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.

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.

In Italy, there are so many significant architectural structures in history such as the Pantheon in Rome, or the Duomo.

If there is only one culture all over the world, that's not a good thing.

All architecture has a public nature, I believe, so I would like to make a public space.

When you look at Japanese traditional architecture, you have to look at Japanese culture and its relationship with nature. You can actually live in a harmonious, close contact with nature - this very unique to Japan.

The speed of change makes you wonder what will become of architecture.