Matter in the floating world : conversations with leading Japanese architects and designers : Hitoshi Abe, Tadao Ando, Jun Aoki, Masayo Ave, Shigeru Ban, Shuhei Endo, Terunobu Fujimori, Kenya Hara, Erika Horiki, Sachiko Kodama, Kengo Kuma, Toyo Ito, Oki Sato, Kazuyo Sejima, Reiko Sudo, Takaharu Tezuka, Akira Wakita, Makoto Sei Watanabe, Yasuhiro Yamashita, Tokujin Yoshioka / Blaine Brownell.

Includes bibliographical references.

Lightness: Takaharu Tezuka -- Kengo Kuma -- Yasuhiro Yamashita -- Oki Sato -- Shigeru Ban -- Atmosphere: Kenya Hara -- Kazuyo Sejima -- Tadao Ando -- Eriko Horiki -- Terunobu Fujimori -- Flow: Jun Aoki -- Hitoshi Abe -- Shuhei Endo -- Reiko Sudo -- Sachiko Kodama -- Emergence: Toyo Ito -- Makoto Sei Watanabe -- Akira Wakita -- Tokujin Yoshioka -- Masayo Ave.

Often, the work of Japanese designers is not fully understood by western designers because it has not been explained in its full context. 'Matter in the Floating World' aims to correct this by presenting interviews with twenty leading Japanese architects and designers, in which they explain their work, ideas and inspirations.