Principle_AAP

A STATEMENT OF PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY:
City, Architecture, Society, and Environment
“Becoming a Cosmopolitan: The Joy of Living in Two Worlds”

First of all, I chose such a title of “Becoming a Cosmopolitan: The Joy of Living in Two Worlds” at the beginning of this statement, because I think that it is a challenge as well as a good opportunity for me to search my own identity and professional philosophy by looking back and reflecting upon my thirty five years of experiences in foreign countries including the United States, and upon thirty three years of my architectural experiences.

The word, cosmopolitan, on the other hand, has a positive meaning. It means a person who has a clear view of his own cultural identity and remains loyal to his native country, even if he may have a lot of international experiences. By widening views and broadening his/her horizon, I think that a cosmopolitan is a broad-minded person who is well equipped with knowledge, imagination, and a good sense of balance as well.

Having been born and brought up in an old Japanese town, Kyoto, where remains a Japanese heritage, I reflect on how fortunate I have been to be given more opportunities to come and study abroad in the United States. These days I frequently ask myself such a question. Particularly since September 11, 2001 is what is the meaning and significance of the life I have led as an architect and educator who has worked within the discipline of architecture for more than two decades. In fact I happened to run into the incident while my research on the Ph.D. dissertation in the Boston area on that day. Subsequently I ask myself how my international experiences, especially in the U.S., have impacted my thinking, my view of the world, and my life as well as my professional philosophy.

Next I would like to talk about some of the influences that my international experiences, particularly those of living in the U.S., have exerted on my life. It is approximately twenty five years in total that I have so far spent living in the U.S. Out of those years, I spent most of this period, that is, a little more than four years, studying at Oklahoma State University (OSU) in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the United States, as a foreign and a graduate student. I think, therefore, that my student years at OSU seem to have made indelible impacts that I feel still remain strong and alive in my life today.

There are several important rewards that one may expect to gain from studying abroad. One of them is to deepen an understanding of the culture and of the people of a foreign country where one presently is and come to appreciate their way of life by widening views and broadening his horizon. In other words he is beginning to see things more clearly and is also able to value living in two different worlds, while he is getting to acquire the skill of critical thinking as well.

It also means that he is gradually developing his faculty not only to tolerate but also to respect the differences that separate the people living in foreign lands. This attitude of broad-mindedness is one of the most valuable fruits of international cultural interchange. I believe the most important component that makes it possible for diverse peoples to live peacefully together on this globe.

Secondly, by studying abroad, one will find what he is and rediscover himself as well as his cultural heritage by putting himself and his country in a wider perspective. Once one enters a foreign country, he is always in search of his own identity, whether this is conscious or not. At the same time he will have a deepening understanding of the culture and of the people of a foreign country, while he will gain a better sense of appreciation of certain aspects of his native country and culture that hitherto escaped him and, as a result, were not sufficiently appreciated. Otherwise, by living and studying abroad, he is learning about himself as much as he is learning about the culture and the people of a foreign land.

Consequently I believe that the years I spent in Oklahoma were a pivotal period in my life during which I sought and established my individuality and independence. No doubt, the free and superb academic environment at OSU played an important role in making the search of my identity possible. However, I would like to emphasize that it was the people with whom I met that played a crucial part in shaping my views of the world and in farming my value system and my lifestyle as well.
The point I am making in this statement is that it is People , namely Humanity rather than anything else that makes the greatest difference when it comes to living and studying abroad. With that in mind, therefore, I would like to mention that there are certain traits that I acquired and then developed from living in the United States, and also the goal in the profession of architecture that I have kept in mind, as I pursue “ Architecture, and Society ” and “ Region and Environment ,” in particular.