Robbed and stranded on a beach in Thailand, this entrepreneur hustled his way back to Japan

Kenji Miki is founder and CEO of Rising Asia.

Kenji Miki lost everything he owned in Thailand. But with some hustle, he was able to turn it around and find success by founding Rising Asia.

Like many young Japanese entrepreneurs, Kenji’s journey began with a book by Masayoshi Son. Masayoshi is the founder of SoftBank and Japan’s most famous entrepreneur. Following in Masayoshi’s footsteps, Kenji flew to America to attend the University of California, Berkeley. Unfortunately, it was Kenji’s first time abroad and he highly underestimated the amount of English needed to attend Berkeley. He failed the entrance examination, but returned to Japan with a new idea.

I wanted to create the biggest business in the world.

Surprised by the number of smartphones in America, Kenji set up several smartphone distribution shops in west Japan. “I wanted to create the biggest business in the world,” says Kenji. “I wanted to be like Son-san. Not just respect him, but be a doer.” In just six months he achieved over US$2 million in sales. “I had money,” Kenji reflects. “I bought a car, I lived in a nice place, I didn’t need to go to college.”

But then at 22, Kenji decided he wanted to see the world.

Stranded in Thailand

Kenji boarded a bus from Bangkok to Phuket. “I must have looked like I had money or something,” he shrugs. Suddenly members of the bus company started to push him off. His small carry bag was ripped away from him as he stumbled through the door. Forcibly moved to another bus the men would not let Kenji grab his bags; all he could do was watch as his stuff was driven away. Finally after arriving in Phuket, he asked the bus company where his things were, they denied he’d ever traveled with them in the first place.

Kenji on the beach in Thailand.

With only his iPhone and the clothes on his back, Kenji thought he would at least try to enjoy himself at the beach until his new passport arrived. He had no friends, and did not speak the language. He had nowhere to stay and no money or ID for a hotel, so he spent the first few nights on the beach.

In the morning, people tried to get him to parasail or ride jet skis. Kenji followed them to a shop and saw that these “catchers” who brought tourists to the stores were paid a cash kickback. “I can’t do the language, but I can do business,” thought Kenji as he looked for Japanese tourists to bring to the shop.

Kenji moved into a hostel with his earnings and later shared a beach house with a new friend. He started to make simple Japanese websites for the businesses, which led to Kenji showing tourists around the town. “When they came with me I could show them a good time. And seeing them have a good time felt amazing,” says Kenji. Three months later, Kenji finally flew home with a new passport and another new business idea.

Getting robbed was worth it

Kenji conquered cultural and language differences in Thailand and made over US$2,500 per month with his ad hoc guided tours. He received a lot of positive feedback from customers and founded Rising Asia in January 2014. PeerTours, the English and Chinese version of the service, helps connect tourists with locals in Japan.