Dungarees In Japan

Dungarees In Japan šŸŒ US Navy Veteran | Educator | JET Alum | First Home in Japan: USS Independence (CV-62), 93-95 | Teaching & Exploring Life in ChÅ«goku, Japan šŸŒø

06/08/2026

The Japanese Shrine Where the Gods Meet ā›©ļø

Did you know that every November, all 8 million Shinto deities leave their home shrines and gather right here?

Welcome to Izumo Taisha in Shimane Prefectureā€”one of the oldest and most sacred sites in Japan. This isnā€™t just an ordinary shrine; itā€™s the spiritual home of the deity of matchmaking and deep life connections.

When you visit, the ritual is unique. Instead of clapping twice like you do everywhere else in Japan, here you bow twice, clap four times, and bow once. Those extra claps are specifically to bless the relationships in your lifeā€”whether itā€™s work, friendship, or family.

Add this ancient wonder to your Japan travel list! šŸ‡ÆšŸ‡µāœØ

Allow me to share with you the biggest challenge of my adult life since moving from Japan back to the US in 2007- My wei...
06/08/2026

Allow me to share with you the biggest challenge of my adult life since moving from Japan back to the US in 2007- My weight. Please give this a solid read. I share my story hoping that you will find motivation and encouragement.

A year ago, I weighed 267 pounds. Around Motherā€™s Day 2025, I decided it was time to make a change.

I didnā€™t even own a scale at the time, so for the first several weeks I had no way to measure progress. All I could do was make better choices and trust the process.

On June 27, 2025, I bought a scale and weighed in at 247.5 pounds.

On Saturday, June 6, 2026, the day after the last day of school, that same scale reads 212.0 pounds. Slightly over my 95 kg target weight.

What means the most to me is that I proved somethingā€”not to everyone else, but to myself. For years, I believed losing significant weight while teaching full-time might not be realistic. Between lesson planning, grading, meetings, and the daily demands of the school year, it always seemed easier to put it off until summer.

This past school year proved otherwise.

From the first day back for teachers in August 2025 until the last day of school in June 2026, I lost more than 20 pounds.

The biggest lesson wasnā€™t about diet or exercise. It was learning that meaningful change can happen in the middle of a busy life. You donā€™t need perfect conditions. You just need consistency.

One day at a time adds up.

And sometimes the person you need to prove it to most is yourself.

The Monday Morning Special āš“ļøšŸš½On an aircraft carrier, you donā€™t get to pick your nicknameā€”the deckplates choose it for y...
06/07/2026

The Monday Morning Special āš“ļøšŸš½

On an aircraft carrier, you donā€™t get to pick your nicknameā€”the deckplates choose it for you. Because of my family name, mine was locked in on day one: Stoner.
In the post-Cold War, downsizing Navy of the 1990s, the ā€œGolden Flowā€ random drug testing was a constant reality. If you were an E-3 or below, it felt like your name was permanently on the manifest. Throw in a nickname like mine, and it felt like I was personally handing over a urine sample every single Monday morning. It was all in good fun, but the timing was definitely ironic.

Everyone had a call sign or a nickname on the ship, whether it was earned through a boneheaded mistake, a play on words, or just the luck of your last name.

Did you have a nickname while serving on active duty? How did you earn it? Leave your stories in the comments below! šŸ‘‡

DecksToDesk DungareeSailor GoNavy

Yokosuka VHS: A Sailor in Japan in 1994The complete archive from the 1994ā€“1995 deployment is officially unlocked. As sho...
06/07/2026

Yokosuka VHS: A Sailor in Japan in 1994

The complete archive from the 1994ā€“1995 deployment is officially unlocked. As shown in the images, the master track lists cover everything from heavy deck operations at sea to liberty runs across Japan.
Here is the full lineup sitting in the queue:

Roppongi- December 1994
Yokohama- December 1994
Chinatown with Hiroko Saito (female acquaintance)
Kamakura on New Yearā€™s Eve
Mt. Fuji and Lake Hakone Tour- January 1995
Refueling with the USNS Guadalupe
22nd Birthday at Sea in the Tokyo Bay
At Sea & Flight Ops (including the Last Underway)

We are deciding which episode drops first. Drop your vote in the comments below.

06/05/2026

Go! Go! Curry šŸ›

06/05/2026

Thick, dark, and richā€”Go! Go! Curry delivers the ultimate Kanazawa-style experience. Served on a classic steel plate with shredded cabbage and a crispy pork cutlet, this is pure Japanese comfort food.

Perfectly positioned between the base and the train station, itā€™s the ultimate bridge for the Iwakuni community. Grab a spork and fuel up! šŸ›šŸ”„

06/04/2026

The first version of this video didnā€™t hit the mark, so weā€™re re-shooting it with a straight-talk reality check. šŸ“Š

When you leave the military, your biggest enemy isnā€™t the civilian job marketā€”itā€™s a lack of liquidity. In 1997, I transitioned with zero savings because I was used to the military safety net covering my food, housing, and medical. That mistake turned everyday life events into instant crises.

An emergency fund is the ultimate shock absorber for your transition. It transforms a potential disaster into a minor inconvenience and ensures you make your next career move out of strategy, not desperation.
Take the target one step at a time:

1- Donā€™t get overwhelmed about the 6-month total right now.
2- Build a $1,000 starter shield immediately.
3- Once thatā€™s secure, systematically build your perimeter to 3ā€“6 months of expenses.

There is a direct correlation between your daily expenses and your bank account. Having a solid emergency fund Takes a lot of pressure off of you when you are transitioning back to civilian life. Are you protected, or running around half cocked? Letā€™s discuss below.

06/01/2026

I got over 50 reactions on my posts last week! Thanks everyone for your support! šŸŽ‰

06/01/2026

No Japanese? No problem... or is it? šŸ‡ÆšŸ‡µ

Tokyoā€™s corporate scene loves promoting the ā€œEnglish-Firstā€ trend. Ever since Rakuten launched its ā€œEnglishnizationā€ mandate back in 2010, a wave of tech giants, AI startups, and robotics firms have ditched Japanese fluency requirements on paper, pushing employees to hit high TOEIC benchmarks to globalize overnight.

But letā€™s be totally honest: mandating a language doesnā€™t magically make a workforce fluent. Talk to anyone on the ground, and theyā€™ll tell you the unfiltered reality often looks a lot more like ā€œJanglish,ā€ silent meetings, and decision-making that still happens entirely in Japanese behind closed doors once the official English presentations are over.

While tech and product bubbles are genuinely opening up to global talent, traditional operations still run deep.
Are these English-first mandates a true global shift, or just clever corporate PR? Let me know your thoughts below! šŸ‘‡

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