Kyoto: Descending Arashiyama (Private)

Such a great tour. Off the beaten path. Really enjoyed the day. Learned a lot & saw a lot. Highly recommend

Great walking tour. Andrew was very knowledgeable and we saw some great sites and learned about the history and culture behind them.

Spending a day with Andrew in Kyoto was hands-down the highlight of our entire Japan trip. We did a full-day tour focused on temple gardens and traditional neighborhoods, we’re still thinking about it. If you’re even remotely interested in Japanese gardens, Zen, or just want to understand Kyoto on a deeper level—book this tour. Andrew is not only incredibly knowledgeable, but he’s also just a joy to spend time with. He has this amazing ability to explain the deeper meaning and symbolism behind Japanese gardens and Buddhism as it relates to temple designs in a way that’s easy to understand, but also really profound. It felt like we weren’t just seeing beautiful places—we were actually understanding them. By the end of the day, we were seeing Kyoto, and honestly Japan as a whole, through a whole new lens. The pace of the tour was perfect—relaxed, immersive, and never rushed. It gave us the space to really take it all in. We also loved the unexpected moments—getting glimpses into traditional crafts and everyday life that made the experience feel that much richer. What really stood out was Andrew himself. He’s warm, easygoing, and just one of those people you could talk to for hours. He’s a true cultural interpreter, and our conversations throughout the day were as memorable as the gardens themselves. If you’re looking for something truly special in Kyoto, we can’t recommend this experience enough. Thank you, Andrew!

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience with Andrew. Our two days ( The Path Less Travelled tour and Descending Arashiyama ) turned out to be the highlight of our trip. Seeing the beauty of these temple gardens through the eyes of someone whose passion for the art and symbolism of Japanese gardens and Zen, made it special and memorable. We thoroughly enjoyed the pace allowing us to feel immersed in the environment. An added bonus was our introduction to traditional crafts and way of life. We highly recommend these tours and cannot thank Andrew enough.

We had an amazing day with Andrew! He was a wealth of information and we enjoyed experiencing each site through the eyes of an expert. He even took us to a 400 year old inn for tea and a quaint traditional Japanese coffee shop for lunch. I highly recommend adding Descending Arashiyama to your itinerary if you are visiting Kyoto!

This tour is exceptional. Andrew is so knowledgeable and personable. We enjoyed his company so much and he made the day really special. There was a moment in the afternoon when I realised just how superbly the tour is designed because we were going against the flow of tourist traffic. It’s really clever of Andrew to start at the top and work the way down. It’s relaxing and engaging. Every stop was fascinating. I got so much more out of this day than I ever could have if I’d tried to plan the day myself, Andrew’s knowledge is priceless.

Andrew's tour was the absolute highlight of our 2 ½ week visit to Japan. We highly recommend booking this tour, as it significantly transformed our perspective on Kyoto and Japanese gardens as a whole. We spent 1 ½ fascinating days with Andrew as he captivated us by explaining Japanese gardens to us! Andrew is amazing and it is hard to convey how much we loved meeting and learning from him. Andrew helped us to see Japanese gardens and therefore Japan in a way we would have never understood without him. He serves as a cultural interpreter, unraveling the design of the Japanese garden. His expertise is profound, and he possesses a remarkable ability to explain what we would never have been able to see or understand. Andrew is the type of individual with whom one can engage in extensive and enlightening conversations for hours on end. He’s fun, knowledgeable and always filled with phenomenal information. Andrew isn't just a guide; he's a captivating conversationalist. Spending hours immersed in dialogue with him is an enlightening journey in itself. He provides an abundance of wisdom and unravels more than we could ever have imagined.

