Learn about the etiquette of samurai classes in feudal Japan and practice some basic Kenbu, including how to use the Japanese sword. Introduction to the basics, to learn choreographed movements with a sword and folding fan. Top off your experience of this traditional Japanese art with a photo session in costume, and take home a certificate of achievement.
This was a fun and interactive experience. Our tour started learning about samurai Kenbu dance. We saw it performed and it was awesome! Then we practiced with katana’s. After that we put on our samurai outfits and practiced more. It was a fun, educational and a learning experience.
Very good, learnt about samurai and had the chance to practice with the samurai sword and fan. Very good
We had a great time doing this experience with our family of four. We learned basic katana techniques as well as a dance. Very educational and fun at the same time. Highly recommend.
The samurai show and lesson were amazing. The show at the beginning was informative and very cool. Then we did the lesson where you get to put on the whole outfit, use the sword, and learn some moves. We all really enjoyed our time!
This was fun and informative. The team was very engaging, informative, knowledgeable and passionate about their discipline. Our son who’s a second degree Black Belter in taekwondo thoroughly enjoyed it.
Firstly this is the real deal, not just som wannabe samurai show for tourists. The teacher is a proffesional trainer in Kenbu, a form for theater performed with katana and fan. You'll get to dress up in a proper hakama and taught a simple performance. The course by itself is actually a wery good introduction to the world of Kenbu. Having trained martial arts earlier in my life, i found Kenbu refreshingly engaging and enjoyable compared to other forms of Budo. Since its a theater, I feel you get to express yourself more with the sword and fan than you would in a normal kata. They also offer online courses for anyone that wishes to learn more. I have a great wish to take up this offer in the near future. And I wish to thank the school for the great experience I had in Kyoto, and I hope to see you again soon. Sincerely Eirik Melkersen
Fun time and great experience. The teacher was engaging and patient. My son enjoyed participating and I enjoyed watching the class.
This was a great experience to learn some moves with the sword, learn about samurai and Kenbu, and watch the amazing performance at the end. Highly recommended!
This was a great activity. They did an awesome job explaining some of the history of the samurai. We learned a few basic sword moves. Everyone got dressed as a samurai and took some photos. And finished with watching a performance by the staff that was excellent. Overall very friendly staff with good sense of humor, but they are good at their craft and did a great performance. Wife and 3 kids all enjoyed the experience
Was fun and informative. Easy to book. In English so easy to understand. Make sure you allow for time at end. Sometimes runs a bit over
This is a lot of fun, very professional, well organised and you learn a unique art. The show was excellent as well their skill level is impressive.
The samurai experience in Kyoto was absolutely fantastic! From the moment we arrived, we were immersed in the world of samurai culture. Dressing up in traditional attire was a fun start, and we felt like true warriors as we learned sword moves and practiced techniques with expert guidance. The highlight was definitely the dance with katanas—both exhilarating and mesmerizing! We also enjoyed a live performance that brought the samurai tradition to life in a way we hadn’t expected. To top it all off, we had a photoshoot at the end, capturing memories of our time as samurai. This experience was both fun and educational, and we left feeling like we had truly stepped into history. Highly recommend for anyone looking for an exciting, hands-on cultural experience in Kyoto!
A lot if fun with my 17 year old son, who has no patience for museums or long explanations. The workshop was hands on, with a sword and costume, exactly what we needed to get a taste and some knowledge about Samurai s
One of the highlights of our trip to Japan! My husband and I had the best time not only dressing in traditional outfits but also learning the moves and performing for each other. 10/10 experience!
What a great experience! My son and I had a great time learning about Samurai and how to use the katana. Learning the mini routine was a surprise and also fun to learn. The demonstration that followed was great to watch. This was one of the highlights of our trip.
Easy to find venue. The show was delightful and it wasn’t too crowded. Afterwards, my family and one other family got to learn how to use katana. We chose what we wanted to wear as traditional garb. We had plenty of time to take pictures. Highly recommend.
An education and an experience is best describe my afternoon here. I’ve come away with a memory and a fresh enthusiasm to learn more. A performance of samurai poetry followed by katana handling and learning a few moves. My thanks to the team at the Samurai Kenbu Theatre.
We were taught how to wear the samurai costume and how to use the katana. We absorbed a lot about traditional Japanese samurai culture and respectfully watched a mini show after our lesson. Terrific experience for those interested.
We got dressed and trained in Samurai techniques for close to 1 1/2 hrs and then got to see their show. Great experience and very fun with a very patient teacher. Totally worth it!
We didn’t really know what to expect but we came away thinking what a fun time we’d had. Everyone was really friendly and welcoming.
Thoroughly enjoyed our experience. Was a lot of fun learning how to use the sword and getting to have photos in samurai outfits was awesome.
The show at the beginning is too long and we thought we were booking only a 15 minute show but it was almost an hour before getting to the interesting part of actually playing with the swords. The lesson itself was great though with a great teacher!
Awesome Samurai experience with great trainers. Fun and informative, with chance to wield the sword and don the outfit
Fantastic class. Could not recommend any more. My partner and I were the only couple in addition another group of 9 that was playing around a bit more than wanting to learn. They noticed this and near the latter 30 minutes, pulled us aside into a separate room gave us a private 2 person course with the owner teaching us more advanced techniques. We were having a 10/10 great time before , but their politeness and expectations for the class are sky high. We had a blast and got some great photos.
