Hey guys,

Well im starting to tire of my job and everything is starting to feel much like a career than an experience overseas. My partner and I both dislike our jobs and feels its kind of time for a change.

We would like to move somewhere more regional, near the ocean as we really like surfing and swimming. Anyway, we ve been thinking of places like Nagasaki, Kochi in Shikoku but my partner really likes the idea of Okinawa.

Can someone give me an idea of what living in Okinawa is like and is it difficult to find work. I might just try and get an ALT position or something. Maybe we are thinking too unrealistic but we need that change.

Some of the smaller Islands, do they have schools? and what sort of populations? What do you recommend as a great place in Okinawa?

 

Partner

 

haha...well gf sounds so like im in junior high, i thought it sounded more mature....lol.

 

hahaha I hear Okinawa is beautiful but I have never been. Why not take a couple trips around before you choose a spot.

 

yeah we will, we arent looking at going anywhere until maybe late this year.

 

I have lived in Okinawa for the past two years. There is a few of us on the forum located here on Okinawa. Sorry, but the smaller islands dont have not much there for what I have read and been told.

 

The salaries paid in Okinawa are much lower than those on the main island.

Housing is somewhat cheaper but the prices on the newer apartments/houses is starting to escalate.

There are lots of nice beaches in Oki but if you are looking for big waves you'll have to wait until a storm approaches the Okinawa shores for medium to big wave action.

 

which is every weekend...... it's a government conspiracy

 

i like it, but im stationed there and living on base, so i dont really know anything about houseing cost or cost of living. Just how quickly i can spend a few hundred dollars in one weekend. and where those special massage parlors are located

 

okinawa is great.. it's what you make of it. there's so much to do when it comes to water sports and such. but right now, the yen rate sucks so bad, you'd be losing money by using american dollars. and fyi i hope you know that almost half the island is occupied by us marines.. oh and you'll def need to know some japanese here or it'll be a little tough

 

1/2 the island is not occupied by US Marines. And you can get around fine knowing zero japanese. Although, as with anywhere, your experience will be EASIER and BETTER if you know some. Since you would be coming from mainland Japan, I dont think that will be a problem.

 

Weird to the wise - keep your comments to yourself if you do NOT know what you are talking about!

 

"WORD" to the wise - keep your stupid comments to yourself and stop bashing others when all they're doing is trying to give some insight to those who requested it. And FYI, I DO know what I'm talking about because I'm still living here smart a**.

I was over exaggerating that half the island is occupied by US Marines, BUT there are currently at least 6+ Marine Corps bases here, not including the vast amount of training grounds present throughout the island, as well as one large Air Force Base. And yes, you can get around fine knowing zero japanese... but from my personal experience, it is a little difficult, which was what I was trying to point out. Normally, you just end up trying to guess what each of you are saying to one another with the help of sign language..

 

Wow, you live in Okinawa but know very little about it.... bwahahahahaha!! Oh yeah, people are really going to trust your misinformation. Just in case you didn't notice, you are not the only person on this forum who resides in Okinawa. Duhhhhh!!

Sometimes people will pretend like they do not understand "Eigo" when they do not want to talk to you. But for the most part, quite a few people on this lovely hunk of coral have a decent grasp of "Eigo". Learning the language (Japanese and Okinawan Hogen) will help if you go to the "off the beaten path" places where you find people who rarely leave their local communities.

Keep your exaggerated misinformation to yourself!!

"Weird to the wise" is appropriate when talking to you. hahahahaha!

 

야 이섹이.. 씨그러워라.. 위에 있는사람위해서 도와줘야되는데 니가 뭐하고 있냐? 되게 멍충이 시발.. 만냑에 이거 번녁하면 니가 진짜.. 하하하하 not even worth my time

 

I do believe OKINAWA is the topic of discussion so I don't see how "broken" Korean relates to the discussion.

Bigwillie - when are you planning to come down? I know somebody who might be able to help you with the teaching positions! He's a crazy Brit who pimps an EVO III.

 

Okinawa ahhhhh..... I just heard it was something like 21 deg. out there. I hate you all I am freezing here in the Kanto area but then again the mainland definately has its perks.

 

WTF? This is getting weird.
Gays, Korean?
Why do you say you live in Okinawa when your profile says NY?

 

Just came back to Oki for the second time. I just bought myself a '94 RX7, can't wait to start doing some work on it and learning more about it.

 

Hey Big Willie! What about Shizuoka. You could give a hand with Suruga Performance and I can introduce you to plenty of English schools (if it's what you meant by schools)

 

ITs been a few years since I moved up to mainland from Oki, but the meat of the situation is this. The overall cost of living is lower, but the overall pay is also. While cars (at least while I was there) play a more important role for the younger people (no train system, buses are rarely on schedule) they do not have as much to spend on big name parts. lots of bimbo tuning over there, and the inspection was much more of a pain then it is in the kanto region. I literally had 3 engines for every car I built. A stone stocker for inspections and a spare for when I popped one.

kenn