We want to be the "number one understanding partner" for our customers. We take on the challenge of creating cultural facilities that everyone can enjoy, leveraging our development and proposal capabilities.

Haruka Amano joined NOMURA Co.,Ltd. as a new graduate in 2015, driven by a desire to work in the cultural market, including museums and public facilities. As the sales manager of the Cultural Environment Business Division, she has handled numerous projects. Having experienced childbirth and raising children, Amano, who is also involved in R&D activities addressing the psychological and psychological accessibility issues faced by various users of cultural facilities, shares her career and aspirations.

To be the best understanding person for our customers. We listen carefully to understand their true feelings.

Amano belongs to the Sales Promotion Headquarters, Cultural Environment Business Division, Sales Department 1, Section 2, which handles projects for public facilities such as museums, art galleries, science museums, libraries, and childcare support facilities, with national and local government clients.

Amano: "Our coverage area spans all of Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Within that, I mainly handle projects in Tokyo, and currently I'm working on multiple projects, including the design of a national displays facility and consulting work for a ward's tourist center and library."

The large-scale national displays facility project currently underway is in schematic design phase. We carefully listen to the client's requests regarding the kind of space and displays they envision, and then work with the team of designers and planners to translate those requests into plans and concept design.

Amano: "As a salesperson, I'm responsible for the detailed interactions with our clients. My role starts with project management and also involves drawing out the clients' true feelings."
As a sales representative, I want to be my customers' greatest confidant. I want them to feel that I'm easy to talk to and that they understand me, and I strive to be closer to them than anyone else in the company. I don't just listen; I make an effort to understand the thoughts and feelings behind what they say.

For this project, some of our clients are creating museum displays for the first time. That's why I believe that carefully and thoroughly listening to their essential needs is the key to realizing what our clients truly want to do."

Furthermore, Amano says that public facilities present different challenges than corporate projects.

Amano: "Public facilities are projects that use precious tax money, so we must first consider how they should be used by users such as citizens (taxpayers).
One of the methods we often use is to hold workshops with local residents and other users. Recently, we have been holding interviews with people who have previously found it difficult to go to museums, such as people with visual or hearing impairments and families with small children. There is a growing movement to make museums more open and accessible."

Amano has become aware of social issues and national efforts to realize a symbiotic society through his work, and for the past three years he has been participating in an in-house R&D activity called "Inclusion & Art."

Amano: "My research focuses on the themes of 'creating a symbiotic society' and 'creating co-creative systems' through creative activities, specifically investigating 'how to improve the psychological and physical accessibility of destinations for all people.'"
For example, we are developing a card-based workshop tool called 'Inclusive concept design Patterns,' which involves creating spaces through dialogue with the users of those spaces, and new tools that allow people to enjoy appreciating paintings by relying on touch and sound rather than sight."

Development skills and proposal skills learned at cultural facilities across the country. After maternity and childcare leave, I decided to pursue a new way of working.

At NOMURA Co.,Ltd., even sales employees typically spend their first year gaining experience in the production department before starting their sales careers in their second year. However, Amano's case was a little different.

Amano: "I was interested in planning positions even before joining the company. With the understanding of my superiors at the time, I was able to gain experience in the planning department in my second year."

Although this type of career path is not generally established under the current system, I was granted an exception at the time to gain one year of experience as a planner, and then, from my third year, I worked in sales, involved in projects for cultural facilities nationwide. From 2016 to 2019, I handled many projects, including displays design work for Kumamoto Castle's main tower and Matsumoto City Museum, and construction work for Kikuchi City Central Library.​

Amano: "A distinctive feature of government projects is that there are no ongoing customer relationships like in companies. Once one job is completed, you have to start from scratch and build a relationship with the customer, and create new businesses and work yourself. I learned that 'development capabilities' are extremely important in sales in the Cultural Environment Division.

Also, having gained experience in planning in my second year, I began to think that by combining my "development skills" with my "proposal skills," I could become a salesperson who could better draw out the essential needs and aspirations of my customers.
For example, if someone wants to create digital content, we not only introduce trends and examples, but also suggest different methods in various directions, which helps them say, 'That's what I really wanted to do,' and leads to concrete work. I felt that I wanted to improve my ability to present possibilities for turning ideas into reality."

She then took maternity leave from 2019 to 2021. Before returning to work, she had a meeting with her superiors, and recalls that being able to carefully coordinate her future working style gave her peace of mind.

Amano: "I told them that I wanted to work shorter hours, that before giving birth I was in charge of projects all over the country and had to travel a lot, but from now on I would like to be in charge of projects in the Kanto region, which would require less travel, and that I would like my workload to increase gradually."

