Which samurai experience in Kyoto fits you
Kendo, sword class, stage show, armour or museum. Pick by what you want to do, then compare the sessions that match.
Kyoto has kendo in full armour, sword classes in training wear, a sword-dance theatre, armour walks, a film studio session and a museum, and most of them are sold as a samurai experience. Start with the situation that sounds like you. Each entry names the session that matches and what it includes; the table below lines up armour, sword work, cutting and minimum age for all of them.
Which samurai experience fits you
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You want to try kendo as the sport is practised
Kendo Samurai Experience Tour by Park for us: full bogu armour, a bamboo shinai and a sparring bout at the end, in a dojo with a 7th-dan teacher. Two hours, often as a private session, meeting at the north exit of JR Hanazono station. Reviewers say the teacher's English is limited at times.
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You want a calm introduction to the sword, without armour
Kendo and Samurai Experience by Kendo Experience: two hours of strikes, blocks and footwork with training swords in training wear, in an old house in Shugakuin, with time for photos and video. Despite the name there is no kendo armour and no sparring. From age 7.
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You want to learn sword moves in the centre, in a small group
Samurai Sword Class at the Samurai Kembu Theater near Sanjo: costume, kenbu sword technique, photos and a certificate, in groups of up to 10. Kenbu is stage sword dance rather than a martial art. From 5, with martial arts experience advised up to 10.
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You want wooden-sword practice, one cut and a moment of zen
Sword and Zen Experience by Waraku: a demonstration, wooden-sword practice, one cut at a target with an iaito and zen meditation, in two hours. Free cancellation ends 7 days before the start, and Waraku moves to a new venue on 21 October 2026. From 6.
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You want sword practice and the museum in one visit
Sword Experience with Museum Ticket at the Samurai Ninja Museum: dojo practice with a wooden and a metal sword, a guided museum tour and shuriken throwing, on Rokkaku-dori near Nishiki Market. Groups of up to 22, and children under 7 cannot enter the dojo.
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You would rather watch than train
Samurai Kenbu Sword Dance Show at the Samurai Kembu Theater: an hour of kenbu on stage, then a short part where you hold a sword and try a few swings. No photos during the show.
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You want to wear real armour, outside
Samurai Walk by Daimyo: real armour, calligraphy on a war fan and matcha in a studio on Kiyamachi, then a walk in armour to the Kamo river for photos. One and a half hours, from age 5. The armour is heavy, and there is no sword training.
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You want a sword-fight scene on video
Samurai Action Film Experience by GOATtrip: chambara, the staged sword fighting of period films, with professional actors in a dojo at Myokaku-ji temple, filmed as your own action video. Up to 6 people, from age 5. Be on time; latecomers can be turned away.
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You mainly want portraits in armour
Samurai Photoshoot by Shogun Studio near JR Saga-Arashiyama: armour, weapons and a fog machine in a private session, with 10 edited photos per person. Some reviewers waited longer than expected for their photos.
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You have an hour and want the background
Samurai Ninja Museum Guided Tour: an English-speaking guide, soft armour to try on for photos and shuriken throwing, on Rokkaku-dori near Nishiki Market. Wheelchair accessible; groups of up to 30.
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Your children are younger than 5
Child-Friendly Ninja Class run by the Samurai Ninja Museum: ninja outfit, blowgun and a shuriken contest for two hours, from age 3. It takes place in the Utanokoji Building, not at the museum address. A reviewer found it aimed at children more than at adults.
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You want to make your own ninja weapon
Ninja Weapon Forging by Kendo Experience, a minute from Hieizanguchi station: you forge a shuriken at around 800 °C, engrave a kanji and keep it. A kunai costs extra, and the weapon travels in checked luggage only. For families with children from 5, the same operator runs a tin-casting workshop near Demachiyanagi.
