In Japan, there is less a culture of preserving old buildings than in Europe.

I am interested in things happening around me, and I need to understand what's going on in other artistic sectors like music and literature.

You always want to try to make something new, and, of course, America is the world leader in economics today.

We borrow from nature the space upon which we build.

When I design buildings, I think of the overall composition, much as the parts of a body would fit together. On top of that, I think about how people will approach the building and experience that space.

All those involved in the construction of an architectural design, from the architect to the builder, have an attachment to the architecture, although it's difficult to quantify the attachment.

It wasn't that I had any great dream of being an architect. I just wanted to make things. Whether it was furniture, painting, interior design, or architecture. I just wanted to create something.