides hallsways. I was a hall moniter at Kadenaa in the fifith grade before I went to the army base jr high school we rode the bus and along the coast of the ocean and would look up high on the ridge and see the castle that held a zoo at that timie when we arrived at our temporary school it hasd an armed guard at the gate and our classrooms were quonsets huts. so hot during the summer.
Irene how long ago were they new to you?
We moved to okinwa in 1962 and finally moved into the brand new housing in 1963. our house was located in a cul de sacd. the outside was painted pink and if you wqalked out the front door look to the left you will see a row of houses kinda higher then ours and right behind those houses is a hill that we kids used to climb. if you look to the right and walk to the edge of the cul de sac that road it the middle of a long long downhill road. we used to go to the top of that road and ride our bikes homemade skateboards and rollerstakes and play all day. We did not have phones lines for each homes at that time so everyone shared a green phone at the road, that green phone was on the corner of the long hill and the the road we took to walk to kadena elementary school. we also would walk to the on base swimming pool and outdoor skating rink and teen club right next to the pool and skating rink also there was a small like ice cream shop there you could buy hamburger fries ect…..
I have pics of our home and me in fron t of the skating rink and pool. I wonder if the rink and pool are still there? I miss okinawa. when we lived overseas we first lived not to far from where that boat in bay. I have a picture of me in front of that house. Me and my sister used to go down to the sea wall and slide down the slimmy algea wall and find friends and play until the tide came in. it was so scarey when we had a typhone. Dad closed the blue shutters and mom filled the bath tub and sink full of water and we just stayed in our okinwa made PJs and waited out the storm. I have so many stories to tell. mom would scare the heck out of us and tell us not to eat anything form the ryukins and not to go to the candy store ever. Ha like that was going to happen we went right to the candy store with the rest of the kids and bought rock candy and felix bubble gum. the best. i have more to share but I do not want to bore you. we went hunting in the jungles found bones and bullets.
I lived in Okinawa Kadena housing when they were New and it was great and the houses look the same today!
i have lived here or 1 year,the blinds come w/the house. okinawa is very nice.
ok so a couple questions. My husband will be E-6 and will be living on Kadena. so I am hoping we can live insomethign close to this adn now my questiosn are as follows:
did you bring the blinds yourself? what kind of curtain hookups do I need for these windows adn if you brought your own blinds were they easy to install?
secondly did you bring the rug yourself or get it once you were onthe island. I have heard it is very hard to find thigns such as blinds rugs adn window coverings is this still true. thanks a lot for any help!!
I have friends that live in Sebille Manor, on Honolulu. Their home is lovely–the houses over there are definitely nice. They got lucky, housing offered them two nasty places and they turned them both down, but since there was no waiting list at the time, they offered them the Sebille Manor house as a third option, so they took it. 🙂