An accomplished business owner and senior executive, Noboru Watanabe studied business administration at Meiji University in Tokyo, Japan. While working toward his bachelor of science, he competed as a member of the university’s golf team. Noboru Watanabe has served as president of the Riviera Corporation since founding the organization in 1989. From its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan the international lifestyle company supports operations in the United States, Japan and China. One of Mr. Watanabe’s early investments was the Riviera Country Club, a world-class Pacific Palisades golf course and its accompanying facilities. Outside of the professional arena, Noboru Watanabe supports youth marine education programs and has served executive roles with the Japan Cup, the East Japan Optimist Sailing Championship, and the IFDS Blind Sailing World and International Championship. He also does his part for the environment as a contributor to various marine and forest conservation, local organic farm-to-table, and electric-vehicle sharing initiatives.
Bubba WatsonImage: golf.com Noboru Watanabe founded and works as president of the Riviera Group. Passionate about golf since his youth, Noboru Watanabe stays active as a golfer and helps with the Pro-Am Northern Trust Open held at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. The corporate history of Northern Trust’s partnership with the tournament began in 1926. The tournament has…
IFDS Blind Sailing Events Took Place in Japan in 2013
As president and founder of the Riviera Corporation in Los Angeles, California, Noboru Watanabe leads an organization of more than 1,500 employees located in China, Japan, and the United States. In 2013, Noboru Watanabe was the vice president of the IFDS Blind Sailing World and International Championships.
This event invites sailors with visual impairment, along with a sighted support crew, to compete in a series of sailing races. The 2013 races took place over five days starting on May 26 at the Seabornia Yacht Club and Riviera Resort Ltd. in Japan. The regatta sailed on J/24 boats from the Sagami Bay to the southwest of Yokohama.
The first day featured four races, the second day consisted of three races, and the following day was a day of rest for the teams and volunteers. Racing day number three had four races, and the day after had races suspended due to adverse weather. The fourth day of racing featured two races, and the last day saw two races. On the final day, Her Imperial Highness The Princess Takamado watched the day’s races from a catamaran. Results of the race saw Great Britain winning first prize in the B1 and B2 classes, with New Zealand winning first in the B3 class. The best sailor award went to Kylie Forth of Australia.
Ikuyo Nakamichi Tests Yamaha's AvantGrand Hybrid Piano
Noboru Watanabe is the president and founder of Riveria Corporation, a Japanese lifestyle company. Also an accomplished musician, Noboru Watanabe is a fan and patron of Ikuyo Nakamichi, one the most famous piano players in Japan.
Ikuyo Nakamichi’s talent was discovered at a young age, winning first place at the 51st Music Competition of Japan during her first year at the Toho Gakuen School of Music. Numerous other awards were to follow before she made her international debut in Europe and Japan in 1987. Recently Nakamichi, who has been praised for her lyricism and sense for music, was asked to review Yamaha’s AvantGrand, a hybrid electric keyboard and grand piano.
Nakamichi admitted that the AvantGrand surprised her with its likeness to a grand piano. She praised the instrument’s responsiveness to the touch and impressive range of sound. Nakamichi, who has twice held a series of “Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas” since 1997, decided to play a piece from Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 8 called “Pathetique,” because of the piece’s call for a broad range of tonal expression. Nakamichi found the experience of playing of the song on the AvantGrand to be very similar to playing on a grand piano, and believes that it would be appropriate to use for popular music or jazz in addition to classical.
SurfingImage: surfertoday.com Noburu Watanbe is the president and founder of Japanese lifestyle company Riviera Corporation. Noburu Watanbe is also the owner of several marinas in Japan, one of which will play a part in the windsurfing and sailing competitions of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In September 2015, it was announced that surfing may also be included in the 2020 Olympic Games, consisting of…
Ikuyo Nakamichi - An Internationally Renowned Classical Pianist
Noboru Watanabe is head of Tokyo-based Riviera Group and guides worldwide operations that encompass the flagship Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, California. He also directs diverse luxury properties, from wedding halls to marine sport facilities. A lifelong music aficionado who is also a flautist, Noboru Watanabe has learned the piano in recent years and can play a number of complex pieces by ear.
