After 3 years this tour in Japan (making a total of 7 years, counting two tours on active duty), ThaiGuy is moving on.  I've been offered a great job at Pearl Harbor Hawaii, so the countdown has started.  13 July is my last day on the job in Iwakuni, then pack-out & go.

I hope my humor, insight & intolerance of fools has been appreciated over the years.  If you were to audit, you'd find about 98% of my posts have been helpful & constructive.  It's that 2% where I lose patience that get the most attention.  I love Japan, and I love Americans who come to Japan as long as they bring a good attitude and willingness to step outside their comfort zone.  Most of you fit that profile.

If anyone has lived in Hawaii -- OFF base --  and especially if you've bought a home there, I'd love to hear from you.  At the moment, I'm trying to find a great buyer's agent who will really listen to what I want.  Seems like Prudential has a stranglehold on the market so I'll be looking for someone else.  Best wishes to you all!

Good luck, my friend. Fortunately, I'll be out of here before you are. 3 1/2 years is a long time.

                                               I hate to see you go Thai but it does sound like a good move.

                                             
 

Best of luck!  I hope you enjoy Hawaii.

Thank you all. I love that photo! Makes me wanna get there all the sooner.

Let's see.. questions about Hawaii. I heard they eat dog there. Is that true? And people walk in the street & drive on the sidewalk. So much to learn! (sorry, bad newbie jokes) :-)

Good luck in Hawaii.

I'll send you a pm. We were there for almost 3yrs before moving here. We were at Camp Smith, but still have several friends there and can get you all the info necessary.

Thanks for all the tips! We're looking forward to checking out some of the many! Best Wishes!

Posted By Bama2Zama on 06-13-2012 1:13 PM
Thanks for all the tips! We're looking forward to checking out some of the many! Best Wishes!

I like your name. I'm thinking of changing mine: Thailand2Island.  Whattaya think?

Good luck with your move to Hawaii. Your post have been very helpful to me and I appreciate that. We were stationed at Pearl Harbor for 3 years and honestly I did not care for it. The island is nice but some of the people you meet make it unpleasant. I tried so hard to love living there but the racism was just too much for me. But hopefully you will have a better experience than we did. On another note if you like to golf there are some nice places to go. Just watch out for the roaches that are on the course. Buying a house can be quite an experience. We looked at several place before deciding it was better to live on base. One of the places we saw was a condo that was 600sq feet and was priced at $350,000. It was way too much since it need a ton of work and was not in a great area. The family that was selling it had 6 people living in that small place. But my friend bought a house last year that is about 2000sq ft for just under $1,000,000. It looks pretty good but they did have to do some work on it.
Good luck and have a safe move.

We were in Hawaii for 4 years. We didn't enjoy it. My husband can recall exactly how long (days and hours, to the minute) we were on O'ahu.
You really have to want to buy a house there to actually go through with it. The places are small and way over priced. It's nothing to find several generations of a family living in the same house. You'll be shocked by grocery prices (I was) and went out of my way to shop at the Army commissary (Schofield. It was the best!!).
I don't recall "dog" as a food...but I was unimpressed with most food there.
The biggest complaint we ever had was that Japanese tourist would stop in the middle of the H-2 to take pictures...Having moved here we've realized this is a cultural thing.
The "locals" are racist against "Haoles" but you don't encounter it too often. Learn "pidgin" the local language.
Finally, get use to statements that sound like questions. Such as "Hey Man, you want your change, right?"
Mahalo and Aloha~

Good luck!! Your a very helpful & positive person!

Thanks, Pick!

I appreciate the other precautions that have been offered but I feel my life experiences have prepared me for this "ordeal". It was universally predicted I would hate my tour at the Pentagon, and I loved it! Living now in the land of mega-roaches & Japanese-only bars, I think I can take whatever Hawaii can throw at me. When I lived in inner-city Bangkok -- in areas where foreigners generally don't go -- the neighborhood kids would run the streets pointing and laughing calling "Farang, farang!" as I passed by (loosely translated: "Big clumsy white foreigner!") I can take it, and in fact considered it great fun.