After returning to work, I became conscious of working in a more efficient way with the help of those around me.

Amano: "My superiors and coworkers are very understanding, so it's an environment where I can easily communicate my requests and situations.
Currently, I leave work on time without working overtime, so that I can pick up my child from nursery school. I've become more thorough in managing my schedule than before I returned to work, so that I can deal with sudden fevers or urgent work. I prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance, and manage my daily schedule down to the minute."

A new challenge that utilizes knowledge of inclusion and art. Cultivated proposal skills blossom

▲ National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) permanent displays "Nanairo Quest - A story of the future where we live with robots"

Immediately after returning from maternity and childcare leave, Amano gradually adapted to her new way of working by taking on a supportive role for her supervisor. She says that she gradually developed a strong desire to "handle work independently as a salesperson and take on more challenges."
Among the projects I ended up working on were the permanent displays at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan): "Hello! Robot," "Nanairo Quest - A Story of the Future Living with Robots," and "Nobel Q." I took on this large-scale project, from the development stage to securing the proposal, design, and construction, which took about two years.

Amano: "It was a cross-functional team, bringing together members from various departments within the company, such as the content team and the graphics team, who we hadn't worked with before. There were many stakeholders, and coordinating everything was challenging. In particular, displays themselves were unprecedented and innovative, such as displays combining robots and puzzle-solving, and displays where visitors could experience what it's like to age. We worked together with our internal team, as well as with our customers, grappling with the challenges as we created them."

In this project, we also placed great importance on the perspective of inclusive concept design.

Amano: "We invited people with visual and hearing impairments, wheelchair users, children, and the elderly, and conducted numerous demonstrations and tests of displays, incorporating the various opinions that came up during those sessions."
This is a field I've been personally interested in, but this is the first time I've been seriously involved in it as a job. I learned a lot from the insights and discoveries I gained from hearing the opinions of those directly involved."

After being promoted to chief in 2023, Amano will take on the next challenge as supervisor of the Tokyo National Museum's "Asobiba ☺ Talk" project.
 

▲ Tokyo National Museum "Play Station ☺ Talk" ©Nacasa and Partners

Amano: "In November 2024, the museum opened a temporary space for the first time where children and their guardians could play together freely, and NOMURA Co.,Ltd. was in charge of planning and supervision."

"We want children, who will shape the future, to have a great time playing at the museum and take home a feeling of 'That was fun!' And we also want to provide a comfortable space where parents who bring their children can relax without worrying about disturbing others." This project was conceived by the Tokyo National Museum with these thoughts in mind.

Leveraging our in-house R&D expertise in "Inclusion & Art," we proposed solutions for the safety of the fixtures and fittings in the play space for children, as well as the design of graphics and signage, and the concept of a calm-down space.

"It was really nice to see the children having fun playing after we actually opened."

Aiming to create a cultural facility that is open to a wide range of users in an environment that supports what they want to do.

Amano says that in the future he would like to aim to create a cultural facility that is open to a wider range of people.

Amano: "Cultural facilities should be open to everyone, but I feel that the people who actually visit are biased. In order to broaden the base and liven up the cultural market, I would like to propose a space that is accessible to everyone, leaving no one behind.

Our goal is to create a world where museums and other cultural facilities are included in people's options for where to go. It would be great if they could become a familiar spot that people can enjoy casually, rather than a difficult place to visit."

Amano's passion for Bunka Ichiba is deeply rooted in his experiences in his hometown of Kumamoto.

Amano: "When I moved to Tokyo to attend university, it was only after leaving my hometown that I truly appreciated the charm of Kumamoto. That experience made me think that if there were a museum that could showcase the region's appeal, people could grow to love their hometown even while staying there. This is also why I aimed to join NOMURA Co.,Ltd., Ltd. and wanted to be involved in the cultural market."

Amano describes the appeal of NOMURA Co.,Ltd. as follows:

Amano: "I believe this company supports what you want to do. I'm involved in a cultural facility project, which has been my dream, and if I want to try inclusive concept design or something new, I can gather colleagues, master it, and put it to use in my work. I feel that this company not only helps me complete the tasks in front of me, but also allows me to achieve self-realization."

Furthermore, the environment that allows for a smooth return to work after maternity or childcare leave, and the open communication that makes it easy to work while adapting to various life stages, including good relationships with superiors, are also attractive features."

Finally, what does Amano think is interesting about working in sales?

Amano: "I get the most excited when I'm working on a competition or proposal. That's because it tests how well I understand the client's vision. Having my proposal adopted is proof that I've become the client's best friend. When I can truly feel that, it's the happiest moment for me."

*The information provided is current as of May 2025.