5.0
·
620 reviews
Lane_K
April 2024
I promise you, you won't regret booking this once in a lifetime experience - by far our favorite part our of 2 week Japan trip. It was SO interesting and insightful learning about the history of the samurai, watching an expert use the katana sword then teaching us how to properly hold one and cut bamboo! I love how it's a small group and intimate, rather than it being 15+ people. They allowed us to record and take videos on our phones and they also took professional pics on a camera that they emailed to us hours later which was a huge pro seeming as I'm always capturing memories. I'm STILL doing + showing the proper technique on how to hold a katana sword to my friends and family, lol. 10/10 recommend!
EllisHaigh
April 2024
One of the best things we did on our 2 weeks trip to Japan. All guides involved were super friendly, passionate and knowledgable which all led to a great experience for all of us involved.
We were made to feel so comfortable from the beginning and the session did not feel rushed and it was really nice to hear some background of the samurai before the practical side of the activity. The zen meditation at the end was another great experience that was done so beautifully by the guides. Would definitely recommend!
Charlotte_G
April 2024
An amazing experience! Would 100% recommend. Staff were v knowledgable and friendly, and using the samurai sword was v cool!
Maxime_T
April 2024
The complete experience was totally awesome, even if you don't speak Japanese they offer translation and it was perfect ! I highly recommend them !
Eleanor H
April 2024
An incredible experience and would highly recommend. A lot to learn about the history of the Samurai within the home of a previous Samurai; a demonstration of Iaido; an opportunity to practice before using a real sword to cut the mats all dressed in traditional outfits; and a short meditation to finish. A very well organised experience with English speaking/translating guides. A beautiful setting that feels really authentic. Probably one of our highlights of our Japan trip. Worth every penny.
bblg2016
April 2024
Amazing experience ! We enjoyed every minute of it !!! Our kids were so excited by the experience :) the team is doing a great job and is very friendly
Eduard_A
April 2024
Very beautiful and emotional experience. You can feel the real atmosphere of samurai warrior and his katana
R B
April 2024
We really enjoyed getting to dress up and learn a little history and play with swords! We got to cut a rolled up mat into pieces!
evanvrs14
April 2024
Fascinating and authentic samurai sword experience. Interesting to learn a bit about the samurai culture and super fun to actually try out a sword, all contained within a beautiful 200 year old samurai historic house. Could easily have been very touristy but this felt just right. Thoroughly recommend.
SWL73
April 2024
We had the best time here being Samurais. It was so professional yet personally. We felt very welcome and were very well guided through the whole experience. Fantastic is the combination with history of the Samurais, being in a real house of Samurai and getting told about it, seeing the two professional warriors in action and afterwards being trained by them to finally be able to cut with a real sword. And at the end we reached zen in the meditation 🤗Amazing. We will never forget it. Thanks from Denmark.
crystalhI3780XJ
April 2024
One of the highlights of my trip for sure. A once in a lifetime experience to be able to say you wielded a katana. All of the staff were friendly and knowledgeable, especially the two gentlemen sensei who you could tell have been doing this for years. Subarashī!
Marcus_C
March 2024
What a fantastic experience. Very informative, a small insight in to samurai history and culture. First class all round. Excellent tuition. Our whole group thoroughly enjoyed the session. Highly recommended. Thank you.
nadjaw329
March 2024
The Kyoto Samurai Experience was awesome! Very well-organised, perfectly English-speaking, kind and patient team. The experience included interesting information, impressive performance, hands-on training with a real katana sword and a short Zen meditation session. I would definitely recommend this ativity!
Alison_S
March 2024
Such a cool experience! A great mix of history, dress, swordsmanship, and zen. We took our 9 year old daughter and they were so kind and considerate. She used a slightly modified sword and cut through a daikon radish. I would recommend this to anyone in Kyoto. Especially cool as part of a big day visiting Nijo castle nearby.
Cara_T
March 2024
Really great well-planned and well-paced experience with real Japanese Samurai and in a Samurai House. Enjoyed the historic backdrop, demonstrations. Then swordmanship training and getting to use the katana ourselves to chop. Finally the zen session afterwards. It was a perfect combination of helping us to understand the context and Japanese culture but also such a fun and cool activity to do with your family and friends. We have great photos to share to impress our loved ones back at home!
Wendy_J
March 2024
Learning the history and perspective of the samurai culture was a highlight as was the demonstration. But I still can’t believe I touched a samurai sword let alone wielding it.
soph_t93
March 2024
We loved our Samurai Experience! It was so much fun and informative. The demonstrations were excellent and using a real katana was one of th highlights of our trip. Was amazing!
dani
March 2024
I booked this experience for my husband and we both had a great time! The history of the samurai was fascinating and the guides were very knowledgeable. The samurai provided expert instructions with the katanas and this was the coolest thing we’ve ever gotten to do! The pictures were amazing- would highly recommend this experience!!
JSMCT
March 2024
I booked this experience for our teens, but my. husband and I ended up enjoying it as much as they did! We learned a lot about samurai history, and being able to handle real swords and cut the bamboo posts was so cool. I highly recommend this experience when in Kyoto! That evening, we were at dinner in a tiny restaurant with an open kitchen and only 12 guests. The other guests were all from Kyoto, and were fascinated by our photos and experience with Kyoto Samurai Experience. They had no idea this existed in Kyoto :)
Navigate66432194705
March 2024
A fantastic fun and informative session, that introduced us to the way of the samurai.
The staff gave us a great insight into the history of the samurai and explained their position in early Japanese society.
The musical and sword demonstrations were excellent.
Our training was first class and we managed to handle the swords fairly proficiently for beginners.
I would highly recommend visiting for a super day out.