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I'm at Kadena on my second tour. First tour was in 2002-2006 as military and now i'm here as a civilian since 2010. The scene here has changed dramatically, for sure! Like it was mentioned above, the place I used to drift at is now closed (Nago). Went there one weekend to show my 6 year old what's up, but it was closed, I couldn't beleive it! Hardly any good shops for parts like there used to be, but you can still find some. I live near Up Garage, but there's hardly anything good and if you want to order something from mainland, it'll cost you a few bucks more because of shipping.
You can get any car here in okinawa, but it'll cost you more because they all come from mainland, this if you are buying from the dealer. You may get lucky if you buy one from someone on base for a decent price. Just an example: on my first tour, I bought my S13 Silvia Tommy Kaira edition for $1300 (red top)! It was auto, but I converted it to manual for $500. Now days, you'll be paying over $5000 for a decent s13 or 180sx.
Okinawa as a place is pretty decent, but the base ops tempo is nuts! The trade off of coming to okinawa is that you'll have good weather year round. It'll rain, but it won't snow and the cold season only lasts about 2 months, but it won't be really cold, so that's your trade off. If you go to mainland, it gets cold as heck!!!! But you have access to more cars, parts and tracks...chicks look better too! lol
Anyhow, good luck on you decision and please don't let any of our comments discourage you from anything. I still like it here on Okinawa and will be here for another two years...it's bearable to say the least.
Peace!
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