Since I am a Japanese man who's been building through the experience of Japanese architecture, my actual designs come from Japanese architectural concepts, although they're based on Western methods and materials.

I think of the past and the future as well as the present to determine where I am, and I move on while thinking of these things.

I like ruins because what remains is not the total design, but the clarity of thought, the naked structure, the spirit of the thing.

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

Japanese architecture is traditionally based on wooden structures that need renovating on a regular basis.

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

The level of detail and craft is something that's inscribed within the original design concept. And so when I begin to draw, I know what kind of detailing I want the building to have.