Civilian Parents Visiting Deployed Daughter at Kadena

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djms19

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Our daughter (AF pilot) is scheduled to deploy to Kadena late 2020 and has invited us (her parents) to visit her while there. She's been there a couple times prior. It appears that there is a procedure for obtaining unescorted access to the base. Although I've heard renting a car is a good way to get around, I don't think I want to deal with left side of street driving and foreign signs and rules of the road. Looks like excellent lodging on base but I don't think they book parents until about a month out. We'd like to make plans as early as possible. Anyone have any general advice/recommendations on such a trip? Would probably fly out of Chicago. Deployment plans are always subject to change, and if that happened, we'd treat it as a 40 year anniversary trip. We would be travelling on a somewhat tight budget. Thanks in advance.
 
We visited our son at Kunsan a couple of years ago. We flew out of Chicago, also, and I would recommend checking the Asian airlines for flights. We flew on China Eastern from Chicago to Seoul via Shanghai for less than half of what we would have paid on other airlines and we were treated better than we have ever been while flying. The in-flight meals were amazing. Check China Eastern, Air China, or EVA Airlines.

We stayed on base also, and it was fairly easy to get access. Our son had to take us to the gate and we filled out paperwork and got temporary passes. We were able to move around base and town with no issues, even when he was working. His apartment was walking distance from the base lodging and the main parts of base so we didn't have to have a car. He drove us where we needed to go otherwise. Kadena may not be exactly the same, but it worked for us at Kunsan.

Stealth_81
 
General advice (as I have travelled to Japan numerous times but not within the past 6 years) is:
1. Do not think of driving while there, it's very difficult
2. Flying out of Chicago is a good choice - direct flights to Narita (to connect) and many airline choices (I am unfamiliar if there are direct flights to Okinawa from US; I always flew to Narita)
3. I flew United most of the time (terrible service) and JAL sometimes (great service)
4. Enjoy the food - very diverse and very different for Americans, but very "clean", healthy and delicious
4 1/2. Every once and a while, find a McDonald's or KFC when you really need a "fix". I went to McD's for coffee nearly every morning of the "years" I spent in Japan.
5. Enjoy the Japanese (Okinawan) people. They are the most endearing people in the whole world.
6. Most Importantly - Remember the thousands of US Serviceman (mostly US Marines) who died on that island to make the world FREE!
 
DS was stationed at Camp Hansen. He had another officer's wife pick us up at the airport and her husband got us checked in before DS finally show up. DS did all the driving. The final day we took the train to the airport but he had to drop us off at a hotel in Naha the night before. While there we spent some time at a USAF "resort" at the northern end of the island. I can't remember the name but it was very nice. In between weekends, while DS was working, we flew to Tokyo and spend the week there. No car in Tokyo as they have an excellent rail system which took us everywhere we wanted to go. The food everywhere was fantastic, especially at the "hole-in-the-wall" places. DS learned enough Japanese, and how to point, to order us dinner when no one spoke English.

Enjoy your trip. It's one for a life time. And most importantly, enjoy the quality time with your DD.
 
I haven't been to Kadena since they flew SR-71s out of there. I am old.
 
If possible, I'd like to gently recommend visiting her somewhere other than Okinawa. If you're planning on visiting for more than a few days (which you should), you may run out of stuff to do on island depending on time of year. I'm not sure what the USAF policy is, but Marines are able to relatively easily take leave as long as it doesn't interfere with operational requirements. A flight up from Naha on Japan's equivalent to Spirit Airlines will be cheap for her and save you the extra cost of getting a connection from Narita. There's much more to do on the mainland regardless of where you go (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, wherever) and it's nicer than Oki.

If you're committed to Okinawa, a couple suggestions:
-Okuma is the USAF resort @kinnem referred to. It's very nice but books out far in advance, especially on holiday weekends. I've never stayed there but friends did and had a great time. If you're able to, work with her to try and find a resort or AirBnB off base. The Kadena base lodging is all very nice, but stuff off base is comparatively inexpensive for amenities and it's cool to go to a different part of the island.
-What time of year are you hoping to go? The summers are very hot and humid but allow for exceptional snorkeling and scuba diving if you are at all water people. The beaches are okay for sunbathing, but swimming isn't always great: the beaches are largely coral based, and so depending on tides are very shallow with sharp coral and you have to wade out very far to get going. For other outdoor activities, there are some neat waterfall hikes in the jungle in the center of the island but they are all short/steep rather than all day activities. There are some deep-sea fishing charters that normally meet with great success as well.
-Relating to the above, if you are planning to travel to Oki during Typhoon season (late spring through late fall), PURCHASE TRAVEL INSURANCE. I am generally not a believer in travel insurance, but attempted to fly out my husband to meet in Tokyo during the one weekend that a typhoon actually hit the island. Having the flexibility to change flights without worrying about the cost being covered gave us peace of mind and saved hundreds of dollars.
-The middle of the island is dominated by US military bases (Kadena plus multiple USMC bases). This area is okay, but very Americanized. People will just speak English to you as soon as they see you, everywhere accepts credit card, and there are western food options. It's probably the only place I've visited that I didn't learn any of the language because despite my best efforts to speak terrible Japanese, people just speak English to you.
Up to the north of the island where most Americans don't really venture that is not the case. Even for a day trip or in conjunction with a hike/snorkel trip/etc, it's worth it to go up there and experience something different. Bring cash yens, though, and be prepared to work through the language barrier (most younger people speak English, with older Okinawans it's hit or miss).
-If you have time go on a battlefield tour or at least drive over to Hacksaw Ridge. There are a lot of companies that run tours of battle-sites and tunnels, mostly by retired military.
-Driving on the "wrong" side of the road is not that bad. Not sure how the USAF works it, but I had a car on my Oki "deployment" and the system for getting a license is streamlined for DoD personnel. It's not worth trying to go through the process for a vacation but if she has a car that's helpful.
-Enjoy some delicious sushi, ramen and soba washed down with Orion beer and top it off with some Blue Seal Ice Cream. Get the Blue Seal Sundae with Okinawan salt cookie ice cream and salty milk (better than it sounds, I swear) soft serve. Determine whether you are a Lawson or Family Mart family. Enjoy an adult beverage sitting by the beach at Paddler's in American Village.