My apartment in Bangkok was 450 sq ft. My Japanese apartment is almost 600 sq ft. My wife & I are moving a max of 1600 lbs of HHG to Hawaii. We travel light & take up little space, which gives us world-wide portability. When I moved to Thailand & Japan, I simply MAILED everything I owned on ahead; there were no shippers involved (I had to pay for my own shipping, thus my economy) All the above puts into context my perspective when people cry, "What, I can't fit my new Sears whizbang washer/dryer, king-sized bedroom set and weight machine in my Japanese home???"

BTW, I was warned during my interview that this new job -- basically as a production "coach" in the shipyard -- to expect cultural barriers dealing with multi-generational families embedded in the shipyard workforce. I embrace the challenge! I see my first priority is earning their trust and acceptance, and expect it will take the better part of a year before I get beyond that to become truly effective in my job. Once I get settled in, you're all invited to my place for a cold one! :-)

You've been very helpful to me and others. Good luck in paradise.

ThaiGuy, thank you for sharing on this website. We have yet to arrive to Japan so I've been spending a lot of time on this board and noticed a lot of your posts have been very helpful. You will enjoy Oahu. We were there for a little bit and I enjoyed it. We lived on base and have to agree with the Burnett4; it's really a hit or miss sorta thing so take lots of time learning about the neighborhoods, etc. The Commissary is so "worth the trip". Like most places, shop the sales on the "outside" stores!! I miss the sunsets!! I can go on and on!! Take care and have some shave us for me!!

That's a shame, you've been incredibly helpful and I was hoping to meet you one of these days. Enjoy Hawaii.

Good luck ThaiGuy. We just left Pearl Harbor. Both my husband and I worked at the shipyard and it can be trying at times. There is a lot of resistance to actually working. Don't be surprised if it takes a lot longer than you think to become accepted. We lived in the old Navy housing in Ewa Beach. You can take the ferry back and forth to work. Which comes in handy because the traffic on Oahu is awful! Aloha

Good luck to you!
I did enjoy reading your posts. We will be moving to Japan this Nov.
I know not to bring the king size bed,chairs,tables etc but need to bring kids & cats
Enjoy your new adventure!

 

Teresa/Navyca -- Thank you for your comments. Enjoy Japan!

Teresa, I'm interested in that ferry. Can I take it if I don't live in Navy housing? There are nice homes in Ewa Beach but I didn't plan to live there cuz of the traffic. A ferry might change the equation. What time does it start running in the morning. Is it free? This is all very exciting but unfortunately there is no "HawaiiBases.com" so I'm stuck using a Navy spouse facebook page. They don't tell me much about motorcycle riding or commutes on that page.

Re: The "ferry" -- I think I found it. Does it dock at what they call the "Yacht Club" at Iroquois Point? That's not much of a ferry, more like a yard craft with a tarp thrown over the top but it works. Where does it drop you on the Navy base side?

Yes, the "ferry" has a tarp over the top of it. It holds about 150 people. However, it no longer docks inside Iroquois Point. You must go to the magazine just outside the gate. It is free. The first run is about 5:00am and the last run is about 7:00pm. From our door to the ferry dock was 1.7 miles. Our commute from door to office/work area was 30 minutes. The ferry ride itself is 10 minutes. Lots of people ride their bikes or walk back and forth on either side. On the shipyard side it drops you off a a parking lot just outside one of the gates into the yard. I either rode my bike or walked from the dock to the yard. Walking takes about 3 minutes from dock to gate. I liked living at Iroquois Point. It was quite and located just at the mouth of the harbor, there is "private" beach for residents. They have townhouses and duplexes. We were in the townhouses. We were also able to set it up so that when we landed we were able to drive straight from the airport to Iroquois and move right in. (We had air mattresses in our checked luggage)

Driving from Ewa Beach to the shipyard is roughly 45 minutes. Traffic is horrible on Oahu. Everywhere is one way in-one way out (usually) and then there are about a million residence and a million tourists everyday. (give or take depending on season) But the weather is beautiful! People are people so.... I hope you enjoy Hawaii. We are looking forward to Japan. My daughter is very excited to get to graduate in Japan just like I did!

