I don't think you make a choice to be an artist. There was no decision for me. I've been expressing myself this way since I can remember.

I was born into a very important family in Japan. My grandfather was a descendant of the Emperor, and we were very wealthy.

Try to say nothing negative about anybody for three days, for forty-five days, for three months. See what happens to your life.

Most people think that I am too optimistic, but my optimism is based on the thought that negative thinking is a luxury that we can't afford.

Sometimes I am happy and sometimes not. I am, after all, a human being, you know. And I am glad that we are sometimes happy and sometimes not. You get your wisdom working by having different emotions.

People accuse artists of being narcissists - of course we are! If we don't like ourselves, who's going to like us?

Please know that being 80 is not a scary thing. When you're 80, your life is much freer.