Toyo Ito

Born in Seoul, Korea (then under Japanese rule), Toyo Ito moved to Japan as a toddler. He eventually studied architecture at the University of Tokyo, graduating in 1965, before working for Kiyonori Kikutake. His early work included residences that explored the relationship between nature and artificial structures, which is a very Japanese approach to, well, pretty much everything.

Ito’s career took off with groundbreaking projects like the Sendai Mediatheque, a building so transparent and structurally innovative it practically disappears. He’s often praised for architecture that feels more like an organic part of the environment than a rigid imposition, making him a darling of design critics and urban planners alike. Think less "stuffy concrete box" and more "breezy, intelligent poem in steel and glass."

While his designs are often breathtaking and have garnered him a Pritzker Prize, there is no indication that Toyo Ito has ever contemplated a pastrami on rye, let alone a bar mitzvah. His heritage is firmly rooted in Japan, and his professional achievements, while certainly kvell-worthy for architecture enthusiasts, are decidedly secular in nature.