About Koji

Aloha. I’m Koji — a small business owner, maker, and someone who pays attention to the quiet parts of life.

Finding Koji isn’t a portfolio or a project log. It’s a place for noticing things: the way the afternoon light falls across a room, the scent of rain on warmed pavement, or the silence between waves.

This is where I gather the small moments that matter and give them a quiet space to exist.

E komo mai.

Koji sitting next to Scott Bakula on a flight to New Orleans (October 8, 2019).

Candlemaker.

Mike and Koji at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu for the 2023 Filipino Fiesta (May 6, 2023)

I started making candles as a hobby in 2017. By 2021, it had grown into a business — now I make non-toxic soy candles for thousands of people around the world.

What keeps me going isn’t revenue or recognition. It’s knowing these candles might bring someone a moment of calm, a bit of joy. And I get to build this alongside my best friend and partner, which makes it even better.

Learn more about WICK’D ESSENTIALS here.

Educator.

Koji giving a welcome speech commemorating the 50th anniversary of Palisades Elementary School in Honolulu, Hawaii (May 22, 2015)

When I’m not making candles, I work in human resources for Hawaii’s largest state employer: the Hawaii State Department of Education.

I started with the department over thirty years ago as a part-time temporary teacher, then worked as an educational assistant, an after-school program leader, and eventually a high school English and photography teacher. From there, I became a department head, teacher mentor, and school administrator.

In 2015, I moved into human resources and from 2019, I led the recruitment office — helping connect people with work that mattered. On November 10, 2025, I stepped into a new role, a new challenge, and I’m curious to see where it takes me.

What ties it all together is wanting to make things better, whether that’s helping someone find the right path or lighting a candle that makes a room feel like home.

Creator.

Koji with Bill Ogilvie, the director who brought The Legend of the Laughing Gecko to life at Momilani Elementary School (January 21, 2010)

If I weren’t doing what I do now, I think I’d be a screenwriter. Storytelling has been part of me since I was a kid, and over the years I’ve found ways to keep that muscle strong — enough to satisfy the itch when it shows up.

I’ve written a children’s musical called The Legend of the Laughing Gecko and a short screenplay, Doro.

You’ll also find random content that I create on Instagram @findingkoji.