The sessions side by side
Sorted by number of reviews. Re-sort by tapping a column header.
| Photo | Experience | Type | Armour | Sword work | Cutting | Min. age | Group | Duration | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Kendo and Samurai Experience Kendo Experience (Studio NIN) | Sword basics | None (training wear) | Training swords: strikes, blocks, footwork | Not listed | 7 | Not stated | 2 h | ★ 4.8 (1,225) | €90 per person | Book now |
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Samurai Sword Class Samurai Kembu Theater | Stage sword dance (kenbu) | Costume | Kenbu technique, certificate | No | 5 | Up to 10 | 1.5–2 h | ★ 4.9 (856) | €56 per person | Book now |
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Ninja Weapon Forging Kendo Experience (Studio NIN) | Workshop | None | Forge a shuriken to keep | No | Not stated | Not stated | 2.5 h | ★ 4.8 (660) | €130 per person | Book now |
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Samurai Ninja Museum Guided Tour Samurai Ninja Museum Kyoto | Museum | Soft armour to try on | Shuriken throwing | No | Not stated | Up to 30 | 1 h | ★ 4.7 (616) | €20 per person | Book now |
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Samurai Kenbu Sword Dance Show Samurai Kembu Theater | Show | None | Short hands-on part after the show | No | Not stated | Not stated | 1 h | ★ 4.5 (477) | €28 per person | Book now |
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Ninja Weapon in a Tin Workshop Kendo Experience (Studio NIN) | Workshop | None | Cast an 8 to 10 cm piece in tin | No | 5 | Not stated | 2–2.5 h | ★ 5.0 (162) | €96 per person | Book now |
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Samurai Walk with Matcha and Calligraphy Daimyo | Armour and photo walk | Real armour (heavy) | No sword training | No | 5 | Not stated | 1.5 h | ★ 5.0 (126) | €93 per person | Book now |
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Samurai Action Film Experience GOATtrip | Film scene (chambara) | Costume | Staged sword fight with actors | No | 5 | Up to 6 | 1 h | ★ 4.9 (99) | €112 per person | Book now |
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Ninja House Experience Viyago Japan | Ninja class | Costume optional | Blowgun, shuriken | No | 5 | Small | 1 h | ★ 5.0 (74) | €45 per person | Book now |
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Sword and Zen in a Samurai Residence Waraku | Sword and zen | Not stated | Wooden sword, iaito | One cut at a target with an iaito | 6 | Not stated | 2 h | ★ 4.9 (71) | €102 per person | Book now |
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Sword Experience with Museum Ticket Samurai Ninja Museum Kyoto | Sword practice and museum | Not stated | Wooden and metal sword in a dojo | Not listed | 7 for the dojo | Up to 22 | 2 h | ★ 4.6 (67) | €61 per person | Book now |
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Kendo Samurai Experience Tour Park for us | Martial art (kendo) | Full bogu | Bamboo shinai, sparring bout | No | Not stated | Often private | 2 h | ★ 4.8 (36) | €102 per person | Book now |
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Child-Friendly Ninja Class Samurai Ninja Museum Kyoto | Ninja class | Ninja outfit | Blowgun, shuriken contest | No | 3 | Up to 20 | 2 h | ★ 4.8 (15) | €41 per person | Book now |
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Samurai Photoshoot Shogun Studio | Photoshoot | Armour for photos | Weapons as props | No | Not stated | Private | 1 h | ★ 4.8 (12) | €118 per person | Book now |
Per-person prices are loaded from GetYourGuide and include taxes and booking fees. Paid extras such as the kunai at the forging class are not part of the price shown.
Kendo in armour, or sword basics in training wear
In kendo you wear bogu armour and fight with a bamboo sword, the shinai. Among the bookable sessions, only the one by Park for us works this way: a dojo, a teacher holding 7th dan, and a sparring bout to finish. It often runs as a private session and meets at the north exit of JR Hanazono station.
The “Kendo and Samurai Experience” by Kendo Experience in Shugakuin uses the word kendo in its title, but you train in training wear with training swords: strikes, blocks and footwork, then photos and video. It is the gentler start and suits anyone who wants the sword without the weight of armour. Children can join from 7.
Kendo fans in Kyoto in early May can also watch the sport. The Kyoto Taikai budo tournament at the Butokuden in Okazaki traditionally runs from 2 to 5 May; dates for 2027 were not out when this page was written.
Kenbu belongs to the stage
Kenbu is the sword dance of Japanese theatre, and the Samurai Kembu Theater near Sanjo offers it in two forms. The show is an hour of performance with a short hands-on part at the end; photos are not allowed while it runs. The class takes 1.5 to 2 hours: you put on a costume, learn kenbu technique, and leave with photos and a certificate. Groups are capped at 10, and you can add a 10- or 30-minute show.
