14 Things We Love About YOKOTA AIRBASE

We thought we'd introduce you to Yokota Airbase by listing a few things we love about it. Here goes...

1. Airman's Attic

This is my FAVORITE store! You'll never believe this, but everything is FREE!!! It's a second hand store that has NO prices!!! SERIOUS!!! You can take 1 big item & 3 bags of smaller items PER DAY! I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! It's also been a great place to get rid of extra things we find around the house that aren't being used.

Here are a few of the many things we've gotten there...

...a twin mattress, a twin box spring, this safety rail, and the Lightning McQueen comforter (thanks to my friend Becky) all for FREE at Airman's Attic.

Jayden was really excited about this Darth Vader toy...

It's been really nice to have this place...especially since we just moved in and have needed many little things like organizers, shelves, curtains, curtain rods, dust buster, toys for Shane's reception area, etc. etc.

Not only do we have this store, but we also have our own THRIFT STORE on base!

2. Self Help Store

This is my SECOND FAVORITE store on base! It's like a really mini home depot. It's got every machine or garden tool you can think of to rent (so you don't have to find storage for them). You can also get tape, paint, brushes, nails, childproof locks, hooks, ant & bug sprays, weed killer, grass seed, light bulbs, shower nozzles, recycle bins, sandpaper, etc. etc. etc for FREE. Can you see why I love it so much? I go there so much that the lady at the front desk remembers our house number (we give them our house number when we check out). We just built a fence in our backyard and got ALL of the supplies there (minus the wood). We also got paint to repaint our fence...for FREE. They really try to take care of us here.

3. National Anthems

At 5:00 p.m. everyday the Japanese & American National Anthems are both played over a loud speaker (see video below). Every person stops what they are doing, every kid stops playing, every car stops driving and everyone has a few moments of silence.

The first time I heard it I was really confused on what was going on. Shane and I had no idea what we were supposed to do. But I must admit that it has really grown on me. I get emotional EVERY time this happens...I just love it! It's a very spiritual moment...even my kids are quiet for the most part (which doesn't happen very often)!

Today I was painting the fence when it came on. I was trying to hurry and finish the slab I was doing and Jayden yelled from the porch "MOM, you need to stop painting!" He's such a big boy, I'm glad he understands that it is something special.

I hope it's not too distracting that I'm videoing all around me. Notice there are no cars driving or any kids playing. Our street is usually pretty busy, but at 5:00 p.m. everything stands still.

4. yokotaads.com

It's like a craigslist just for our base. It's awesome! We found the kids some bikes, a playhouse, and our fence from it. I've also sold a bunch of stuff on it and they've all sold in less than 1 day. If you go to the website scroll all the way down. You'll see all the recent items that were posted. I'm addicted! Why buy something for full price when you can get it for dirt cheap :)

5. This road...

This is right around the corner from where we live. These are Cherry Trees and I heard they are BEAUTIFUL in the Spring time! I am so excited!

6. The Japanese Gate Guards

We love these guys! They check every one's I.D. as you enter the base. We have a favorite one. He's this cute, little, older Japanese man. He's always really serious, but we think he's rad! (I'll try and get a picture soon).

7. Medical Facilities

We haven't had to wait for more than 5 minutes at any medical facility we've been to...so far (doctor's appointments, lab work, dentist, immunizations, etc.)! I don't even have enough time to fill out any questionnaires before they call us back. This is SOOOO different from California and waiting for HOURS on end!

8. Arts & Crafts Center

It's like having our own little Michael's! I'm quite impressed with their selection. They also have a pottery store where you can paint and fire your pottery.

9. Immediate Vicinity to the Flight Line

We live so close to the flight line that we actually drive right over it every day. If you happen to hit the runway at the right time you can see an airplane coming directly at you as it is taking off or landing (see below). The kids love seeing so many airplanes each day!

See the lights on the airplane right in the middle of the picture? (click on the picture to see it better) I happen to have my camera next to my seat the other day when I was crossing the flight line and 2 planes had JUST landed.

10. It's Own Airport

Yokota Airbase has it's own Terminal. The Space Available flights come right in & out of our base. This means if we want to fly standby on military cargo planes, then we can for FREE. We hope this will help us get back to the states (it'll take us to Seattle) and to some nearby countries. It flies to places like the Phillipines, Guam, Korea, Singapore, etc. Let's just hope we don't get there and then not be able to get back:(

11. American Food

This is my 1st base to live on and to be honest I didn't expect to be able to get any American food over here. But, the commissary (our grocery store) looks just like one in the states and has almost everything American we need. I couldn't believe it.

There are many places to eat on base as well. Sure...most of them are fast food, but when you're craving American food...even Taco Bell sounds Fabulous! We have a Chili's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Cinnabon, Subway, Baskin Robbins, a Thai restaurant, a Japanese diner, a 50's diner (coming soon) and a bunch of other random restaurants. There are also many McDonald's nearby. Don't worry, even though this is all available...we still try to get out and find good Japanese restaraunts!

12. Names on Doors

Everyone's housing quarters have their names on them. This makes it really easy to find peoples homes...especially when you don't remember exactly what number they live in.

13. Golf Course

We've got our own little golf course right here on base. It's little, but it'll work. There are bigger golf courses at 2 nearby military facilities. Shane's very excited!

14. Shrink Wrap

We love how they shrink wrap the vehicles that are NOT being used.

All in all...we really like this place! Come visit us and we'll show you :)