FM: But you find that. I don't… [laughs] You see, I’m not too conscious about what other people say. NN: You’re not too conscious about… FM: Because what do you mean if somebody said “Oh, it’s great.” And should I repeat the greatness in my next commission. You can’t, because as I said, the architecture is to be the best under a given condition. That’s it. So other people’s opinion doesn’t influence me at all. As I have said repeatedly. Which…? NN: Number 7. FM: Okay, “which aspect of your work…” That you find out and you just write down. I’m not interested. NN: So do you think that there is a difference in how the press has talked about your work in Japan and outside of Japan? FM: Yes. You know, this, talking about it– first, if you like to be genuine critic on some project, you have to see it. Because judging from pictures always very erroneous. Because, this is my experience. I see some building in a photograph. Then I decide to see **. You get sometimes great disappointment, because the picture doesn’t tell you exactly what the building, but also sometime the real building, visiting is far better experience because you can find something better than through photograph. This is why. And some people say, “Oh, your building is better in actual reality, than looking at photograph.” The second big question is, the real value of architecture is tested by time. You can’t– because, you see, the generous comments only after a few months or years, but to be a good judgment on the building requires time, sometimes ten years, fifteen years. And then, I always said, time is a final judge of architecture, so journals always try to say something right after building was completed. It’s wrong, often, so– but, I just don’t give a high value on comments given by somebody right after it was completed, unless they visited. I appreciate the comments by people who really visited the building, but– just, some people looking at pictures, and so I just give too much value on– because of my experience. NN: Okay, would you say that foreign magazines rarely visited your buildings? Or you don’t know that?
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