We visited Kyoto in September 2023, as 6 adult family members. This was a very pleasant day in Arashiyama, with a good variety of activities and sights. The tour was well-placed such that we did not feel rushed and the older members of our group (some over 70) were easily able to keep up. Overall, it felt like a pleasant stroll through a lovely part of Kyoto. We visited several temples and gardens, the stunning estate of a silent film star, the bamboo forest, and various little sites in between. There was time to stop for lunch and/or tea and snacks (although our group decided not to have tea.) We were also able to stop at some lovely handicraft shops, such as an indigo-dye workshop and a pottery workshop. It was really nice to get outside the more crowded areas of Kyoto and see some of the local neighborhoods, and to visit some spots that we would not have visited if we had created our own itinerary for the day. The best part was that I did not have to think about what to see during our day in Arashiyama. Andrew took care of all of that for us and his selection was perfect. On a personal level, our group really enjoyed Andrew's personality and all the information he has to impart about the temples and other locations we visited. We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with him and would certainly book more tours with Andrew on a future visit to Kyoto.

Andrew finds fun, hidden gems and livens them up further with his stories about gardens--what's there, what it might mean, and how it's created. He also works hard to build strong relationships with the people connected to (or simply working around) these beautiful spots, which creates good will toward the people in his tour groups. Really a nice way to spend a day in Kyoto. Also recommend his half-day Zen garden trip, might be better for families with kids/teens. Also, he points out great sweetshops & restaurants!!

Andrew offers something really very special. The love he has for his adoptive city, and his sensitivity to the details & moods of the place, is a real treat to share in. As someone with a little contextual knowledge, I found Andrew not only proved a humble teacher, but an encouraging and supportive partner in learning about the temples and human history of Kyoto. I had a truly special time with him.

Andrew is a fabulous host! He is obviously passionate about what he showing and his knowledge is enlightening. While I have never been to Japan, Andrew's virtual tour has made it possible for me to 'travel' to a beautiful part of the world. I certainly felt supported throughout the tour. I would encourage you to explore Japan with Andrew's wonderful support. Great experience.

This was such a delightful sensory experience! We were fascinated with the way Andrew blended historical and current footage to give a sense of the temple over time. The closest thing to being there! Thank you Andrew, will book another one of your tours.

I did the online tour and it was absolutely amazing. Andrew was very knowledgable and kind. I learned a lot in the tour, it was an amazing experience.

It was a wonderful experience, and not our first one with Andrew. His tours are highly recommendable - and this one was spectacular. Excellent videos, good story behind the Temple Transformation and a presentation that came from heart. Thanks a lot, Andrew, and we are looking forward to meeting with you again!

I can't say enough good things about Andrew and his tours. When my husband and I visited kyoto a few years ago the time we spent with Andrew was the highlight of our trip and now he has pivoted to doing these incredible online emersive experiences. So excited to take all of them as they are released! Just took the first of what I hope are many!

We did the online tour of the Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple and it was wonderful. Andrew is very knowledgeable and friendly. The videos were beautiful, and it was such an interesting history, I can’t wait to visit in person. It was a welcome get away during this Covid time. It felt like we were there! Very well done.

Amazing Experience. This is my fourth experience with An Design. Had the pleasure of spending two days in Kyoto with Andrew exploring many Zen gardens and temples back in February right before the Pandemic and it was truly memorable. Couple of month's ago went on his virtual tour Zen Gardens, Zen Minds and it was great. Last night I had the pleasure revisiting Kyoto:Descending Arashimaya and it was amazing. His new experience takes you through with beautiful videos that make you feel that you are there. Beautiful photography and very well edited and Andrews knowledge and gift for story telling makes it very special and engaging. Also great sharing it with people from all over. I was in West Palm Beach, Florida with gusts in San Diego, California and Seattle Washington. Highly recommend An Design visual Experiences and tours. Looking forward to new experiences. Best regards; Frank

Super friendly and great guide. It was like having a super knowledgable friend show you around. Highly recommend.

