Hello Adam, could someone take interior pictures of the town houses in Ikego, Negeshi and Yokosuka. It would be very helpful. Thanks.

Anyone that lives in Ikego, can you please upload some photos for the type of home you live in.

I have an album here:

http://www.japanbases.com/home/pics...3-819.aspx

Just select the style home, and upload them to that category.

Once they are uploaded, I will approve them after a short period. I do it moderated, so people dont upload inappropriate pictures.

Please lets help out the newly reporting personnel, and to allow them to see the different styles and options that they have available.

Thanks for the video.  I have been on Ikego since last year and I did not know that there was a beach near by.  Can you tell me how to get there from the 711 near Ikego gate?  Thanks

Posted By hnbsmom on 28 Apr 2010 05:59 PM
Chancie, have you moved into your place in Ikego? What do you think about it now that you have? How often do you have to come back to main base, and do you have a car? Sorry for the questions but we have to pick soon and I'm just wondering from another mom's point of view!

Yes we moved in April 14th!

I like the house...but I would like it better if it were on main base! I don't really care about the wood floors, because they cost more to replace when my kids destroy them! It would be nice if there was carpet in the bed rooms, but at least with rugs I can pick something to match their rooms! 

My husband is on the GW, so he picks up stuff for us when he can.  No we don't have a car, and I'll probably be happier once we are able to get one.  It really depends on what you are looking to do as to how offten you have to go to main base!  You can't really depend on the Mini-Nex to have what you need...they were completely out of baby wipes the other day...!  We rented a car last payday so we could do big shopping trips, and get things we needed for the house, and that helped alot! Hopefully we can find a van this weekend in our price range!

On another note, the School thing is REALLY getting to me too!  On more than one occasion my kids and I have gotten SOAKED because of the rain... There is NO transportation of ANY KIND other than the HTW bus, and the Bus that suttles the older kids to Yoko for school... I really don't get why they can't run a bus for the kids on rainy days...they already have the bus stops, why not use them????  Then you've go the SAME people EVERYDAY who brake the no drop off/pick up with cars because they are to freaking lazy to walk!  Now I get the ones who do it when it's rainy...I would if I could!  I live almost as far as you can from the school, (if you look on a Map of Ikego, I live on the street just south of the MWR building)  and I walk/ride a bike everyday TWICE a day with my Kindergardener and my 3yr and 18 month old up that stupid-ly big hill, tell me why the lady who lives 5 minutes away needs to take a feakin car??? Ok, sorry rant over!!!!

The train is prett nice, since Jimmunji Station is just across from the Mini-Nex. I only have a problem trying to figure out which train I need...I know the stops, but I can't always figure out which train will take me where i need to go... I guess that will come with time!

I have pictures of my 4-bedroom on this site...For some reason when I uploaded them, It loaded them all backwards... so the pictures go from up in my bathroom, to my room, kids rooms and their bath, to downstairs hall, 1/2 bath, living room, kitchen (they replaced the stove in the picture with a new flat top one just last week!) , and "family room" but we use as a dining room, to the entry way and finally the front of the house.  The furnature in the pictures is all loaner stuff from housing.   I will tell you that the living room is much larger than it appears in the pictures!!! If I had to guess dementions I'd say around 25' by 12', but until I our hhg, I won't know for sure...of course there is suppose to be a place that gives dementions of the homes on line, but I was never able to find it....

Please feel free to ask anything!  I've been where you are, and I know how stressful it is! 

Thank you soo much!! I'm in a situation where they are offering me a 2 bedroom on main base or a 3 at Ikego. I have have 2 kids so they would have to share but they are young and I don't think they would mind sharing for now. From the sound of it my husband will be in and out for a while so it won't be too terribly cramped. I'm like you about the wood floors....my kids would have a heyday on those!! Thank you again for your response, it has been taken to heart and all will be considered!! Have a nice sunny day!