Mr. Watanabe’s favorite pianist is Ikuyo Nakamichi, who launched an international career in classical music in the late 1980s. Her rise to the top began after winning the Masuzawa Prize at the Japan Music Competition, while still a first-year student at Toho University. Nakamichi subsequently earned top prizes at prestigious events such as the Geneva International Music Competition and Berlin’s Mendelssohn Competition.
Giving her first Carnegie Hall recital in 1999, Nakamichi’s performance was lauded for its subtle interpretations of well-known pieces. Highly involved in chamber music, the artist regularly performs with groups such as the Berlin Brandis String Quartet. She achieved further acclaim for duets with musicians including violinist Josef Suk and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman. Nakamichi is also well known for her pieces for children in collaboration with composer Karen Tanaka.
Riviera Country Club Maintains Luxury With Dress and Etiquette Rules
Riviera Country Club Maintains Luxury With Dress and Etiquette Rules
Riviera Country ClubImage: therivieracountryclub.com An accomplished business owner in Japan, Noboru Watanabe leads the Riviera Corporation as the president and founder. Noboru Watanabe is an avid golfer and, after visiting as a child, made it his mission to acquire the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. He succeeded in his dream and has since helped the Club become recognized…
What Is the Blind Sailing World and International Championships?
What Is the Blind Sailing World and International Championships?
For over 25 years, Noboru Watanabe has led Riviera Corporation, a lifestyle company that employs a staff of more than 2,000 individuals in Japan, the United States, and China. An avid boater, Noboru Watanabe contributes to youth sailing programs and supports several sailing competitions, including the IFDS Blind Sailing World and International Championships. Founded in 1993 by the International…
Riviera Country Club - Storied Course Frequented by Hollywood’s Elite
With leadership experience spanning three decades, Noboru Watanabe is founder and president of the Riviera Group. An avid golfer, Noboru Watanabe made a visit to the Riviera Country Club as a child that ultimately led to his 1980s acquisition of the course. Established in the mid 1920s, the country club was originally known as the Los Angeles Athletic Club Golf Course.
One noteworthy aspect of the club’s history is its decades-old association with the Hollywood elite, with luminaries such as Gregory Peck and Walt Disney holding memberships. The course truly came into its own in the late 1940s, when Ben Hogan achieved victories in three LA Opens in quick succession and the Riviera took the on the nickname "Hogan's Alley.” The 1953 Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movie The Caddy was filmed on the course and featured a cameo by Hogan.
Humphrey Bogart has a particularly strong association with the club, and a sycamore tree under which he used to watch golf is known as "Bogey's Tree” to this day. In subsequent decades, a new generation of Hollywood actors has frequented the legendary course, including Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler.
Noboru Watanabe is the founder and president of the Rivier Corporation, a preeminent lifestyle company based in Tokyo, Japan. Employing more than 2,000, he has launched several large business in the past four decades since starting the company. Outside of his business, Noboru Watanabe is a strong supporter of several charity-based initiatives, including environmental preservation through local farm-to-table efforts.
The local farm-to-table movement has been gradually gaining traction around the world in the last couple of years, largely due to the benefits it has to health and the environment. Since local food is not shipped long distances, the nutritional value is significantly higher than imported foods and the taste is often better. Food that must travel is often picked early and allowed to ripen during transportation. While this prevents the food from going bad, it also prevents it from absorbing as many nutrients as they otherwise could. In addition to this, farm-to-table allows for a much wider range of food because there is no concern about how well certain items may travel when compared to others.
In terms of helping the environment, the farm-to-table movement reduces the amount of large trucks on the road. On average, 18-wheelers get five miles to each gallon of gas, so they burn around 500 gallons of diesel fuel just to transport food 1,500 miles. With fewer trucks on the road, there is less pollution in the air and decreased harm to the environment. Beyond that, farm-to-table products have a huge benefit to local economies. Rather than sending money to other towns and cities, community members can buy from their neighbors and keep the money inside their area.