Happy travels!

 At the moment, I'm trying to find a great buyer's agent who will really listen to what I want.  

www.oahure.com

Good luck!

Thank you to all who have given your good wishes and advice about moving to Hawaii. I'm taking it all in!

Because I moved to Japan on my own years ago, I have to pay for our move back to the States. Well, not entirely... my new employer has given me a $5000 allowance to cover shipping, airfare and temporary living expenses in Hawaii. Anything above that comes out of pocket and $5000 doesn't go very far in an international move.

My wife & I started selling our stuff to prepare for the move. We got down to only 3 pieces of furniture we wanted to bring: A Japanese coffee table we love, an office chair and a small soft foam sofa. That plus books, clothes & kitchenware was about it. When the mover came to estimate, this miniscule collection came to $11,000 by surface carrier. Seriously?? So we're already $6000 out of pocket & haven't even bought our tickets yet (at high season).

We had a second mover come estimate and their price was $7500. Ok, moving in the right direction but still too high. Since surface cost is by volume not by weight, I calculated that this soft foam sofa (for which we paid $40 at a Japanese thrift shop) was costing us about $1000 to move! The chair & table -- which collectively cost us $420 -- was another $1000 in shipping. Clearly not cost-effective.

We decide to sell ALL our furniture to get within our $5000 allowance. Now I have a thought (which happens from time to time)... If we're not shipping any furniture, why not just mail our stuff & do without the freight forwarder altogether? I go to the post office & ask what would a 40 lb box cost of a certain size cost to send to Honolulu. By surface (which takes about a month): $18. By air, $26. Say we send 15 boxes... our total mailing cost is under $450. Problem solved! Now our allowance will cover shipping, air fare, TLA & we save about $5000 out of pocket. Since making that decision 10 days ago, we've sold virtually all our HHG, pocketing $2000 plus what we made on the car (btw, most of our stuff was bought here 2nd hand; a lot of items we actually made a profit on. We brought no furniture to Japan and we're bringing none home.) The way I figure it, we're ahead by $7000 from cost savings + proceeds of the sale. With that $7000, we can buy much better furniture in Hawaii than we would have shipped from Japan.

So that's my story. This is the 3rd time I've "mailed myself" to a new country. Once from the States to Thailand (as a bachelor); then from Thailand to Japan (with my new bride) and now to Hawaii. We find it liberating to start fresh every few years, unburdening us from the unnecessary baggage we've collected. We do have mementos & artifacts that we keep, but it's a small percentage of our belongings. The rest can easily be replaced wherever we end up.

Curious were will you be working? USCS or Contractor? Hawaii No Ka Oi!

I'll be a contractor, working as a management consultant at the Navy shipyard (Six Sigma process efficiency guy). I need to work on my language skills... What is "Hawaii No Ka Oi"?

"No Ka Oi" means "the Best or #1" It is writtne on the side of one of the buildings in the shipyard (Pearl Harbor). So Hawaii No Ka Oi means Hawaii is the best. So you must work for RLG?

I also enjoy unloading all that stuff and starting fresh. However, when we moved to Hawaii in 2008 we payed for our move there from Washington (state) and all our HHG plus 2 cars was $12,000! I am happy with the PCS move we get now!!

Good luck in your future endeavors! I've enjoyed reading your common-sense and creative advice to fellow JB members. And, I think all owe you a debt of gratitude for keeping things going while Adam and JB were "under fire"...

Posted By BeenThere on 06-27-2012 9:01 AM
Good luck in your future endeavors! I've enjoyed reading your common-sense and creative advice to fellow JB members. And, I think all owe you a debt of gratitude for keeping things going while Adam and JB were "under fire"...

lol yeah, thanks.   A lot of people don't remember those dark days when JB went blank for a few months.

So you will create HawaiiBases.com by you own? Adam may rent some codes maybe.

Serious, Adam could franchise this thing. I don't have the time or energy to do what he did with JB. I just sit back in my armchair & take potshots from time to time. It's nice having no accountability. :-)

Good luck in Hawaii, Thaiguy! I love it there.....just don't like how expensive it is!

