Moving is stressful, add in a move to a foreign country, and stress levels go through the roof. One thing you may begin to stress about is what you’ll be able to purchase and what things to buy before moving to Okinawa.

In this article, we will cover some suggestions of things to buy before moving to Okinawa. All of these items can be found on the island, but we suggest you do your own research to determine the items you would need to purchase before moving. If particular brands or sizes are important, then purchasing before moving is a good idea.

DEHUMIDIFIERS

This is one of those items that is highly recommended as things to buy before moving to Okinawa, as supplies are limited on the island. Okinawa is a humid, subtropical climate, with long summers, and mild winters. Dehumidifiers will provide a comfortable atmosphere in your home and save you from mold damage.

The size and quantity of dehumidifiers is determined by your housing situation. Some do not need them since the air conditioning unit has a built in dehumidifier. Other houses you’ll need one in every room and closet.

Since you most likely will not know where you’ll be living, a good rule of thumb is to buy two large capacity dehumidifiers. You are going to want to put one in your main shipment and the other in your express shipment. This way, in theory, with your express shipment arriving first, you will have a dehumidifier as soon as you have a place to live.

With two large dehumidifiers in your HHG, you’ll have one for each floor if you end up in a two story house or one for each main living area of a one story home. If you find your home is very humid, smaller capacity dehumidifiers can be purchased on the island either at a store or an online yard sale page.

When looking at dehumidifiers, pint capacity is based on square footage and the liter capacity is how big the collection tank is. You can use your best guess based on the housing you qualify for to determine your dehumidifier size. You’ll also want to consider one with a removable hose. If you plan to travel frequently, you can set up the hose to drain continuously while you are gone.

The exchanges on the island carry a few types, but quantities and brands are limited and usually sell out in peak PCS season. If you are in a bind, shopping off base for a dehumidifier is an option but the sizes and brands are different and you’ll run into the language barrier in determining which is suitable for your space.

RUGS

You’ll find either cheap, plain rugs or the ornate imported rugs that cost an entire paycheck here on Okinawa. The rugs in local stores are nothing like what you’d expect to find in American stores. They are usually smaller in size and a harder and thinner style of rug.

Most houses or apartments do not come with any wall to wall carpeting, since it’s something that can easily mold. If you prefer to not walk on hard floors in your home, consider rugs as one of the things to buy before moving to Okinawa.

One of the best things I did was to purchase a large, washable rug that came folded up. I had it shipped in my express shipment since it was simply the size of a box. A washable rug is a great option because your rugs will see a lot of wear and tear from all of your adventures on the island.

The sizes of rugs are also limited here. I have never seen anything larger than an 8x10ft rug in the exchanges and out in town you’ll find most are even smaller than that. Amazon will ship smaller rugs, especially if they are the foldable, washable type as they will ship in smaller boxes. But larger rugs might be more difficult to find or have shipped.

ANYTHING WITH LITHIUM BATTERIES

Lithium batteries will NOT ship here 9 out of 10 times. I have found a few smaller items that have rechargeable batteries that have shipped, but if it contains a battery, chances are you won’t be able to get it shipped here.

If you have any toys, electronics or appliances that require this type of battery, consider replacing the battery itself so you have a fresh battery for the next few years. You could also consider replacing the product with one that uses regular alkaline batteries since you can find those easily on the island.

PHONE

This is a tricky subject because there are so many options when it comes to your phone and phone plan when you move to Okinawa. One thing though, if you have a phone and do not own it (ie: you are still making payments to your phone company for the phone) you may run into trouble getting a local phone plan here. Paying off your existing phone or outright purchasing a new phone before moving to Okinawa are both options to consider when you move here.

FURNITURE

One thing to remember when moving here is that anything over 75lbs will not ship here. A quick Amazon search and you can purchase small furniture items but your big tickets items won’t be shipped here. We do have Yellowbox, which is an imported American furniture store, with stores on Foster and Kadena, as well as one in town. But again, as always, your options are limited here in Okinawa.

If you’ve been in the market for a new bed or dresser and have a specific type in mind, consider these as one of the things to buy before moving to Okinawa. Keep in mind, most homes in Okinawa are smaller than the typical American home. Consider purchasing a loft bed if you have kids. This will give them more space in their bedroom to play.

There are many options off base for furniture. And if you are willing to entertain the Japanese style furniture, you’ll have fun shopping around trying to decide which of the 1738 types of cabinets you want to purchase. Furniture styles and sizes definitely vary from the American style that we’re used to.

MATTRESS AND BED FRAME

Along the lines of furniture, purchasing a new mattress may be a good idea if you know yours will need replacing soon. The beds here are A LOT smaller than typical American beds and are also different dimensions. A Japanese twin bed is going to be a different size than an American twin bed. You would need to purchase a Japanese bed frame to fit a Japanese mattress and vice versa.

Many families choose to store their furniture in America and purchase beds in Okinawa, which is a wonderful option. You’ll routinely find families selling their loft beds from Nitori or other Japanese style bedroom sets on the online yard sale pages. While there are many options for new beds here, considering beds as one of the things to buy before moving to Okinawa is an option if you’re looking to upgrade one of your kids beds while here.

BIG TICKET BABY ITEMS

The cultural difference stands true in this category as well. You will find your kids car seats, strollers or bassinets here, but they will be slightly different in style and size than the American counterparts.

If you are like any mom in this modern world and have done your research, you will most likely be more comfortable purchasing these items prior to your arrival to the island. You will find these things on all the yard sale pages and bookoo sites, but these are also used and come with the risk of not knowing the complete history of the item.

CLOTHES AND SHOES

This bears a mention, but is completely a personal choice. Most of the big retailers, like Walmart and Target, ship clothes here now, as opposed to several years ago, when many did not. There are plenty of options for purchasing adult and kids clothes on the island, but if you have kids with certain needs, or are particular about a style of clothes, purchasing some basics to get you through the first 6 months is always helpful.

The exchanges offer the typical clothing selection you’ll see in the states and you’ll find a decent selection in base thrift stores and yard sale pages. So you won’t be without new clothes, but stores off base definitely carry clothes in different sizes and styles than typical American stores.

Conclusion

Purchasing anything before a move always comes with a risk. But paying off our phones, and purchasing dehumidifiers and rugs are the things I would rank at the top of “things to buy before moving to Okinawa”. I think this is a situation where I would implement my favorite traveling rule. If it’s something that cannot be easily purchased at the destination, bring it.

Things to Buy Before Moving To Okinawa List:

For your convenience, I’ve added a bullet list of the items above for you:

• Dehumidifier
• Rugs
• Phone
• Anything with a lithium battery
• Furniture
• Mattress and bed frame
• Baby Items
• Clothing and Shoes

Looking for more? Check out these other popular articles on moving to Okinawa.