The Start of Beauty Several business trips took John Anderson to Japan in the 1960s. However, a visit to the Portland Japanese Gardens in Oregon inspired him to develop his swampy backyard, along Spring Creek in Rockford, to give Illinois it's own piece of Japan. John employed the assistance of designer Hoichi Kurisu, a master craftsman, and in 1978 construction began on the Anderson Japanese Gardens. Every path, tree, and rock placed in the gardens were done so with exact … [Read more...]