I have lived in Kyoto for about 12 years, and had a personal conclusion that Arashiyama is just a touristy crowded area. I recently happened to know about an intriguing Arashiyama tour guided by an American who is a former Japanese gardener in Kyoto… Interesting… Then, participating Andrew’s tour “Descending Arashiyama” completely changed my thought. Instead of crawling in the touristy main streets, we took a taxi for a while to reach up to the quiet and inspirational mountainside where we started off the tour. My impression with “crowded Arashiyama” had gone already at this moment. He just didn’t take us to some minor location to be simply different, but actually he first took us to Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple, which is now the very place I definitely would like to take my guest next time I visit Arashiyama. I have no idea how he had found the temple and why such a fascinating place is not very known even among Japanese people, but later I found that that is one of the unique elements of Andrew’s tour: Not typical, but definitely meaningful. What we enjoyed as well throughout the descending tour was the communication between Anderew and the local people. At the potter’s atelier, at the washi (Japanese handmade paper) shop, at the very authentic hillside tearoom, Andrew and the hosts greeted each other like real friends and chatting even about personal topics in fluent Japanese. Their great relationship even made us feel very welcome and somehow at home! All the other details such as the local trivia about the mountain-side tunnel (I don’t think any guidebook talks about it!), his selection of the picnic spot (We felt as if we were the royal family who possess such a wonderful garden), his kind introduction of the participating members (We could feel we had been already friends), the child-friendly atmosphere (I participated with my wife and a 3-year-old daughter)… made us so satisfied. I am a Kyoto-based Japanese. But I won’t hesitate at all to try Andrew’s another tour to deep-dive into fascinating culture and history of Kyoto. 日本在住、京都在住の方にもお薦めします！

The tour was excellent, Andrew is amazing! There is so much more to see in Kyoto city apart from the most famous sights. I would have missed these places, which Andrew picked for his tour. He was very knowledgeable and explained a lot about the places we visited. Highly recommended!!

I decided to take the tour «Descending Arashiyama» after participating in «Zen garden, zen mind» with Andrew. The garden-tour was amazing so I had high expectations when joining Andrew in Arashiyama. And I wasn’t disappointed – I had been to Arashiyama five times before but only during the tour with Andrew I felt that I truly and deeply experienced this area. The tour is very well designed, in a way that allows to avoid the crowds as much as possible. Andrew told stories that you would not find in the guide and drew my attention to aspects that I had overlooked when I was doing sightseeing on my own. He also showed us some hidden gems that are not easy to discover when you just pass-by Andrew’s extremely competent guiding made me truly appreciate and understand the meaning and beauty of Arashiyama. Arashiyama is so much more than the bamboo path and with Andrew’s expertise this place got a completely new dimension.

Without doubt one of my favourite parts of Kyoto city ! Upon arrival I was warmly welcomed by Andrew. I joined the tour by myself but there were a few more friendly people in the group. Before we set off on the tour, Andrew kindly took time to introduce everyone to each other and I instantly made friends with people in the tour group. The guide and tour was extremely good, very flexible and for that he deserves a special thanks. I had no idea where things like a restroom or vending machine were, but Andrew always mentioned whenever we passed in front of them. We stopped by several shops and he took enough time for us to do some shopping so I could get souvenirs. People working at those shops were very friendly and kind. Andrew has such a warm personality and is a highly motivated guide. I truly enjoyed walking and talking with people I met in the tour group and listening to Andrew’s fascinating stories about each place we visited. The scenery was beautiful and it was a relief to walk in such a quiet and peaceful environment. The natural bath in Arashiyama was absolutely great. The atmosphere is so special that it really made me feel like I'd like to come back to Arashiyama again. All respect to Andrew who does a great job there; a truly excellent tour guide! Many thanks again and I recommend you to have a wonderful experience with Andrew.

I have visited Arashiyama several times, but this was my first time in Arashiyama with my kids. I brought a stroller with me for a break for a three-year-old. Andrew is used to travelling with his children and has been very accommodating and had a great time. I had visited Arashiyama several times before and thought I knew about it, but when Andrew, who is also a former gardener, showed me around, I was shocked to learn that there was so much I didn't know. Not to mention the famous and wonderful temples, shrines and shrines, but also the slightly less well-kept temples and small bamboo groves. They were also given a chance to see the well-established cafe, even the 300-year-old kitchen behind the shop, which is still in use. We were also introduced to a shop that doubles as a small workshop, which is difficult to find, and we bought some lovely washi. I'd love to join other Andrew tours.