I started this blog without a clear plan. Just a feeling — that I needed a place to slow down and put words to what’s quietly unfolding. Maybe it’s about rediscovery, or maybe it’s about noticing the small things that make a life feel whole. Either way, this is where I begin.
-
50.
Celebrating my 50th birthday at Natsunoya in Honolulu (November 15, 2025) I am throwing it back to this past November 15 when Mike threw me the best surprise birthday party ever. It was held at the Natsunoya Tea House with the perfect view of Honolulu in the background.
The room was filled with family and friends all dressed up (I thought they were there for something else!). It was such a moving evening that wouldn’t have happened without Mike.
-
Peaches.
Peaches found a resting place atop a stack of Tupperware Modular Mates (November 26, 2025) This is my baby girl. She has been with us for a while now and has always been my little snuggle bug. Lately, she hasn’t been feeling well and I am trying to get her an appointment to see her doctor.
-
A new member of the team.
Mike standing next to our new cargo van for the business (November 27, 2025) This past week, I took the leap and bought a used cargo van for our business. Mike and I had been talking about it for months, and I finally pulled the trigger. The timeline was surprisingly quick—we went shopping on Monday and drove it home on Tuesday. I was amazed to discover it has more technology than my RAV4!
Every time I use the van, I’m learning something new about it. My favorite recent discovery? There are locking devices built into the doors to keep them from slamming shut. You don’t know how grateful I am for this feature—after having rental van doors slam against my shoulder multiple times, this feels like a luxury.
-
November recap.
November was a pivotal month for me, full of emotional highs and tender moments—all exceptional experiences I will treasure forever.
It started with the surprise announcement that I was stepping down from my position to take on a new opportunity establishing a student-safety program that impacts all pre-kindergarten to 12th grade institutions statewide. Colleagues told me that this was a seismic shift for a lot of people, and honestly, that didn’t register for me until the moment I started in the new position. While there is a small part of me that will miss the work that I have been doing for over six years, I am truly excited for this new journey that I am on, something that is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am sure life-changing for me.
Celebrating my 50th birthday… It’s so hard for me to fathom that I have come this far. I remember thinking that 30 was old. I don’t feel old. I feel like I am just beginning to live. On my birthday, my staff threw me a congratulatory lunch in the office. Most didn’t know it was actually my birthday until someone mentioned it. They had me give a speech, which I couldn’t hold back the emotions as I looked at every face of my team. I remember saying, “Look around. This is the team that we built. And we did amazing things these past six years.” And the rest of that moment was a blur.
I am so fortunate to have Mike in my life; he threw me the most amazing surprise birthday party for me and all of the guests saw how much effort, time, and love went into making that moment so special for me. I felt every ounce of that love. And I love him so much. He makes every moment special for me, even those seemingly mundane moments like breakfast or meeting up for lunch midday that fill me with so much emotion; I wonder if he notices.
And there were all the family dinners: birthday celebrations, friends-giving, and just getting together for laughs. Thanksgiving was held, for the first time, at our home with the family.
And to add suspense to everything else that was already in the mix, I decided to buy a cargo van for the business. We are at that level now. Not a mini van. Not another SUV. An actual cargo van that can haul everything we need for events, big and small. We have come so far in the four years we have been in business, and this milestone reflects the hard work, craftsmanship, and love for our products.
And in the midst of it all, starting up this blog was also a huge step for me. After decades of not writing “for fun,” I decided, to scratch that itch to write, to just start blogging again. And here it is.
-
“I have no time.”
This was originally posted a while back (2023), but since restarting this blog, I thought I would repost it here. It still applies. But at least, today, I am not as busy as I was when I first wrote this.
It is amazing how often I say this to myself. And it’s probably something I commonly say to others.
I have no time.
I have no time to watch television. I have no time to read a book. I have no time to go to a play. My most recent: I have no time to exercise.
It’s true. If I were to write out a schedule of what I do from the moment I wake up to the second I fall asleep, I seemingly have no time for anything else. I have, somewhere in the past, managed to occupy every hour of my day with some kind of activity that I deemed important enough, and there is no way to fit anything else.
Until something happens along the way that suddenly creates an uncomfortable moment and throws everything into chaos.
The plumber needs to come to the apartment because I want the water to stop gushing out of my wall (but they can’t turn off the water until tomorrow because the building only allows the water to be turned off during business hours). Or a pandemic happens and I need to stay home for a month. Or the doctor says I need to start exercising.
And so I make a change to my routines. It’s inconvenient and frustrating. It becomes fodder for everything that is wrong in life.
Here’s the punchline: I survive. I get through it. And the world didn’t collapse around me.
TL;DR: The sudden inconveniences in our lives are opportunities to reflect on what is truly important, and opportunities to make meaningful changes for our happiness.
-
New chapter.
Koji with his Recruitment and Employment team, celebrating six years of achievements and his final days with the section (November 5, 2025) After six years leading the recruitment and employment team for the Department, it’s time for a change. Taking care of my health has become my priority now.
This is bittersweet. I’m incredibly proud of what we accomplished together—systemic changes that once seemed impossible, results that exceeded every expectation. These achievements are now woven into the fabric of our team. Working alongside this group made it all worthwhile, and I’ll carry these memories with me always.
Today, I start a new adventure—maybe my last as a change agent for the Department. I’m just as excited about this next chapter, only with a lot less stress on my body.
-
Happy Adoption Day, Peaches!
This is Peaches on the day that changed everything — November 9, 2017. She was discovered in a Waikiki hotel parking lot by someone who couldn’t take her in. One drive down to pick her up, and she became family forever. This clip captures those first precious moments together.
-
Itwusnme.
I had a blog, a long time ago. It was called itwusnme and it had over ten years of my thoughts shared on the internet. I think there were more posts there than I had made on any social media platform of its time.
Today, that blog is gone.
Although many of my years since have been shared on social media, I found the noise there so overwhelming that I longed for a quiet place to be with my thoughts and feelings. And so here we are.
“Finding Koji” is where I write about what it means to notice, to create, and to belong — wherever life happens to take me. Some parts are reflections, others are fragments. All are small attempts at meaning.
You are welcome to stick around and join me on this journey, to start a conversation, to watch from afar.
This is the home of my new blog. Built slowly, with care.
-
Remembering Arlene Shimokawa.
Arlene and me at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii’s New Year’s Ohana Festival (date, unknown) It was a late afternoon and instead of heading home after work, I joined my colleagues in the lounge for what turned out to be a small Tupperware party. This little lady dazzled all of us with colorful plastic bowls and containers, and probably had a snack to share, which she brought in another piece of Tupperware.
This was the first time that I met Arlene and our paths would cross many more times over the years.
Sometimes she was volunteering with the Lions. Sometimes she was doing something else in the community. Many times it was because of Tupperware. The last time we ran into each other was at the Hawaii Convention Center. She was volunteering that day. It might have been for the Honolulu Festival or the Made in Hawaii Festival. I regret not capturing a photo with her that day.
It wasn’t until recently that I discovered she had passed away earlier this year. The news had hit me hard and that feeling has stuck with me for a while, even until today. She had more of an impact on me than I realized.
And I will miss her.
Finding Koji 