Reviewers mention that several groups share the space and that the short package leaves little practice time. Arrive 5 to 15 minutes early. There is no waiting room, and luggage is not allowed.
Cutting is the exception
Tatami-mat cutting, tameshigiri, is not part of any standard programme compared here. Waraku comes closest: after a demonstration and wooden-sword practice you make one cut at a target with an iaito, then finish with zen meditation. Kendo Experience lists no cutting, and the sword session at the Samurai Ninja Museum mentions a wooden and a metal sword in the dojo, not cutting. If cutting is the reason you are going, read the current programme on the product page before you book.
Waraku has two details that matter for planning. Free cancellation ends 7 days before the start, and the session moves to a new venue on 21 October 2026, so the address on your booking confirmation is the one to use. The gate opens 15 minutes early, you change before the start, and the session begins on time.
Armour, photos and a film scene
Daimyo on Kiyamachi puts you in real armour for an hour and a half: calligraphy on a war fan, a bowl of matcha, then a walk to the Kamo river for photos. The armour is heavy, and there is no sword training. Shogun Studio near Saga-Arashiyama runs private photoshoots in armour with weapons and a fog machine and delivers 10 edited photos per person; some reviewers waited for their download link.
GOATtrip teaches chambara, the choreographed sword fighting of Japanese period films, with professional actors at Myokaku-ji temple. You leave with an action video. Groups stay at 6 or fewer, latecomers can be turned away, and damage to costumes is charged.
The museum and the ninja sessions
The Samurai Ninja Museum on Rokkaku-dori is the shortest format: an hour with an English-speaking guide, soft armour to try on and shuriken throwing, in groups of up to 30. Reviewers mention parallel groups in the building. The same museum adds dojo practice in its two-hour sword session (dojo from age 7) and runs a ninja class for children from 3 at a second address in the Utanokoji Building.
Kendo Experience runs two workshops in the north of the city. At the forging class near Hieizanguchi station you heat steel to around 800 °C and forge a shuriken; a kunai costs extra. The tin workshop near Demachiyanagi casts a small ninja weapon of 8 to 10 cm and takes children from 5; a review notes that a knife or mask costs extra. Forged pieces go in checked luggage, and the import rules of your home country apply.
- Waraku, GOATtrip and Park for us exclude people with back or heart problems and pregnant women.
- Armour and bogu are heavy, and in the humid July and August heat they are hard work. Bring water.
- Plan the journey to the northern studios (Shugakuin, Hieizanguchi) and to JR Hanazono, which lie outside the central Sanjo and Nishiki area.
- The Samurai Ninja Museum brand also runs venues in Tokyo. In Kyoto, go to the address on your ticket.
FAQ
Is the Kendo Experience in Shugakuin real kendo?
Not in the sense of the sport. You train in training wear with training swords and learn strikes, blocks and footwork, without bogu armour and without sparring. The session with armour, shinai and sparring is the Kendo Samurai Experience Tour by Park for us at JR Hanazono.
Which samurai experience suits a family with young children?
For children from 3, the ninja class run by the Samurai Ninja Museum. From 5, the kenbu sword class, the Daimyo samurai walk, the GOATtrip film session, the tin workshop and the ninja house in Arashiyama. Waraku starts at 6, Kendo Experience and the museum dojo at 7.
Which session includes cutting with a sword?
Waraku lists one cut at a target with an iaito as part of its session. None of the sessions here offers tatami-mat cutting as a standard part of the programme.
Is the samurai show worth it if I want to learn?
The show is a performance with only a short hands-on part, and photos are not allowed while it runs. If you want to learn technique, the sword class at the same theatre gives you 1.5 to 2 hours in costume, with photos and a certificate.
Which sessions can I combine on the same day?
The Samurai Kembu Theater, Daimyo and the Samurai Ninja Museum are all in the centre around Sanjo and Nishiki Market. In the west, the ninja house in Arashiyama and Shogun Studio near Saga-Arashiyama both take an hour and suit a day in that area.
Every samurai session in Kyoto in one table
With what you do, the minimum age and the area of the city.
See the comparison