Interviewer: Iris Wu Iris：Hi Mende-san, today we are going to talk about what era you would like to visit if you had a time machine. This ‘era’ can refer to your personal lifetime, or a historical period, or even a future era yo…

Interviewer: Linxi Chen Chen:  Today I’d like to talk about minimalism.  Minimalism started as an art movement in the realm of western art after the end of World War II.  This movement dramatically affected later generations.When you …

Interviewer: Masashi Kurobe Kurobe:  Today’s coffee break theme is “Cities and Countryside.” I come from a rural town, but I have been living in Tokyo for some time now and have gotten used to urban life.  Recently, I went…

Interviewer: Yuta Shibata Shibata：Today I’d like to talk about memory and forgetfulness.   Since I started working at LPA, six months have passed.  Working as a lighting designer, I have found that memory is just as important…

Interviewer: Chuanyi Liu Liu：Today’s theme is winter sports.  I heard that you are very good at skiing and used to go with the students in your seminar class every winter.  I was born and raised in a cold area and used to ski a lot ba…

Interviewer: Sunny Xu Sunny: Hi Mr. Mende. Today I would like to talk about a new technologic: AI (Artificial intelligence). What do you think about AI as a design tool? Mende: Have you tried to use AI to make some sentences or other things…

Interviewer: Eddy Lau Eddy: Today’s topic for the coffee break is “Favourite Place to Travel”. Mende-san, you must be travelling a lot. Do you have any favourite place, you will not get bored of visiting again and again, or even living ther…

Interviewer: Ito Yuki ITO：Today I`d like to discuss the “appeal of dark spaces. ”Dark space is a pretty rough idea.  However, I imagine not totally pitch, black spaces, but dark spaces with a softly lit lamp, a level of darkness to feel com…

Interviewer: Raina Jiang Raina: Mr. Mende. Now our company projects in China are mostly in big cities or metropolis. I think we will have more projects in smaller cities or even countryside in the future. People in small cities may wan…

Interviewer: Xiaoyi Dong Dong: Today I’d like to talk about feminism.  I recently read the book “ Japanese Misogyny: I hate Women” written by the popular writer, Chizuko Ueno.  Even though I was born and raised in China…

Interviewer: Raba’a Bte Tainy Tainy:　What is your preferred meal of the day?Mine is ・・・ Breakfast: Bread, cereal, and hot tea.Lunch: I need to have rice (small portion), not too heavy with 2 or 3 small dishes,Dinner: As I age, I prefe…

Interviewer: Chia Xing Chia Xing: Mr. Mende, how did you feel when you got your first house? Mende: My first house after getting married 48 years ago, is a reasonably small condominium and that was also when I just started as a li…

Interviewer: Hikaru Kawata Kawata：Today’s topic is automatic mannerisms and involuntary habits.  I would especially like to talk about the habits we have that we like and those we want to change. One habit I have that I am really…

Interviewer: Jing Liu Mende： So, what is today’s topic of discussion? Liu： Marriage or single life? Mende： How come you chose this topic today?! Liu： This is a hot topic of discussion in China right now.   Personally, my parents have …

Interviewer: Lin Tsan Lin： Today I`d like to talk about novel and design.  I have been writing fiction since I was in Jr. high.  I didn’t plan on becoming a designer, but here I am at LPA.  Since then, I’ve noticed that creating…

Interviewer:笹本 明美 Sasamoto：I`d like to talk about something that I currently get into and why. Mende：I have several hobbies, but what I am into now is cooking.   Since the pandemic began last year, my wife and I have spent many long hours a…

Interviewer:  Yonglin Ke Mende：Are we talking about childhood play today? Ke：Yes.  I have a sister, two years younger than me, and we used to play together all the time when we were younger. Mende：Did you play house? Ke：Yes.  We also played…

Interviewer: Yumeka Miyamae Miyamae：In the past year telework has really taken off, which has really changed how we live and work.  Today I`d like to talk about living and working in this new era with Covid 19. Mende：Yes, I`d like to hear y…

Interviewer: Reiko Kasai       (Mr. Mende’s Toilet Paper Theory at the beginning.) Mr, Mende has experienced an empty toilet paper holder twice since he established the LPA office and was extremely annoyed. ‘Who didn’t rep…

Interviewer: Junko Nagatomo Nagatomo：Today’s topic is the art of decluttering or living a minimalist lifestyle.  Decluttering is a thought process of yoga.  I didn’t know this, but in Japanese the three characters that make up t…