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Hiroshi Kimoto

"My name is Hiroshi Kimoto and I live in Thailand. I am originally from Osaka, Japan, where I grew up in a warm family environment. When I was younger, I was naughty and stubborn. I never listened to others, always believing in myself first and never fearing others. I always fought against what I considered to be an injustice. I dreamt of becoming a police officer, because I did not like people who cheated; I wanted people to follow a path of righteousness. Police officers were my absolute heroes because they adhered to and enforced the law, doing good for society.

"But as I grew up, I became perhaps less naïve. I learnt many things about a different world out there – a world foreign to my beliefs, my ideals and my dreams. Some people cheat to achieve greater profit, some lie, some are not honest, and police officers turned out to be the same as everyone, because they needed to be flexible and embrace the ways of the world. Regardless, my dreams influenced my decision to follow the path of righteousness. So I then needed a goal. At 14 years old, it became apparent to me that I should one day run my own business, for I knew I would love the freedom of self-management. Furthermore, I envisioned doing things differently.

"I first traveled to Thailand during my university vacation. My uncle, living in Thailand, suggested I stay – to help him manage his restaurant. I liked the adventure of traveling, so I decided to stay in Thailand for a month. That was actually a very tough time in my life, because everything was so different from my country, and doing everything by myself made me aware that in Japan, I had been conveniently looked after all my life. However, even though it was a troubling and difficult challenge, I kept returning to work in Thailand, to gain more experience. After graduating from University, I made the decision to stay in Thailand indefinitely, which was the right decision for me. I wanted to run my own business, to meet my customers and enjoy leading them to my workshop.

"I love designing, and I particularly enjoy arts and handicrafts. So, I found in jewelry the perfect outlet for my creativity. At first, I suffered many problems – I didn't have enough money, any customers, and so forth. Nevertheless, working is my life, and having a strong desire to succeed, I diligently faced and dealt with these problems. I did other jobs at the same time, such as riding my motorcycle as a courier to earn sufficient money to continue my venture. I just never gave up, and finally I succeeded!

"Traveling and observing everything around me inspires me to design. I am constantly creating new shapes and patterns. My jewelry pieces are like presents that remind us of good events and good moments that brought us good feelings. They are worth much more than just the material they are made of. They are meant to evoke good memories, something that can make us happy, confident, and lucky when wearing them.

"I will live in Thailand for the rest of my life. This wonderful country has allowed me to become more experienced; it has given me many friends and a better attitude towards life. Thai people are happy, nice, lovely and sincere. I love Thai people. I am now in a position to offer others an opportunity to become successful too, and I am proud of this achievement. They can earn good money working with me, to better take care of themselves and their families. Because of those who work with me, I will never close down my workshop. Total happiness has entered my life, and I intend to continue living this way forever."