It was a single visit to Kenya in 1972 that completely changed Michio Hiraiwa's philosophy on life. He fell in love with the country, and visited there 150 times over the past 40 years. Once a workaholic, Hiraiwa says he now leads a stress-free and relaxed life, visiting Kenya and Tanzania four times a year with his daughter, Masayo.
At the age of 78, he wears several hats — travel writer, photographer, collector and expert on stamps, and goodwill ambassador for Kenyan tourism.
With royalties from the books he has published and profits from the African tours he and his daughter organizes, Hiraiwa set up a school for the people of Kenya's Masai tribe, paying the teachers' salaries and sending them school supplies. He has also donated 400 pairs of binoculars to be used in the Kenyan government's efforts to stop the poaching of wild animals.