Posted By ThaiGuy on 06-13-2012 4:52 PM
Thanks, Pick!

I appreciate the other precautions that have been offered but I feel my life experiences have prepared me for this "ordeal". It was universally predicted I would hate my tour at the Pentagon, and I loved it! Living now in the land of mega-roaches & Japanese-only bars, I think I can take whatever Hawaii can throw at me. When I lived in inner-city Bangkok -- in areas where foreigners generally don't go -- the neighborhood kids would run the streets pointing and laughing calling "Farang, farang!" as I passed by (loosely translated: "Big clumsy white foreigner!") I can take it, and in fact considered it great fun.

My apartment in Bangkok was 450 sq ft. My Japanese apartment is almost 600 sq ft. My wife & I are moving a max of 1600 lbs of HHG to Hawaii. We travel light & take up little space, which gives us world-wide portability. When I moved to Thailand & Japan, I simply MAILED everything I owned on ahead; there were no shippers involved (I had to pay for my own shipping, thus my economy) All the above puts into context my perspective when people cry, "What, I can't fit my new Sears whizbang washer/dryer, king-sized bedroom set and weight machine in my Japanese home???"

BTW, I was warned during my interview that this new job -- basically as a production "coach" in the shipyard -- to expect cultural barriers dealing with multi-generational families embedded in the shipyard workforce. I embrace the challenge! I see my first priority is earning their trust and acceptance, and expect it will take the better part of a year before I get beyond that to become truly effective in my job. Once I get settled in, you're all invited to my place for a cold one! :-)

Good luck working for without any doubt the worst shipyard in the Navy. "second shift brah". It doesn't surprise me they are hiring a production coach they need one, sounds like the PMA's job to me. Here is how the shipyard schedule goes: come down late on first shift around 0830 or 0900, find out you forgot one of your tools, go back to shop, grab a snack on the way, come back to the boat an hour later, scratch your ass, get in an hours work, go to lunch at 1100, at 1300 realize you have a job to do, at 1305 realize you get off in 2 hours, speak the words "second shift brah". Second shift repeat the process just different times.

I love a challenge. :-)

Hiya folks, had my last day on the job yesterday & now I am officially UNEMPLOYED!! Boo yah!! Wife & I fly out on Tuesday, non-stop Fukuoka to Honolulu, do some house hunting, car buying, a little R&R, then into the new job. It's been great being a part of JB.com, and I keep getting recognized by people in Iwakuni saying, "Hey, are you thaiguy? You helped me out so much before we came!" It's very gratifying to know that people really did benefit from the wisdom on these pages.

I won't be on JB very much in the future, but I'll probably check in from time to time. I definitely still have opinions on just about everything other than disposal of large trash items at Yokosuka. I'm having fun on the blogs & webboards of Hawaii, seeing how stressed out the Navy wives are adapting to their new culture. They got NO CLUE. Example: "Does anyone know a good hibachi restaurant near Pearl Harbor? I need some good Chinese food!" In my typical thaiguy fashion I kinda went off on her, in the hopes that maybe someday she will understand the difference between China & Japan. It's a slim hope; I can see my work is cut out for me. :-)

See y'all out there in cyberspace!! Have a great tour.

Bon voyage!

