You can read about what some of the experience of our past participants. If you are interested in joining us on this study tour, please be sure to check out our page here and contact us for more information.
John (from California, USA) November, 2022
In November I took a walking tour in Kyoto with Marcus, where we visited Manshu-in Temple and Shisendo. It was a wonderful experience learning about Japanese gardens and tea ceremonies. Marcus was knowledgeable and engaging, providing clear explanations of the temples’ construction and functions. He even went out of his way to help me select some woodworking tools at a local hardware store. I highly recommend this tour for anyone interested in exploring the cultural and historical gems of Kyoto.
Ken (from Arizona, USA) September, 2022
The architectural tour provided a great opportunity to get a close-up look at a couple of fascinating sites that are less visited than many in the Kyoto area. On our tour, we went to Shisendo and Manshuin temples. Takami and Marcus put a lot of attention into comparing and contrasting the facilities various uses as well as the architecture itself. In each building, Takami took the time to highlight key architectural elements, discussing why and how they were used. One of the greatest things about the tour was the way Takami and Marcus tailored the discussions and the tour itself to the interests and knowledge levels of the participants. I learned more about traditional Japanese architecture from this tour than from any other I have taken.
Vorn and Trevor (from Sydney, Australia) March, 2023
Thank you so much for a wonderful afternoon in which you so eloquently explained the architecture of Shisen Do and Manshuin temples. We relished the opportunity to learn about the design and materials used so many, many years ago. The highlight was undoubtedly the privilege of sitting quietly in an ancient, classic tea house, surrounded by a beautifully manicured garden. We can thoroughly recommend this tour to everyone!
PS Thank you Marcus for all the arrangements you made to ensure that we , foreigners, arrived at the right place, at the right time.. and returned home safely .
Marina and Niall (from Argentina and Ireland) June, 2023
My partner Niall and myself went to Kyoto and did the tour on the 6th of June.
We found it incredible; not only for the temples we visited, but also for the knowledge Marcus shared with us. We felt comfortable asking him any questions we had, and he replied to them all. He told us stories about ancient times and shared valuable knowledge about the amazing architecture. My partner Niall is a woodworker and furniture maker, who is very interested in Japanese style and Architecture; while I am not!; I only have basic knowledge; and we both had an amazing experience.
I personally loved that the temples selected for the tour were not very busy at the times we visited them, so we had the opportunity to take our time and wander around.
Once the tour was finished, Marcus helped us buy some woodworking tools, by giving us recommendations of shops to visit, and he even took the time to translate for us a couple of questions we had for the shop owner.
Again, we have nothing other than words of gratitude.
I highly recommend this tour to anyone, not only to architecture/woodworkers, but everyone.