A retired space shuttle pilot looks at the history of naval exploration and naval highlights of the shuttle program. https://ow.ly/zqG050Y9vsR

Next time you’re in Point Loma for dinner, errands, or an appointment please swing by this beautifully maintained symbol of US-Japan friendship!

I will post sad nerd opening videos as they arrive so all the other booksluts can live vicariously through my fiscally irresponsible purchases

Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father have returned to their home in a Minneapolis suburb after being detained by U.S. immigration officers and held at a detention facility in Texas.

Fred Korematsu was vindicated and lives forever for those who defend our civil liberties Today and every day, remember him and one of the darkest moments in American history: the unlawful imprisonment and disenfranchisement of Japanese-Americans in the US. korematsuinstitute.org/what-is-fred...

Apologies for the late notice, but there will be no Saturday blog post this week. We'd love for you to spend the time meeting your neighbors and celebrating what makes America so special - our diverse cultural heritage. Happy discovering!

The #Auschwitz concentration camp complex was liberated on this day 80 years ago January 27 1945 by the Red Army. Some 1.1 million people were systematically murdered here. 1/6

トランプ政権はまたも無実な人の殺人を行い、またそれについての真っ赤な嘘をつく。トランプ政権を支持する日本人がわからない。 www.nytimes.com/live/2026/us...

The Russian Poltava class predreadnoughts consisted of three ships built 1892-1900. Mounting four 12" guns and twelve 6" guns all three participated in the Russo-Japanese War where the Petropavlosk was mined, the Sevastopol scuttled, and the Poltava captured by the Japanese. #NavalHistory

🧵“How do seemingly ordinary people become agents of state murder?” This is one of the guiding questions I ask students in my graduate class on genocide/state violence. With recent events, it is a question many Americans are asking. I do not have a definitive answer, but here is a reading list: 1/

Nearly all of my time in the #Philippines has been restricted to a tiny area in Metro #Manila; I really want to get into the provinces and see sites like this one. #PacificHistoryGuide

Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Murasame-class destroyer JS Ikazuchi (DD-107) coming into Yokosuka, Japan - January 24, 2026 SRC: X-@HNIEHupY4Nr6hRM

With the outbreak of the FWW, the Southern Detachment (battlecruisers Kurama and Tsukuba, armored cruiser Asama, and destroyers Umikaze and Yamakaze) was formed on September 14, 1914, and occupied the Caroline Islands.

You can always count on a historical event to show why current events should be handled with care and thought. #PacificHistoryGuide #Hawai’i

Say what you want about San Diego but living near Liberty Station is pretty dope.

@tonyboccia.bsky.social www.digital.archives.go.jp/img/1379581 jaa2100.org/entry/detail...

In contrast to the US, where most restaurants serve gigantic portions, Japanese restaurants (*usually*) serve food in more modest amounts - and the concept of taking leftovers home with you has never caught on: buff.ly/KYSndx4

The Ghost of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Haunted Osaka Castle)- Supernatural Japan Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t... #Japan #Japanese #Osaka #paranormal #history #travel

The Midway is the youngest aircraft carrier to serve as a museum. We had opportunities to have later ships (Indy, Kitty Hawk, Connie, JFK, etc) serve as the first conventional super carrier museums, but it was not to be. Midway is fantastic, but we could have had so much more. #PacificHistoryGuide

On May 7, between Okinawa and Guam, one Kaiten attacked a ship, reporting that it had sunk an escort carrier or cruiser, before returning to port with two malfunctioning Kaiten aboard. However, there are no relevant records from the Allied side.

On April 20, 1945, I-47 departed Hikari Special Attack Base with six Kaiten aboard. On May 1, three Kaiten launched against a convoy spotted off the coast of Daito Island, reporting that they had sunk two destroyers and one transport.

I’m focused on improving the #Korea page of #PacificHistoryGuide and I’d like your help!

Japanese Christians proselytizing outside of Meiji Jingu during Oshogatsu, the largest time of the year for Shinto shrines, crystallizes why I hate Christianity

We are pleased to announce that Japan Past & Present is now accepting proposals for its Spring 2026 Project Funding cycle! 🎉🗾 We offer short-term support to scholars to create public-facing resources on Japan-related topics to be published on JPP's site. japanpastandpresent.org/en/funding/j...

A very happy new year to all of you from the Boccia family! Akemashite Omedetou!

The #Japan pages of #PacificHistoryGuide are so much more detailed than those for #Korea and the #Philippines. I’d really like some more inside information on local historical sites in those places. If you can help me with adding some more detail, please let me know! Happy new year!