I lived in Laie (near the North Shore) until we got married then we lived in Kailua and then Kaneohe. My husband was stationed at MCBH (K-Bay). We really preferred the windward side of the island - Kailua and Kaneohe. We have never lived on base yet (Japan might be our first time). I worked in Kaneohe and had many co-workers who lived at Pearl Harbor or lived in Kaneohe with spouses working at Pearl. What's really nice about Kaneohe is that you get the definitely friendlier/less racist side (and definitely much prettier and better breezes!) of the island and still just a 20 minute commute to Pearl on the H2. In Kailua we lived near Enchanted Lake (Keolu Lakes area) and in Kaneohe we lived in Temple Valley. We moved to Kaneohe when kids started being born because you could get more house for the money but still be in a lower crime area than many places on the leeward side of the island. The worst areas for racism are closer to Pearl; try to avoid Waimanolo, Waianae, Kalihi, and Aiea in the evenings. Overall Hawaii's still one of the lowest violent crime states in the nation but those are some of the "rougher" areas. And really, part of the problem is if you're white but there's more of an issue if you're white AND military. There's a very loud minority attempting to break Hawaii away from the USA. Mililani's a nice area, too, but tends to be further away from more things than other cities but you might be able to get more house for money there. You'll have plenty of company in the form of roaches, ants, centipedes and geckos. Cane spiders are only really bad when the fields are being burned. We absolutely loved our time there and hope to take orders there again some day - take the kids back, show them hospital where born, first places lived, etc. Also, get a Hawaii driver's license. Just having that will often get you 10% discount at many places - especially anything that's typically deemed a tourist spot. If you suffer any form of respiratory issues like asthma, be sure to check into a hotel room for New Year's Eve. Fireworks are insane - the smoke gets so thick - and the slat windows common in Hawaiian homes don't keep it out.

Just wanted to add that if you'd like anyone to connect with, some of the friendliest people we knew were in Kaneohe and Kailua. We are still in touch with many of our "local" friends there - can pass along any questions you might have, etc.

Hi Thai Guy,

We have just PCS'd from Hawaii, lived off base for three years in Kailua. Loved it!  My husband was at Tripler for two years and also made the commute to Pearl.  If you live in Kailua/Kaneohe close to the H3, the commute is 30 min, little traffic, and some of the most beautiful scenery you've ever seen.

Kailua is a very hot market, great time to buy because it is taking off.  Just built a Whole Foods and Target is coming in the next year.  I have a great buyer's agent for you, she's a friend and lives in the Kailua area, so she knows it well:

Diane Pizarro

 
Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties
970 North Kalaheo Avenue, Suite C-215
Kailua, HI 96734
Email: DianeP@CBPacific.com 
Cell: 808-343-0659
www.cbpacific.com/DianeP

You will love Hawaii.  Feel free to ask more, especially if you have kids and need the scoop on schools.  It's not an easy move from that perspective, but workable.

Aloha,
Robyne

Hi, I just had a chance to read the other posts and agree with Red. The windward side of the island was a wonderful choice for us and we never experienced any of the racism, even though we were prepared for it.  My biggest piece of advice would be to stay open minded and willing to adjust your expectations.  Hawaii runs at a different pace, life is very laid back (including at work), and that s not necessarily a bad thing - just an adjustment.  My kids and I are having a hard time keeping our shoes on here in Japan!  Hawaii is also not a materialistic place, so the housing standards are a bit lower than that of the mainland.  Think, 60-70's era construction with window a/c units at best, 3br/2ba and 1500 sf for 500-700k, and you won't be disappointed.  What you will get for that is a bike ride away from the most beautiful views and warm blue waters, and, it's all free!  We regularly sat on the beach and said, "just think, people are spending thousands of dollars to come here for vacation, and we jus walked out of our house!".   If you can, use the commissary, but a Safeway card will also get you good discounts in town.  Always ask for the kama'aina rate (local rate), as it can mean half price on hotel rooms, etc.. I was rarely asked for an ID, but out military ID worked if necessary.  Inter-island flights are cheap, so take advantage of this move and go to all the other islands while you are there.  No worries on the fireworks on New Year's any more, they put a ban on fireworks this year because of the pollution issues in the past.   

Also, just be careful of the choice of where you live and traffic.  The H1 is a parking lot at rush hour, and traffic flows toward/away from downtown Honolulu and the UH area.   Ewa Beach as nice newer homes but you will get stuck in traffic on the H1.  Kaneohe and Kailua have a better commute because of the less-crowded H3, even though the physical distance is further.  Hawaii Kai is beautiful, but again, you will have to manage H1.  Mililani is also nice, but again, H1 issues at rush hour.  North Shore is a real Hawaii experience, but it's remote.

Based on your posts and sense of adventure, I think it will be a great experience for you!

