I am deeply passionate about Kyoto and hope to show you it’s true nature.
Andrew William grew up in the Washington D.C. area with interests in Eastern philosophy, nature and art. He followed these passions to Colorado where he completed a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture and designed and built gardens for a decade. He then spent brief periods in Seattle and Kauai before coming to Japan 11 years ago to learn from the masters the traditional techniques of Japanese garden design and construction.
While apprenticing in one of the highest ranking garden companies in Kyoto, Andrew had a chance to work in several prestigious gardens including the state guesthouse at the Kyoto Imperial Palace and the private garden at Fushimi Inari Taisha. As part of his training, he became one of the only foreigners to obtain certification from the Kyoto Zouen Kumiai Kunrenko, a prestigious gardener training program taught by many of Kyoto’s garden masters and industry elites.
In 2017 he founded An Design, a garden consulting and tour company in Kyoto, Japan. Having received over 1,000 5-star reviews, An Design has become one of the highest rated tour companies in Kyoto.