Welcome to my Iwakuni information site :-)
The original idea for this page came when we were getting ready
for the big move to MCAS Iwakuni, in 1996. I looked on the Internet for
info, and found little that was useful and in English. I thought
that once I found out some of these things first hand, I'd put what I had found on a site for our families, friends, and anyone (military or civilian) who is interested, so they can find out more about the MCAS Iwakuni area of
Japan,
as we experience it. I've also pulled together as many links that relate to Iwakuni & Japan as I can find, as well as many about military life. There are A LOT more of those now than there were in '96!!! Our three year tour was up in June of 1999, and we are now back in CA, but I plan to leave most of this site up, as it does represent our experience in Iwakuni. I hope you find it useful!
Situated as it is,
on the Seto Inland Sea, with the Nishiki River running through it and the
Ozu River along it's border, there is (unfortunately, from my point of view)
plenty of water to encourage an overabundance of industry. The Iwakuni area is
plagued with chemical, paper, petroleum and textile plants (and don't
forget the crematorium, where the dead bodies are incinerated) as well as
the muck they all put into the environment. The city of Iwakuni is a
very crowded, industrial, and polluted place, but they do at least
have one saving grace- Kikko park where you can find the
Kintai Bridge
and the
Iwakuni Castle.
Within this park are paved trails, water fountains, a small zoo, several
shrines and temples, and grassy areas for picnics. There is a "ropeway"
(a sky-tram) to the top of Mt. Shiroyama, where you will find the castle, as
well as a great view. There are a couple museums in the park, and a
White Snake
exhibit, which has a fee (it also costs a small fee to cross the bridge, or
enter the castle). The base itself, which the US shares with the
JMSDF (Japanese
Maritime Self Defense Force), is going through a lot of changes,
most noticably all the new construction of buildings. Less obvious is
the runway relocation,
which has recently begun, after a long and very political effort. Phase
I of this project involves extending the sea wall, and building a new port,
and is scheduled to be completed in 2002.
We saw and did a lot, while in Japan; I put a BUNCH of photos online to share,
and there will still be more to come! (As I unpack stuff, I'll try to add it.)
In the meantime, use the links at the bottom of the pages (and
the inline links, too) to get additional
information which I haven't covered, yet (or other points of view). I'm constantly on the lookout for more,
and better links, which will give the best picture of this area of Japan. If you run across broken links, let me know, as this site has just gotten too big for me to keep on top of all of it, as I should! Iwakuni is in the
Yamaguchi Prefecture
(a prefecture here is similar to a state in the US), in the Chugoku
region, which consists of five prefectures on the southern end of the main
island of Honshu.
It is also about 45 min-1 hr south, along the coast,
from Hiroshima,
and within shaking distance of Kobe (remember the earthquake?).
Check out the map page. There are 7 maps of the city of Iwakuni, as well as the map of Japan, and a regional map which show the location of Iwakuni. There's also a link to someone else's aerial photo of the base :-) Way cool.
For those of you interested in such things, my research has found that Iwakuni is located at 34°N 132°E. This puts it at about the same latitude as both Los Angeles, CA and Wilmington, NC. Weather-wise, it's a LOT more like coastal NC :-) There is NO Daylight Savings Time, here; Japan doesn't "Spring ahead; Fall back", like we do in the States!
For current satellite views, which do a great job of showing approaching storm systems, try this GMS-JWA site.
Want the latest Yen exchange rate info? Go to CNN Financial Network.
Want to see what Japanese currency looks like? I found an excellent page on Japanese coins by a Japanese-Canadian.
Links to other sites on the Web
MCAS Iwakuni, Japan (Official Page) Beware of Applets! But, you can now read the entire Torii Teller online, tour housing (with photos of both midrise and 4-bdrm townhouse), and still get to the Medical & Dental sites, MCCS site, etc. H&HS still needs to get to work on their section, and there are some things that disappeared in the transfer, that I'd like to see back, but overall this is a great improvement! Of course, I'd be more impressed if they'd ever get their heads out of the sand and link to this site, but I'm sure that will never happen ;-)
MCCS (formerly MWR) Official Page Info on all kinds of MWR activities, current events, and job listings. Sakura Theater and TV listings. Well done, and expanding all the time.
SITES These are the official pages, which you would get sent to from the FSC. Go to "Start", then pick "Asia/Pacific", then scroll down to "MCAS Iwakuni". Double-clicking won't work... use the "Continue" button. Also, be sure to use the "Details" button, when available. The Iwakuni pages WERE somewhat useless; every page you went to said something like "No data at this time". They have improved and rate a link, now :-)
Iwakuni on the Web This page has many photos on and off base, which you may enjoy... the English is creative! One of my favorite quotes: "The people at the base seem to stay at Japan in 3 years. They ride without washing old used Japanese car." :-)
Iwakuni Hometown Homepage
4/29/2001 Or should I say, New Again... this homepage changes it's URL so often, you'd think they don't WANT to be linked to! Well, here it is again, for now, until it changes!
MCAS Iwakuni Site Info Vastly expanded since I first looked at it- this is now a very informative, if a bit sterile, site! From ArmedForces.Com, it is part of a system of frames... (blech!) This link is direct to the main page for MCAS Iwakuni (not loading- 14 Sept 05)
Hiroshima Prefecture www site New URL 7/17/2000
Military Assistance Program (MAPsite) Fairly new military site; lots of room for growth, but they started out with some good topics- relocation & money! Some good links, too! It continues to grow, more each time I check!
Iwakuni City Tourist info in English, with some pictures
VP NAVY This site is dedicated to NAS Iwakuni (a blast from the past, in other words!). New URL 7/17/2000
Japan
Telephone Book- iTownpage Here's a local phone listing page for business and official phone numbers. Or look up phone numbers anywhere in Japan... for Iwakuni, browse for Region "Yamaguchi", then click on "Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi" and enter the business name or category
If you still have questions, after checking out the pages & links, e-mail me! I may not have all the answers, but at least it will give me a better idea of the kind of info people would like to find about Iwakuni. Suggestions will be considered, for now or later. The pages continue to grow, so if you've been here before, be sure to click on 'reload', or you may miss the updates. I'll try to continue to add info as I find it, add pictures when I can & (hopefully) improve the site as I have time.
Check back, and have fun surfin'!
© 1997-2005usmcspencers@usa.net
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