Apparently he never had a formal education in architecture but started out as a carpenter between the ages of 10 and 17. He also worked for a while as a truck driver and a boxer. However, by his late teens he had already developed a passionate interest in architecture and visited many Japanese temples, tea houses and shrines gathering inspiration and knowledge which he enhanced further by reading many books on the subject. In his early twenties he travelled to the United States, Europe and Africa and developed a fascination with the work of Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe. The influence of Le Corbusier on Tadao Ando's work goes without question.