Wonderful and fun way to be educated regarding the samurai. Our group of 8 considered this a huge highlight of our trip.
Amazing, amazing and amazing. Not only fun but also very informative. I had a great time and the host were wonderful, helpful and extremely patient. I was so excited to go to the class and now I am even more excited that I participated and learned. Absolutely worth the time and price.
Great experience! This is a must do if you have time in Kyoto. This really is a class and you will learn how to hold the sword ,pull out the sword, and strike and thrust. We did this with seven family members and really enjoyed our experience . Don’t hesitate to take this class. This was a huge win for all seven of my family members. So much fun.!
Went with my partner and had a fun time throughout! Enjoyed the session being only for a small group (there was only one other couple at our timeslot). The instructor was very knowledgeable and helpful.
The staff was very organized and professional. Their skills were outstanding! It was great to have a lesson and use a sword. Highly recommend!
We had a great time! The teacher was amazing- so nice, explained very well and in general has so much knowledge. We highly recommend this experience 👌
The performers are extremely talented. Our instructor actively competes and is the 7th generation of family trained in the samurai arts. We really enjoyed the show and the lesson.
Overall average experience, we had little kids who made mistakes, however the intructor was strict. The show was good.
Great time for the whole family! We really enjoyed the show portion and getting to dress and learn some moves with the katana.
You get a short but intensive introduction into using a sword doing Kendo. Very friendly and always helpful guide. Thanks.
I can thoroughly recommend booking this experience. Our three teens loved it - as did us oldies. We did the training/dressing up/photos first then watched the show, which helped us really appreciate the skill of the performers. The staff were super helpful, the performance was excellent, and we have amazing memories and photos of a fantastic afternoon.
The show, costumes and class were excellent. We were disappointed with the rushed photo shoot with our own camera. We were hoping for some good posed shots in our beautiful Sumarai costumes with our swords to memorialize our experience, but the pictures were not good at all and rushed due to other classes waiting. If this improves then it is a 5 star experience.
From start to finish I enjoyed every part of the expierence becoming a Samurai. Good value for what I paid. Clear instructions outlined accessing the basement studio. Ryu was our sensei who I found to be a very excellent instructor. He taught us many things like how to unseathe our Katanas to different striking poses. Ryu also did many different shows showing us the performing arts portion of the expierence as well. A big thank you to the staff who were very kind and willing to help me as a it was my first time learning. I highly recommend this expierence even if you choose to go Solo like I did myself.
This is an interesting event if you want to learn about the Samurai culture and be one for a couple of hours! The demonstration was educational, informative and fun. It is a must do if you want to learn more about Japan's antique traditions and culture.
We have a great time learning about the Samurai. I would highly recommend, what a awesome family experience.
Really fun, great performances and a extremely entertaining class on how to use the katana in relation to the samurai performances, also really informative about samurai history
This experience was Amazing! We enjoyed every part, from dressing in traditional Samurai Kimono, learning how to use the sword and the performance at the end.... Would definitely come again....
Loved this experience! It was a rainy day so this was perfect for something to do inside. We learned a lot from getting dressed in the costumes to learning the moves. The best part was the end when the staff did a show for us!
Me and my friends had so much fun wearing kimonos and swinging katanas around. The instructor had a great sense of humour and brought a lot of fun to the space. Afterwards there was an excellent performance run by the people there that we got to watch free of charge. 10/10 would recommend.
What an incredible experience! One of the highlights of our trip. The costumes were wonderful and the samurai training was soooo fun! I ended up buying one of the fans we used, great souvenir!
This was a fun experience for the family for our first trip to Japan. We are a family of martial artists and wrestlers so this particular adventure appealed to us. It was informative and hands on. The teens seemed to enjoy it just as much as us adults. There were times when it seemed a little rushed but I do understand there is a schedule to keep. We liked that there was some humor thrown in. Trying on the kimono and using the katanas was pretty cool. The show at the end was great too!
Excellent experience!! Worth every penny. The crew was very helpful and very professional. Would recommend it to everyone. We had preteens in our group and they were loving it!
We had a great time dressing up and learning about the samurai culture. And the Kenbu show that followed gave us a better understanding and appreciation of the samurai and Japanese culture. We had grandparents and 3 kids with us (teenagers and pre-teen) and everyone really enjoyed it! I would recommend for families.
This experience was great. We lucked out and we were the only ones who booked the class so we got a private lesson with Hago. He was very knowledgeable and patient. Seeing how he handles the samurai sword was very intimidating, but he broke it down step by step for us so that we’d be able to copy what he was doing. We got to choose what samurai clothing we wanted to wear. We got to do the class inside one of the traditional buildings, which made the experience feel more authentic. Then afterwards we got to watch a show put on by the theater, about the samurais. This was a great experience and I feel like I learned a lot. Thanks again Hago, you were awesome!
Super fun time. The show was really cool to watch. They are very good what they do. Learned some moves and got to dress the part. Super enjoyable!
We really enjoyed the samurai class which is much harder than I thought! So much respect for these guys that are true masters of the art! It started off with a 45 min performance from the masters which was very impressive. We then had our class (6 participants) where we learned different manoeuvres and got to dress up in samurai attire. It was overall a great experience and my dad enjoyed it very much. We got to take some nice pictures with the samurai swords and fans in the end! If I could have changed one thing, I would have done the course before the show so you are more familiar with how hard it is and it makes the whole experience even more impressive!
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