Japan is often portrayed as a rich country that is obsessed with design. Some people would even have us believe that many Japanese live in beautifully designed houses set in Zen gardens.

Sure there is the very small minority who can afford to do so, but for vast majority in Japan, economic expediency causes them to live in very different surrounds.

I’ve known Edward Arteaga from the early eighties when we both used to work in the theater, Ed as a lighting technician and I as a set builder.

Ed composes modern music for orchestra and he regularly collaborates with choreographer Paula Ross.

On a visit to Vancouver last year I got a chance to catch up with Ed and his family.

Ed has always walked a different path to most other people and his house reflects that.