Base guide

Camp Zama

5 min read

  • 8 sections
  • 10 sources
On this page
  1. In-processing
  2. Housing rules by status
  3. Schools and child care
  4. Medical care: no emergency room on post
  5. Pets
  6. Driving
  7. Legal assistance
  8. Calls to make before you fly

Camp Zama, in Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, is run by U.S. Army Garrison Japan; MilitaryINSTALLATIONS lists it as “USAG Japan, Zama”. Families also live in the Sagamihara Family Housing Area, about 3 miles from the main base.

In-processing

Before you arrive, your sponsor schedules your in-processing appointment with the Camp Zama Military Personnel Division in Building 102 (DSN 263-4122 or 263-8699). According to the Camp Zama check-in page, on arrival your unit signs you in from PCS absence and you and your sponsor report to Building 102, in uniform, with your PCS orders. Civilians and family members also schedule ID card appointments; civilians need a verification of employment and DD Form 1172-2.

If something goes wrong at the airport, the Camp Zama emergency assistance page notes there are no DoD assistance counters at Narita or Haneda; contact your sponsor, or the Camp Zama Staff Duty NCO at 090-3579-6967, DSN 315-263-5302.

Housing rules by status

The Camp Zama government housing page sets them out:

  • Unaccompanied enlisted, E-1 to E-6: mandatorily assigned to unaccompanied housing; coordinate a barracks room with your sponsor and unit. Temporary Lodging Allowance is not authorized.
  • Unaccompanied officers and senior NCOs, E-7 to E-9: “will reside off-base.” Report to the unaccompanied housing office and get a Certificate of Non-Availability for off-post housing within 48 hours (2 business days) of arrival.
  • Key and essential personnel are required to live on the installation unless the Garrison Commander approves an exception in writing.
  • Accompanied service members whose assignment orders are to Camp Zama are mandatorily assigned to Army Family Housing. Accompanied E-7 and above assigned by orders to Sagami General Depot, Yokohama North Dock, NAF Atsugi, Akasaka Press Center or other installations outside Camp Zama proper may live off post without an exception to policy.
  • DoD civilians must live in the off-post community unless the Garrison Commander has designated their position key and essential.
  • Pets are prohibited in unaccompanied housing, including Senior Leaders Quarters.

For family housing, the Camp Zama housing page tells every incoming member to have the sponsor call the Housing Management Office: 011-81-46-407-4687, DSN 315-263-4687. The same page says government and off-base housing are considerably smaller than in the United States, that most off-base homes take only a full-size bed, and asks you not to ship oversized furniture or appliances: Camp Zama uses 100V/50Hz for washers, dishwashers and refrigerators and 220V/50Hz for stoves and dryers, and a stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, washer and dryer are issued for the tour. Housing does not provide linens or towels, and lodging extensions are not authorized while you wait for household goods.

Schools and child care

The Camp Zama education page lists two DoDEA schools: John O. Arnn Elementary School for pre-K to 5th grade, in the Sagamihara Family Housing Area about 3 miles from the main base, and Zama American High School for grades 6 through 12 on Camp Zama, which also serves students from Sagamihara, Naval Air Facility Atsugi and surrounding off-base locations. Age cutoffs are September 1: 4 for Universal Pre-K, 5 for kindergarten, 6 for first grade. School Liaison: Building 680, weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There are two Child Development Centers, Camp Zama CDC in Building 691 and Sagamihara CDC in Building S-107, for children from 6 weeks through kindergarten. Register first at Parent Central Services; the Camp Zama child care page lists 011-81-46-407-4125, DSN 315-263-4125.

Medical care: no emergency room on post

The clinic is the Brig. Gen. Crawford F. Sams U.S. Army Health Clinic, an outpatient facility staffed by family practice providers. The Camp Zama health care page is explicit: “CFSHC does not have emergency or urgent care capabilities.” Inpatient care is referred to the 374th Medical Group at Yokota, U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka, host nation facilities or facilities outside Japan, with translation offered for host nation care.

  • On-base emergency (Camp Zama, Sagamihara Housing Area, Sagami Depot): 911 from DSN, or 046-407-2911 from a Japanese phone. The Department of Emergency Services directs Japanese EMS to you, and the clinic sends a translator.
  • Off-base emergency: 119. The page warns that some 119 operators may not speak English, but Japanese EMS will respond.
  • Military Police: DSN 263-3002 or 046-407-3002 from a cell phone.
  • Global Nurse Advice Line: DSN 888-901-7144 from Japan.

Pets

The Camp Zama pet page warns that preparing a pet for Japan “can require up to 8 months”. The requirements follow Japan’s Animal Quarantine Service procedure (ISO microchip, two rabies vaccinations, a rabies antibody test, notification at least 40 days before arrival, a health certificate issued within ten days of arrival), set out step by step in the Kadena Air Base guide. Camp Zama adds its own rule: pets entering Japan must be brought to the Camp Zama Veterinary Treatment Facility within 72 hours of arrival for an initial quarantine assessment. Dogs over 150 pounds including the kennel are not authorized on AMC flights.

Driving

You need a USFJ Form 4EJ, issued through the Vehicle Registration Office on Camp Zama, and the legal driving age in Japan is 18. The Camp Zama motor vehicles page limits each licensed driver to one registered four-wheeled and one two-wheeled vehicle, and a household to three four-wheeled vehicles; permanent registration is due within 5 calendar days of acquiring a vehicle, and you need Japanese Compulsory Insurance plus personal liability coverage of at least 30,000,000 yen for bodily injury and 3,000,000 yen for property damage.

Japan’s 0.03% blood alcohol limit and the Japan-wide liberty policy (a 1 to 5 a.m. curfew for personnel 19 and under, no off-installation public drinking from 1 to 5 a.m.) are summarized in the Misawa Air Base guide.

The Camp Zama Legal Assistance Office handles family law, landlord-tenant and lease issues, immigration and naturalization, advance medical directives, and Japanese marriage and other host nation civil law questions, per the Camp Zama legal assistance page.

Calls to make before you fly

Have your sponsor book your Building 102 in-processing slot and call the Housing Management Office about your family’s housing; if you are an unaccompanied E-7 or above and not designated key and essential, plan your off-base search and the Certificate of Non-Availability within your first two business days. Save 046-407-2911 and 119 in your phone, because the clinic on post cannot take emergencies.

Sources

installations.militaryonesource.mil