Nobuhiro Hayatsu

Each City an Adventure
In a world of the reserved and the circumspect -- Japanese banking -- Nobuhiro Hayatsu stood out: he was outgoing, sunny, loquacious. He embraced foreign assignments as a vice president of Chuo Mitsui Trust and Banking Company with alacrity, for each tour of duty was a chance to make even more friends, party in a new town. At 36, Mr. Hayatsu had already lived and worked in Taiwan, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong and, as of this spring, New York City.

With each city, a clutch of memories. In Taiwan, Mr. Hayatsu learned Mandarin and became enamored of classic Chinese literature. In London, his wife, Yoshiko, gave birth to their son, Ryo, whom Mr. Hayatsu held so long, so adoringly in the birthing room that the doctor yelled at him. He loved Hong Kong's noise, convenience, dynamism.

Life in New York was intriguing, but he was looking forward to sightseeing with his family soon. Every morning he'd leave their Scarsdale apartment at 6:30 for the World Trade Center, returning at 10 p.m. Weekends, he'd flop on the couch and hug his son, murmuring gently to him.

For a city enthusiast, Mr. Hayatsu had an unusual dream: to retire to a country home where his family could gather. He had bought the land on which to build it, near Mount Fuji.