Having spent 1/2 of my 20 years in the Navy stationed in Hawaii and then retiring there and going to work as a USCS for over 3 more before moving to Japan, it is safe to say I do like Hawaii. That said, there are challenges and there is definately prejudice shown to "haoles" and this is sometimes severe enough to be called racism. Working in the Ship Yard you will eventually gain a certain level of acceptance, but never full acceptance. I found it to be helpful to participate in work events, especially if it involves food/beer, have your wife cook up some good Thai food for each of these and it will actually help you get accepted.
I have rented everything from a studio apartment to a 2 bedroom and I have bought 2 houses and sold one in Hawaii. The last agent we used worker very hard for us, but things are a little more laid back than in San Diego, another place we owned 2 homes over the years. Debbie Young R, CRS, Help-U-Sell Honolulu Properties, 808-228-0661, she did a good job for us. We used an agent a few years ago that really did not do her job well and she worked for Caldwell Banker, I think she actually has her own agency now. Interview agents and find you you seem to fit well with. Another thing I would suggest, don't be afraid to go outside Hawaii for mortgage financing, I found you can get better deals from "mainland" national companies. It might take a little longer to get through escrow, but it was worth it for us.
Having lived there for enough years there is no any part of that island I am not fairly familiar with. I would agree with the posters who recommend Kailua/Kaneohe, though there are parts of Kaneohe I would avoid. I have heard some folks complain because there stuff was corroding (metal picture frames, etc.) when they lived in Kailua, that is part of being near what has been voted by "Travel" magazine as one of the most beatiful beaches in the world. Definately stay away from Waimanalo (East/Northeast) and Waianae (West side), those are "local" areas and the least friendly to outsiders or folks not born there. I lived in Hawaii Kai, 1 mile in from one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline anywhere. I worked at Schofield Barracks, a 35 mile, one-way trip. I would actually go through Waimanalo to Kailua and take the H-3 over to miss the downtown traffic, this cut about 10-15 minutes off my drive and only added 2 miles. I would not recommend that long of a drive, but I was definately away from all the military influence, very few in Hawaii Kai. A friend of ours lived in Mililani for 5-6 years and they always said it did not feel like they were living in Hawaii. They ended up buying a house in Makakilo and loved it, she got a job at the new Disney Resort, took her less than 10 minutes to get to work, the other direction (toward PH) is a different story. The Ewa (pronounced EVA) plain (Ewa, Barbers Point, Kapolie) is the hot/dry part of the island, sometimes called the desert because it rains so little out there, be careful of the neighborhood if you go this way, a lot of petty crime (car breakins, etc.) in this area. Though to some degree this is true all over in Hawaii, not much hard core crime, quite a bit of small stuff.
I have lived in San Diego a couple times and have talked to folks from LA, Hawaii traffic can rival that famous LA traffic. In about 1997 there was a jack-knifed semi that blocked all the lanes in one direction of the H-1 downtown, it shut down the island for the better part of that day, there was litterally a traffic jam all the way around the island. There have been other similar instances, like when the Army truck hit a pedestrian overpass at 2:30 PM and they shut down one direction of the H-1 in Pearl City, took some folks 8 hours to get home, there were folks walking to get food and back to their cars because it was not moving.
You will be living on the most remote land mass on the planet (as in how far removed it is from any other land) and one of the most beautiful places on the planet, take advantage of it. Travel to the outer islands, learn to snorkle, go hiking and take lots of pictures. Learn about the islands, you are very near the most active volcanoe on the planet. Learn about the real culture (Pidgon is not the Hawaiian language, it is from the Japanese/Chinese imigrants, though it has become how the locals speak) and you will find Hawaii a very fasinating place.
As we say in the Navy "Fair winds and following seas", you have been very helpful on JB, even in that 2% of posts that were a little less than patient. You will enjoy Hawaii, just like any other place it has it's good points and some not so good points, in the end it is what you make of it.

Thanks Rob. This is great advice and we will definitely plan on sharing Thai food. I appreciate all your info about getting around and where to live. We plan at first to rent a furnished condo around Pearlridge (Aiea) for about 6 months, then decide to buy or rent something around Kaneohe. I've visited there before & it's a nice area. After 3 years in the backwaters of Iwakuni we've kinda gotten used to a quieter lifestyle. Take care!