It really does not rain everyday! Wait until the end of July/August, you may miss all that rain. When we moved in about 2 years ago in July I swear it did not rain until September.
I moved here knowing I was going to do a lot of walking. I have gotten a little lazy, but I did hold off on getting a car for 6 months after arriving and that was because the train station was cold.(We moved in before the Jinmuji gate was open too!) I have just 'recovered' from not having a car for a month and realized how spoiled I got. I used to take the train into the base with my cart and shop, then take the HTW bus to get the groceries home.
Zushi city and beach is walking distance from Ikego. I did it a few times when we first got here in 90+ degree heat. (Not fun, but do-able) From the intersection outside the main gate go right until you come to a light (I think it comes to a "T") Turn right and go under the train tracks. You will come to a light right before the Zushi train station, turn left and go down that street. (Ginza) as you walk by, you will see a lot of stores. At the end of that street there is a scramble, (there is a Thai restaurant there). Go left and you will see a tropical-ish restaurant. Cross the street and go down that road, the beach is at the end.
I personally have never driven into that part of Zushi, I don't see a lot of parking. I just as soon take the train- I go to Jimuji station, go to the far side that goes into Zushi, go 1 stop up, leave the station going toward the JR Station and hit Ginza street. I shop there as well as on the street across from the JR station. (That is where Starbucks is)

Sorry about that hill. I don't deal with it on a daily basis, something for which I am relieved.

Chancie~ I feel your pain...i am in a townhouse by kyoto tower and I must climb the moutain of stairs to get to my house...I will be walking next year to take my daughter who will start kindergarten in 2011....I am not looking forward to that...The older two(1st and 3rd grade) walk it alone and I never hear them complain about the stairs...good for them as they are young and can handle it, lol
I only pick them up on rainy days and I do it at the bus stop at the end of the black fence...I was gonna pick them up closer to the school but there was nothing to be found....so many mom's park and I saw one that I kinda know....she parked and then I saw her kid walking so tell me if your kid is walking in the storm why are you there to get him/her?
My biggest complaint is the lack of yard I have but it's only b/c of where i am at....other TH don't have that issue....also lack of cover over patio's like main base and in sasebo...kids stuff is getting ruined b/c i don't have the room in storage to put it away...guess it's time to purge, lol

I would also like to add that I don't do well with crowds and MB is super crowded with rude teenagers...lol too many of them for me so Ikego is way more quiet than MB...

I think my husband wants Ikego so we will probably take it since they said it'll be our first offer. My son will be attending Kindergarten next year there as well so we'll probably get to know each other! Do any of you children go to the preschool (or cdc preschool) there?

Question for your guys on Ikego.....how long of a bike ride would it take to get to Zushi Beach? Is it an easy ride there or are there a lot of hills?

It's pretty flat from Ikego, but very hilly up to here. I walked it with kids in about 30 minutes to 45 minutes. On a bike 15 minutes, tops.

Just wanted to update since they are doing improvements to housing.

We NOW have covered patio's like the one's on main base. and we also have new fences.

They make a HUGE difference in the feel of the yard! We just got our "safety fence" taken down last Friday and I'm really lovin' the back yard. I'm gonna upload pictures in the next few days!

Be warned though, if you haven't already gotten your yard work done, expect A LOT of noise, and no yard for a little over a month until they finish it.

Does the CDC on Ikego have before/after school care?

And our tower (Nara) has nice paneling in the hallways now

Do they allow pets in Ikego?

Policies regarding pets is the same in Ikego as main base. No dogs in towers only in townhouses and you can't have more than 2 pets.

free utilities... that's about it. Other than that, me & the Mrs. didn't really enjoy our stay in Ikego back in '07. She's Japanese & having to go to the gate to register her parents to visit for the day was a pain & a half. Plus the annoying nosy neighbor Navy wives didn't help much either. Oh wait, this is supposed to be POSITIVE... So yes, back to my original comment, free utilities...

Okay, thank you. We are hoping to get into Ikego since Negishi is a bit far from Yokosuka. And we were told that housing on Yokosuka is priority for those who have kids (which we don't have yet). And we have a pet, so we know about the tower policy. Hoping for Ikego!