今年も残すところ1日となりました。Bluesky では、来年も日本のみなさんとコミュニティを成長させていくことを楽しみにしています。そのために、専用のフィードを作成しました。 bsky.app/profile/aiha... フィードに投稿するには、投稿にお正月に関するキーワードや新年の挨拶を含めてください。右上のピン:pushpin:アイコンをクリックすると、タブからアクセスできるようになります。 気になるアカウントを新たにフォローしたり、ゆるりと会話を楽しむお正月をお過ごしください:bamboo:

This was under the Christmas tree for me. I e been unable to put it down. Engaging, haunting, chilling, at once fantastic and then all too real. Read this book. #Booksky

Please consider giving the @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social a follow! Their monthly newsletter is a fantastic way to fall down the #WW1 rabbit hole 🙃

And lots downloadable from NDL in English too, such as: 1943 Nippon Today & Tomorrow dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/1112291/... or the massive 1943 edition of "Glimpses of East Asia" (東亜大観) dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/1028324/... by the N.Y.K. shipping company

No shortage of Japanese wartime (propaganda) periodicals available in English for students to explore as (challenging) primary sources: Tokyo Gazette 1937-42 archive.org/search?query... Contemporary Japan 1941-5 froginawell.net/frog/sources...

Finally made it to the Midway today. Fantastic museum, I was impressed with all of it. The one thing I didn’t care for was the aircraft covered in Christmas lights, which I think is tacky and unnecessary. My favorite jet looked like something in a small-town shopping mall.

At the top it says: Sannou Festival Kojimachi 1-choume, 2-choume, 3-choume Children's Manto Sannou Gongen refers to Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine, the guardian deity of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mt Hiei, but in this case it refers to Hie Shrine in Akasaka, Tokyo, which enshrined it.

It’s been a fantastic year for the Boccia family, and a landmark year for me personally. From launching #PacificHistoryGuide to being a frequent guest on @ww2tv.bsky.social and published in the @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social, it’s been a whirlwind for sure and I am so excited for 2026!

Merry Christmas from the Boccia family! 🎄🎅

One of our annual Christmas traditions is watching this masterpiece by Satoshi Kon, ‘Tokyo Godfathers’. If you’ve not seen it, or are looking for a new Christmas movie, this one is for you.

Military analysts in 2025--The Russian military has adapted and pressed forward inexorably and will soon take Pokrovsk. Historians in 2055. The Russian military campaign of 2025 was one of the most self-destructive in modern military history.

The past two weeks have been incredibly busy. On the 5th, I was promoted to Lieutenant Commander, alongside my family and with my squadron as witness. This milestone, which feels like the turning of the tide for my life and career, was immediately counterbalanced by a death in the family. 1/2

The resources page of #PacificHistoryGuide is essentially the third layer of the website, after the blog and the location pages. If you found something interesting that you think should be added, please let me know! Thanks for all the support for this project, my labor of love. Happy holidays!

It’s been an interesting week for the Boccia Family. Last Friday, I was fortunate to promote to Lieutenant Commander with my family by my side. That afternoon as we were sitting down to some celebratory drinks and food, I got the call that my Nonna Lela passed away. 1/3

It’s been an interesting few days here, with a long-awaited promotion followed quickly by a death in the family. I’ve tried to avoid posting but today we mark 84 years since the Day of Infamy. Be well you all.

Tests are being conducted on the Hein-style seaplane retrieval mat. The video shows the German ship Westfalen.

When the forces of postwar economic growth keep unearthing painful reminders of the wartime past: three episodes from Tokyo 1) June 1967: construction crews expanding the Tozai line discover the remains of 4 adults and 2 children entombed in an air raid shelter in Koto ward.

If you’re in the San Diego area and want to attend, feel free!

It’s on our shelf! Get a copy you won’t regret it!

Oh eff off, @atlassian.bsky.social #fuckAI

I don’t live in Victoria and may never see the inside of this library but petitions and causes like this are a no-brainer. Sign and send!

#OTD Nov. 30 1908 the Root-Takahira Agreement was signed, one of many preventative steps to avoiding war between the U.S and Japan. Both agreed to maintain the status quo in the Pacific in addition to Japan honoring the open door in China and America acknowledging Japanese mastery in Manchuria.

Do better, Japan. 😔 news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ecb...

At a loose end tomorrow? @thegreatwargroup.bsky.social book club is back for winter. From 8pm UK you can quiz myself and @pikegrey1418.bsky.social all about Ring of Fire! Email [email protected] for zoom logins