I gaze out at the pitch-black sky and the Tokyo nightscape from the Andaz Tavern at the Andaz Hotel in Toranomon, Tokyo.

The bitter-sweet cold gin fills my mouth. As the days pass by hecticly, I question the view outside the window about the vague sense of anxiety I'm feeling.

Tonight, I've come to the 51st floor to slow down the pace of time, which has begun to spin out of control. The view of Tokyo before me feels several times gentler than it does on the ground. As I gaze at the winter sky, softly enveloping the colorful lights and transforming them into silence, my anxiety fades away, and I feel as if time is slowly returning to me.

Leaving the Tokyo night sky and heading back downstairs through the entrance opposite my office, a huge sculpture awaits me in Oval Plaza. It's "Roots," a sculpture by renowned Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. Eight languages—Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew, Latin, Greek, Hindi, and Russian—emerge as giant white humanoid figures seated with their knees hugged to their chests.

Languages have been born and cultivated since ancient times for communication and record-keeping, transcending individuals and time. This humanoid figure, formed from words, sits facing straight ahead, neither up nor down. What are its thoughts as it silently embraces the legacy of humanity?

Today, with the help of technology, we send and receive words every day, words that can be carried from the palm of our hands to the other side of the world in an instant. Just as this sculpture speaks silently, the "language" that humanity has inherited must have been born since ancient times for the purpose of communication and cultivated for the purpose of understanding.

I will continue to speak and receive words generously. I will continue to receive and share. The things I have sought to know, the things I have supported, the things I have fought for, the things I have sought to understand. I hope that the words you exchange will resonate with you someday, in your future together. I believe so.


[Event Information]
TORANOMON HILLS WINTER 2014
Date: Until February 15, 2015
Contents: Toranomon White Forest (2nd floor atrium), Toranomon Hills public art installation of Jaume Plensa's "Roots" (Oval Plaza), etc.