If you can, the ideal time for your flight is one that gets you to Japan in the afternoon/evening. I flew commercial out to Japan via ANA (All Nippon Airlines, in conjunction with I think United). My flight left LAX in the early afternoon/late morning and after my connection through Narita got to Naha at around 2000-2100. I tried to stay up for most of the flight and racked out as soon as I got to base. This got me almost immediately on Oki time. The transition back to US Time was much, much harder and took almost a week.
 
Well done @Hurricane12! I want to second the snorkel/scuba diving. Okinawa is one of the best spots in the world - water clarity, ease of entry and a healthy sea environment. There were dive spots which required no snorkeling, jump in off the lava rock and you could drop to the bottom of the ocean if you wanted. You end up diving with the underwater island on one side and open ocean on the other. There were also great spots to mess around in 30 feet of water with an abundance of sea life. Visibility was always as 100 feet plus.

I was there Feb - August and departed without any typhoons to deal with but they can be severe. As Hurricane notes, summer is very hot and humid.
 
Hurricane12 said:
If possible, I'd like to gently recommend visiting her somewhere other than Okinawa. If you're planning on visiting for more than a few days (which you should), you may run out of stuff to do on island depending on time of year. I'm not sure what the USAF policy is, but Marines are able to relatively easily take leave as long as it doesn't interfere with operational requirements. A flight up from Naha on Japan's equivalent to Spirit Airlines will be cheap for her and save you the extra cost of getting a connection from Narita. There's much more to do on the mainland regardless of where you go (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, wherever) and it's nicer than Oki.

If you're committed to Okinawa, a couple suggestions:
-Okuma is the USAF resort @kinnem referred to. It's very nice but books out far in advance, especially on holiday weekends. I've never stayed there but friends did and had a great time. If you're able to, work with her to try and find a resort or AirBnB off base. The Kadena base lodging is all very nice, but stuff off base is comparatively inexpensive for amenities and it's cool to go to a different part of the island.
-What time of year are you hoping to go? The summers are very hot and humid but allow for exceptional snorkeling and scuba diving if you are at all water people. The beaches are okay for sunbathing, but swimming isn't always great: the beaches are largely coral based, and so depending on tides are very shallow with sharp coral and you have to wade out very far to get going. For other outdoor activities, there are some neat waterfall hikes in the jungle in the center of the island but they are all short/steep rather than all day activities. There are some deep-sea fishing charters that normally meet with great success as well.
-Relating to the above, if you are planning to travel to Oki during Typhoon season (late spring through late fall), PURCHASE TRAVEL INSURANCE. I am generally not a believer in travel insurance, but attempted to fly out my husband to meet in Tokyo during the one weekend that a typhoon actually hit the island. Having the flexibility to change flights without worrying about the cost being covered gave us peace of mind and saved hundreds of dollars.
-The middle of the island is dominated by US military bases (Kadena plus multiple USMC bases). This area is okay, but very Americanized. People will just speak English to you as soon as they see you, everywhere accepts credit card, and there are western food options. It's probably the only place I've visited that I didn't learn any of the language because despite my best efforts to speak terrible Japanese, people just speak English to you.
Up to the north of the island where most Americans don't really venture that is not the case. Even for a day trip or in conjunction with a hike/snorkel trip/etc, it's worth it to go up there and experience something different. Bring cash yens, though, and be prepared to work through the language barrier (most younger people speak English, with older Okinawans it's hit or miss).
-If you have time go on a battlefield tour or at least drive over to Hacksaw Ridge. There are a lot of companies that run tours of battle-sites and tunnels, mostly by retired military.
-Driving on the "wrong" side of the road is not that bad. Not sure how the USAF works it, but I had a car on my Oki "deployment" and the system for getting a license is streamlined for DoD personnel. It's not worth trying to go through the process for a vacation but if she has a car that's helpful.
-Enjoy some delicious sushi, ramen and soba washed down with Orion beer and top it off with some Blue Seal Ice Cream. Get the Blue Seal Sundae with Okinawan salt cookie ice cream and salty milk (better than it sounds, I swear) soft serve. Determine whether you are a Lawson or Family Mart family. Enjoy an adult beverage sitting by the beach at Paddler's in American Village.

If you can, the ideal time for your flight is one that gets you to Japan in the afternoon/evening. I flew commercial out to Japan via ANA (All Nippon Airlines, in conjunction with I think United). My flight left LAX in the early afternoon/late morning and after my connection through Narita got to Naha at around 2000-2100. I tried to stay up for most of the flight and racked out as soon as I got to base. This got me almost immediately on Oki time. The transition back to US Time was much, much harder and took almost a week.
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Thank you!
 
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