Hello all.  First of all, I am so glad I found this website.  It is by far the best place for information about the various bases in Japan. 

I am interested in a job posting for an engineering position at Camp Zama.  This position would be as a civilian, so I was wondering if anyone here is currently living/working at Camp Zama as a civilian?  How do you like it?  I know that the bases are there for the military, but are civilians treated well?  I'm married with 2 kids, so my wife is wondering how family life would be over there.  Do you feel like the people living on base form a tight-knit community? 

Thanks to everyone for this great website and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.  Happy Holidays!

Is this a DoD USG civilian job, or a contractor position?  I think it depends on the type of position.

Yes, this would be a DOD position with the corps.  The job description states that PCS applies as well as living allowance.

People will have different opinions on Japan so it really is up to you and what you decide to do with your free time. We happen to love it and get out as much as possible.

Camp Zama is a small base and you will see the same faces day in and day out. The elementary school is at the Sagamihara housing area
( about a 10 drive). The high school is on CZ along with all the other necessities. There is a school bus available.

Civilians are treated quite well here. They have a lot of base activities on base for adults and children as well.

http://www.usagj.jp.pac.army.mil/im.../index.asp will have a lot of information that you may be looking for.

There really is plenty to do here, you just need to get out. My husband and I drive everywhere, but many choose to use the train. If you need some normalcy for a while, there is a TGIF, Outback, Red Lobster and Pizza Hut in Japan as well and of course, McDs.

Thank you very much for your response, Zama! I'm not convinced that my wife is too keen on moving to Japan since it would mean we would be away from our families which help her out a lot with our kids (she's a SAHM). It might help that it's such a small community which might make it easier to make friends. From what I've read most families live in SHA. Is this a nice place? How are the houses there? We would be bringing two dogs if I were to get the job, and from what I've read it seems pretty common to have dogs there. Is this true?

Again, thank you very much for your help!

You need to look at the posts about pets. There is all sorts of hoops you have to go thru to get them over here.

It sounds like your still trying to figure out if it will be a good fit for you and your family, I think "Zama" above touched on it a little bit. The good and bad depend on a lot of factors.

1. Where are you moving from?
2. Is this a new employer, job and have you worked with the military before?
3. What is the minimum size home you think your family can live in?
4. Have you been to any Asian countries previously?

Those questions will get you started on making that decision I can tell you that every family has to decide about living close to relatives or the benefit of making the move to gain the cultural experience.

The trick is to get the job, money. and location all at the same time. Most people only get 2 out of 3, if you ever get 3/3 stay put. If your new to the DoD that may be a overwhelming incentive right now because of job security and pay.

What are your reasons wanting to move to Japan?

I don't think the civilian spouse program is very close knit at least to the sense of a Combat Arms FRG for AD folks but it all depends on what your reference point is. Are you comparing it to moving somewhere else like any town USA?

The best advice I can give you is there will be some "sticker shock" and "buyers remorse" just make sure you know why you made the move. Japan is a developed country so that is a huge plus as compared to many other places you could go. Snow skiing is an hour away and they have beaches here too. Last month I saw people surfing with wet suits.

If I had my choice I would go to Europe but we don't have any regrets on making the move to Japan for us it's still a better option for our family.

It's a little crazy to think of seeking out familiar restaurant chains like Bubba Gumps, Outback, TGI Fridays etc. but it's so true you may end traveling a few hours for it. (Of course most of them are fairly close to Zama so that's a plus)

There are plenty of activities to get the children involved with to keep them busy just sign them up for everything that will also allow them to meet people and make friends. I asked a HS bagger that I didn't know so I wouldn't get any biased opinions (Commissary Bag-girl) if she had any regrets on being in Japan versus staying in the same small town USA for HS. She said she preferred being in Japan for those years because of the experience.

2cooleng,

I shared many of the same uncertainties before finally throwing caution to the wind and accepting an engineering position on Zama just recently. We have 4 kids and are 3/3 with job, money and location. Our friends and family think we are crazy but I've decided that is mostly because they can't picture themselves making such a change. We have several friends who have done similar moves (to indonesia with their 4 kids) and loved it and are they are our biggest supporters.

Like Yokota said, you really have to know why you are making the move. For us it was an opportunity to break out of the day-to-day grind of life in the States. We also would prefer Europe and who knows, maybe a successful tour in Japan may lead to opportunities in Europe later. Not even the best colleges or schools in America can offer the experiences and culture that our children will receive while in Japan. My wife and I grew up in a small town and did not get to have those experiences until later in life. I can only imagine what life would be like now if we had lived abroad as children and could speak multiple languages.

That being said, we love to travel and can make the best of most situations. It takes effort to be sure, especially with kids and you have to want to do it. Don't let the fear of the unknown drive your decision. Everyone we've spoken to has loved Japan. They all say it was tough at first but they would go back in a heart beat.

We are bringing our lab with us. I just got him "chipped" today and started the paperwork nightmare. I've got 40 something pages of documents related to processing pets into Japan. All of the information can be found online, but if you like I can send you the .pdf I've compiled. I got tired of trying to keep track of all the different links, so I just printed everything I could find to .pdf and made a book of sorts. If there is one thing I've found out it's how much I love my dog. I've never been so close to giving my dog to another home than while trying to decipher the government and military regs regarding his transport to Japan. I have to keep reminding myself there are tons of folks who have gone through this so it's not impossible.

By the way, what type of engineer are you, HVAC(guessing by your screen name)?

Mike

http://www.usarj.army.mil/organizat...mport.aspx

This is the link to get all the information and paper work you will need for your dogs. It can a process. They will have to be in the kennel until you get housing, which will either be Zama or SHA. Once you get housing, the dogs will be able to finish the quarantine in home. This is very nice of Japan to allow this. We brougt our two dogs and had 6 months quarantine. We're civilians now and we live on Zama. They do have a community spouses group called Zacsa(http://zacsa.org/), it's an ALL ranks group.

Any more questions just shoot. One thing I do recommend is bringing a money order with at least $2000 , plus or minus. This is the average price of a car. Of course you could find something cheaper. It just depends on what you're looking for. You will have to get liability insurance will run about $300 dollars depending on the exchange rate.