Nob Hagiwara is a brave man indeed. How many top-rank executives decide one day to chuck it all in and pursue personal goals? Not many -- and especially not in Japan.
Nob had always wanted to be an artist, and from June 17 you can see how far his dreams have taken him: a selection of his latest work, under the title "Light of England," will be on exhibition at Crystal Spot, a gallery space just a short walk from the west exit of Shinjuku Station, in the direction of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office.
Born in Nishinomiya, and a graduate in architecture from Osaka University, Nob moved to Tokyo in 1966 to take a job with Tohata Architects & Engineers, Inc. "For the next decade I moved around Japan, working at branch offices and climbing the corporate ladder. By the time I quit as director in 1999, Tohata had 300 employees. Numbers have decreased since then, so maybe it was a good time to leave."