About

I’m fueled by a passion for history…being a social studies teacher is kind of related to that. Among other things, I also love studying about Japan and I’ve swallowed a bit too much seawater.

My two great passions in life are Japan and the sea.

With regard to Japan:

I’m what’s called a Japanologist, which is like an Egyptologist but oriented toward Japan. This means I’ve spent the better part of the last 15 years (and counting) researching Japanese people, society, culture, history, and language. I also lived in Japan for 5 years working as an English teacher. I love Japanese culture (being Japanese-American helps). That being said, my interest in Japan goes beyond mere superficial things like anime, sushi, or the Japanese language, but rather is more along the lines of sociology. Truth be told, I’m not that big into anime, I don’t read manga, and I only study the language insofar as is necessary.

With regard to the sea:

I’ve spent too much time (18 years and counting) around Navy sailors and Coast Guardsmen (the occasional Marine as well). While I’m certainly no Ferdinand Magellan, Horatio Nelson, John Paul Jones, or Douglas Munro, I’m fascinated by the stuff that covers 70% of Earth’s surface, how it has influenced our history, and the vessels that move on, above, and below it.

When you combine the two passions, it means that I spend a lot of time researching the Pacific Theater of WWII, but I have a general interest in East Asia and maritime history. Hence, how this blog came about.

I mentioned that I was a teacher:

That’s right! I’m a licensed and certified social studies teacher (at the secondary level). I’ve done many things in education (or in related fields) throughout the years since roughly 2010. I’ve tutored various subjects both in a volunteer and a professional capacity, I’ve taught English as a second language abroad, and I’ve even been a martial arts instructor. That said, the changing winds of education in the United States and the COVID-19 Pandemic (and its fallout) spelled an end for my career as a classroom educator. Having become hugely fed up with the dysregulated student behavior, the disrespect, and the general societal indifference (not to mention ignorance) toward public education, I left the teaching profession feeling bitter and disillusioned.

Life after teaching

Since leaving classroom teaching, the only work I do anymore in the classroom is as a substitute teacher and only at the high school level. I’ve transitioned into museum work and currently work as the supervisor on the submarine museum ship USS Blueback. I originally began as a submarine tour guide (AKA submarine educator) and then took my current role in 2024 overseeing operations and supervising the crew (tour guides) on board. Funny enough, in addition to giving daily tours, I still occasionally work in classrooms at the museum teaching submarine-related science labs. I find the job to be far more suited to my temperament. It’s a lot less stressful and much more rewarding. I work with a solid crew of professionals (some of who are retired Navy/submarine veterans), and I only have to deal with the occasional obnoxious screaming kid(s) for 45 minutes at a time. Plus, there are actual (enforceable) consequences for acting out or being disrespectful on the submarine during tours. Ironically, I have more authority and more weight to my decisions working on a small museum ship than I did working in a public school classroom.

When you add it all up, it’s a wild and strange ride. But it beats working retail, flipping burgers at a fast food joint, or being treated like garbage by screen-addicted kids who care more about their phones than having empathy for others.