Kyoto: Zen Garden, Zen Mind (Private)

Posted By : Susan_C
Andrew has a great depth of knowledge of both the philosophy and construction of rock gardens, and added much to our appreciation and understanding of the gardens and their significance. His tour was the high point of our time in Kyoto.
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Posted On : 2024-05-08

Posted By : Orsolya_K
It was a real eye-opening and insightful experience regarding Japanese aesthetics. If you have any question about Japanese religion, history or gardening, Andrew will surely answer it. He tells not only data but points out correlations too. Andrew's personality proves that he not only preaches but also lives Zen.
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Posted On : 2024-04-21

Posted By : Linda_W
Through the lens of the Zen garden Andrew brought to life the religion, society, history and culture of Kyoto. He brought our focus to the meaning of the rock gardens so prevalent in Kyoto and the shrines and garden choices. He answered the many questions we had about living in Japan and experiencing it as a foreigner who worked with Japanese gardens. He enriched our trip immeasurably and I’d recommend this tour to everyone visiting this exquisite city.
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Posted On : 2024-04-07

Posted By : Lauren_H
Highly recommended for everyone! I’ve completely gained a new perspective on Japanese gardens after the tour. I signed up for the tour to gain insights into key concepts driving Japanese garden design. Andrew was amazing, friendly and I’m super appreciative of the knowledge he shared. While it was raining during our tour, the colors were more vibrant with the variation of green and didn’t cause any hiccups at all.
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Posted On : 2024-04-05

Posted By : Sarita_T
Andrew of AN Design is a remarkable guide. He brought the gardens to life in a way that made them more beautiful and meaningful. On our own, we would never have been able to appreciate the gardens as we did with him. Visiting Gardens in Kyoto was one of our top choices and he made it an unforgettable experience. We did not understand why it was so hard to find this tour on the TripAdvisor site, but we are glad that we did and we highly recommend him.
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Posted On : 2024-03-29

Posted By : Kyle_O
This was an excellent and unique tour that added valuable context for our trip. We learned about the gardens, Shintoism, and Buddhism, which are omnipresent in Kyoto. It was fascinating hearing about the meanings behind different garden arrangements. Not to mention, the sites we visited were stunning! Andy was a knowledgeable and calming presence throughout the tour. If you want to better understand the shrines, temples, and gardens that you’ll be stumbling across on your trip to Kyoto, then book this tour!
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Posted On : 2023-11-19

Posted By : alanbX6857PO
Andrew is knowledgeable, passionate, and shows a side of the zen gardens that you wouldn’t expect. I don’t regret this booking and I feel so far it’s the best experience of my trip.
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Posted On : 2023-11-04

Posted By : Clive_H
Excellent tour! Andy shared lots of information and customised the tour to suit our interests. He stayed late to ensure all our needs and interests were satisfied.
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Posted On : 2023-10-27

Posted By : Sightseer280914
We visited Kyoto in September 2023, as 6 adult family members. I mainly booked this tour for my dad, who has an interest in Japanese garden design, since I noticed that Andrew has a background in landscape. This was some of the most pleasant few hours we spent in Kyoto, and it was a wild success with every member of our tour group. Andrew was very gracious in answering my dad's questions about landscape design, plants, etc. My dad specifically said during the tour that he thought he "would like to spend a whole week with Andrew learning from him". After the tour and throughout the rest of the evening, my dad raved about the places we visited and the way Andrew taught us about the gardens. His specific words were that the tour was "10 out of 10" and that the afternoon was "beyond what he ever could have hoped for." The other members of our group had equally good things to say about the afternoon. On a personal level, I can say that the selection of gardens were not only exquisite and well-chosen, and were places that we would have missed without Andrew's careful curation of the afternoon, but that I appreciated Andrew's easy-going, humble personality and the quiet way he explained the spiritual symbolism of the spaces. I came away with a better understanding of Zen Buddhism and Buddhism as a whole. Since returning to the U.S., I have spent several moments contemplating what I learned about the beliefs being conveyed in the gardens. Andrew is an excellent guide and this tour was a gem. It we were to visit Kyoto again, we would certainly want to book more time with Andrew to learn about more of these stunning landscapes.
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Posted On : 2023-10-03

Posted By : WhyWeTravel8391
Andrew did an incredible job explaining the nuance and intention of each garden design, while keeping a pace that allowed us to really embrace and immerse ourselves in the garden. We took several tours on our trip to Japan and this was by far our favorite. Highly recommend a tour with Andrew!
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Posted On : 2023-07-16