There are good and bad points about every place. We are very happy here (been here since December 2011). Negeshi was very run down and I did not like you had to leave the gates of housing to get into the gates of everything else. Just did not make sense to us. We hop on a train and go anywhere we want. there are 3 grocery stores in Zushi which is one train stop away which is also the beach. it is 2.5 miles from here which makes a nice jog. We flat out refused Negeshi in housing. We arrive end of Nov and were in the house before Christmas. there are plenty of place open here and per the OIC, there are lots of changes and growth coming.

Hi all, just wanted to put my 2 cents in here. I work in the Ikego OIC Office and I'll be lurking these threads to see where I can help out. Feel free to drop me a line or e-mail me at the office (ikegodetachment@gmail.com or james.gilbert@fe.navy.mil) if you have any questions.

Seeing how this thread addresses the POSITIVE things about Ikego, let me see what I can add to the discussion. Like many others have said, I would say that, for better or worse (better in my opinion), you are away from Yokosuka and in a relatively quiet area with direct access to some of the most historical places in Japan. Kamakura is 10 minutes by train/walk and Zushi beach is even closer. Kamakura is personally my favorite destination in Japan as it has literally over 100 shrines and temples that you can't help but run into by just spending the day walking around Kamakura. We do set up guided tours for residents on a monthly basis (next one is in early April for those interested) that are sponsored by either the office or the Zushi Japan-American Society.

I would also venture to say that Ikego has the closest bonds with their host city. We as a community are consistently involved in local festivals and charities. The Zushi Japan-American Society is heavily involved in setting up events and you can typically participate in 2 or 3 events each month hosted by the society. Opportunity certainly exists to get involved with local residents and learn another culture.

As others have mentioned, Ikego does offer more nature/outdoor related opportunities. There are cabins one can rent from MWR and designated areas for camping. As others have mentioned too, Ikego has a storied history that can lend for some atmospheric camping adventures. The camping facilities are all located away from the residential areas, so there is no worry for unwanted intrusion or pedestrian traffic. There is also a paintball course in Ikego that sees regular events. There is an outdoor track, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, a basketball court, a modest gym, and plenty of hiking trails. The trails themselves are not regularly maintained, and you will see some fallen trees after storms or after the winter season. We have hosted hiking trips though and the trails are certainly navigable. Ikego has it's own MWR office that will certainly help any resident with questions and be willing to inform of local events or other events in Yokosuka.

A lot of people gripe about the drive to Yokosuka. To be sure, you will drive further than your Yokosuka counterparts. You could take the train though too. Only in Ikego does the train station drop you off literally right on base. There is also a shuttle service in the morning and evening for residents unwilling to drive. I have seen some people mention biking to Yokosuka which is certainly feasible too. I did it myself when I worked in Yokosuka and I lived further away than Ikego. I'm not sure if anybody car-pools, but I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to set one up with a forum like this.

Other facilities in Ikego include NEX Mini-Mart (currently being renovated but still open) with an Anthony's Pizza that also provides sub sandwiches. There is Club Takemiya next to the Mini-Mart that has weekly dinner specials and also a seasonal menu with special meals each month. There is a pool as well. Also located next to the Mini-Mart is the FFSC which is pretty small and easy to miss, but certainly is available for anybody needing information or curious about services offered. There is a full-service Post Office located a block from the NEX, and the Housing Office is located a block beyond the Post Office. MWR is located in the northwest corner of the residential area and can provide schedules and various other services. If you have kids, Ikego Elementary School is on base. Of course, there is Security which handles guess passes, lost and found, and bike registration. Of course there is the OIC Office which handles most of the U.S./Japan exchanges found throughout Zushi and on base.

Ikego is quieter. Everybody in Ikego has dependents and has typically adapted to a quieter lifestyle than what you might find in Yokosuka.

As mentioned elsewhere or you might have heard, Ikego is slated for some significant changes in the coming years. Lots of construction and improvements. So if you are moving in now or are relatively new, you'll be witness to that. We will be briefing more on that at our Town Hall meeting slated for April 17th for those who want to attend.

Hope that's a good primer for those interested. Like I said before, feel free to contact the OIC Office for any reason, or you can just catch me here too. I plan on becoming as active as I can in this forum.