MCAS Iwakuni

MCAS Iwakuni is the Marine Corps accidentally giving you one of the best overseas assignments in the entire DoD, and then spending the next three years trying to figure out how you got so lucky. The Kintai Bridge is Instagram gold, Hiroshima Peace Memorial is a train ride away that will rewire your brain, and the ramen — the actual, real, Japanese ramen — will make you question everything you thought you knew about food, flavor, and the meaning of life. Convenience stores here have better food than most American restaurants. That's not an exaggeration. A 7-Eleven onigiri at 2 AM will change your theological views. The base is modern with a recently rebuilt runway and facilities that make stateside bases look like they were built during the Truman administration (because they were). Miyajima Island with its floating torii gate is a short ferry ride away. The 96-hour liberty to Tokyo is the closest the Corps gets to saying 'we're sorry about 29 Palms, and also Lejeune, and also that thing with the field day.' Japanese trains run on time with a precision that will make you weep after experiencing military formation schedules. You will come home with a ramen addiction, a newfound respect for public transit, and an inability to eat at Olive Garden ever again.