This was a very fun experience to have with my teenage nephew. And it is just that an experience! I'd recommend this tour if you're into Samurai, want to learn about history or if you want to hold a Katana. It's just long enough and keeps you engaged the whole time. You do use an actual sword and are instructed by experts. That alone would have been enough, but the other elements are also wonderful. I appreciated learning about the location of the experience and the relationship between the history of the place and the owner, along with the team operating the experience. I randomly selected this tour and I'm very glad I did! My nephew loved it! I would recommend this for teens that can take and act on instructions well. It also involves being quiet and sitting still for what it is worth.
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!
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!
An amazing experience! Would 100% recommend. Staff were v knowledgable and friendly, and using the samurai sword was v cool!
The complete experience was totally awesome, even if you don't speak Japanese they offer translation and it was perfect ! I highly recommend them !