Look at London or Paris: they're both filthy. You don't get that in Tokyo. The proud residents look after their city.

In all my works, light is an important controlling factor.

I believe that the way people live can be directed a little by architecture.

In the West there has always been the attempt to try make the religious building, whether it's a Medieval or Renaissance church, an eternal object for the celebration of God. The material chosen, such as stone, brick, or concrete, is meant to eternally preserve what is inside.

Japanese traditional architecture is created based on these conditions. This is the reason you have a very high degree of connection between the outside and inside in architecture.

Working in Tokyo has convinced me that, contrary to what people think, it is actually one of the world's most beautiful cities.

My objective is to design a space that nobody else can come up with while using the material that anyone can use.