Message
from Sumio Hamano

LOHAS is Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability, a market segment focused on health, fitness, the environment, personal development, sustainable living, and social justice.

It already has an enormous following in Japan.

LOHAS has started to appear in fields such as food, clothing, and housing.

People elevate LOHAS to an important level for the simple reason that its primary goal is not chemical but natural building materials and organic food.

LOHAS has been even adopted by some in the cosmetics industry and put into bath products.

As an obvious result we have begun to noticed changes in our lifestyle.

People have begun to cultivate organic foods on private farms, revitalization and restoration of antique houses and furniture.

We have lived in a disposable society, but now we are starting to change and move towards a more productive and conserving society.

It is our goal not to dispose of all of our old ways, but to review and keep the things that are good and important and to spend every day with nature.

In other words, we believe it is important to keep things simple.

QOL is Quality Of Life.

The origins of word can be traced to the medical profession.

QOL has two types of senses, one being wide, and the other being narrow.

QOL as a wide sense stands for Quality Of Life or health enhancement.

QOL as a narrow sense stands for Quality Of Living.

In this case, QOL is interpreted to the degree of how much we can or are able to relax.

However QOL is not just limited to the medial profession, I am convinced that it is important to be active everyday both physically and mentally.

If one knew exactly when they were going to die and one could see the seconds ticking down, and could see the precise moment they would cease to exist.

I believe firmly that we would start to think of ways immediately to improve the quality of our life in this moment and actively pursuing that.

It is not only important to have a good journey, but a good ending to the journey.

I think that architecture must protect our life and our property.

I feel my mission to be an architectural advisor, I must accomplish that.

"What is genuine lifestyle?" it is my eternal theme of research.

The definition of health has been revised by the World Health Organization.

The WHO defines health as being not a state of sickness, but a state that we feel in good health and are happy.

Preventative and care medicine’s target is to maintain a healthy state of being.

No one can object to a person’s desire to indefinitely spend every day happy and healthy.

The most important concept is that not only filled with love and gratitude but also that everyone should live a healthy life physically, mentally, and socially.

I think that if this concept takes root among our society and a new ideology is born from these ideas our consumption society will change.

In this way, if our society becomes healthier, if our QOL goes up, if we have love and gratitude, not only will this improve our entire society as a whole but our (the silent power which exists in all living things = = Qui) will improve as well.

The thought process of and Feng Shui we formed by studying the human nervous system.

If can pass though those routes smoothly, we can maintain healthy bodies.

Having a comfortable place or surroundings alleviates our stress and renews our spirit.

LOHAS and QOL have reviewed the state of human health in the global environment.

They suggest to us to consider what fulfilling life actually means.

So I think LOHAS and QOL help show us that people should seriously review why they are living and how they are living once more.

In my thirty years doing what I do best, I have seen many things, I have tackled and solved many problems most people view as an enigma.

I have produced various surroundings that improve the natural self-healing power that all of us share.

Through architecture and my business I have noticed that design is a great preventative medicine especially when used with nursing and holistic medical treatment.

My thinking has always been against the grain of the established architecture theory, usually in which design is the only thing being discussed.

I believe the architect must design around the client's lifestyle.

The design should also reflect the client’s way of life.

This is all done creating a comfortable place based on Samurai ideals.

So I make every endeavor as a Japanese architect to create a unique space that cannot be duplicated by anyone.