Moving OCONUS is a whole new experience, especially if you haven’t done it before. When moving your entire family, you have three separate shipments to plan for: Express or Unaccompanied Baggage (UAB), Household Goods (HHG), and Non-Temp Storage (NTS). Let’s explore what to pack in your Household Goods Shipment when PCSing to Okinawa.
As of the writing of this article, you are allotted 100% of your weight to be shipped OCONUS…but we don’t recommend it! The houses here in Okinawa are small and storage is lacking. You will want to put much of your household items into NTS.
Your Household Goods are basically anything outside of your Express Shipment that you want to bring to Okinawa with you. This will be all your large furniture, your televisions, and all your major needs.
A few things to note that are unique to Okinawa:
- You DO NOT need your washer and dryer! These are provided to you in base housing and even off-base. You will be “loaned” these for the entire duration of your tour here.
- You DO need your lawn equipment- mowers, edgers, clippers. You are responsible for lawn maintenance on your property here even though most houses do not have fences. You can borrow items from the hardware centers here on base (it’s free!) but it’s first come, first serve. You can also purchase lawn care items here but they are quite expensive. There are also several companies that offer lawn services like Oki Cuts, an American family-owned business.
- If you want to install a fence while here (which you can do!) it is recommended that you buy fencing material and have it shipped with HHGs. It is very expensive to purchase here.
- Having you been eyeing a Peloton or other exercise equipment? Purchase before you arrive here- large items like this are not able to be shipped here. There are some options at the Exchange, though, but they are limited to certain brands.
Here is a list of some other items you will want to pack with your Household Goods when PCSing to Okinawa:
- Beds
- Nightstands
- TV stands
- TV
- Computer (desktop)
- Desks
- Chairs
- Kitchen dining sets
- The rest of your dishes, glasses, and cooking items that didn’t go in UAB
- Large decor like pictures and mirrors
- End tables
- Couch/sofa/living room items
- Large rugs (if they wouldn’t take UAB)
- Bedroom sets
- Clothing that you don’t need right away
- The rest of your bedding
- Vacuum
- Holiday decor
- Tools
- ProGear
- Books
- Weights, and other workout equipment
- Purchase these items ahead of time if you think you might want them when you get there and don’t have them yet. Workout equipment like bikes and treadmills are hard to find
- Fencing if you have a single family home
- Purchase before you arrive if you want a fence. Fencing is expensive here but you can install a fence if you want!
- Lawn equipment if you have a single family home
- You must maintain your own lawn! Bring a lawnmower and edger if you can.
- You can rent them for free at Eagle Hardware if you don’t want to bring these
If you need some large furniture items when you arrive to Okinawa, the best place to shop is Yellow Box. This store is owned by a retired Marine, and has American style furniture. While we love shopping local, too, we find that the furniture is more our style at Yellow Box!
There is a warehouse out in town, but they also recently opened a location on Camp Foster.
We also love to shop at the thrift stores on base (Marine Thrift Shop on Camp Foster and Kadena Thrift Shop on Kadena) for necessary items before our Household Goods arrive.
And if you are looking for some unique decor, Marine Gift Shop and the Fleet Gift Shop are great places to source some beautiful items!
Want all this information in one spot? Grab our FREE Ultimate PCS Guide to Okinawa!
Drop your email and we will send you an ebook version of our guide, as well as send you updates on things to do here in Okinawa!
