Tokyo Samurai Experience

From the beginning, Molly was friendly and welcoming. She has a lovely personality and conveyed elements of Japanese culture in an interesting and engaging manner. The tour was excellent, starting with a walk around the local area including a visit to a Shrine then onto the Samurai experience which was hugely informative and entertaining culminating with a delicious meal at a local restaurant. Thank you Molly for making the tour so memorable!

From the beginning, Molly was friendly, welcoming and attentive to our needs. Molly was very knowledgeable and detailed in her explanations which made for a very engaging experience from start to finish. We both loved every part of the tour, from the tour of the area and local Shrine, onto the Samurai experience which was hugely informative and entertaining, culminating in a lovely meal before we departed back to the hotel. Thank you Molly! We would thoroughly recommend this tour!!

Fantastic tour with a great the great guide Mark - who have us a lot of insight about the japanese culture. So much fun during the samurai theatre :-)

We had a wonderful interesting tour with Molly - very knowledable and very kind guide. We had a very nice afternoon and evening. Learned so much and in the most interesting way. We give Molly our absolute best recommendations. Thank you Molly for your time og company.🙏🤗

Unfortunately on the day, it was torrential rain, and we actually went with limited expectations. Despite the weather, this was one of the best tours we’ve ever done, and we are frequent travellers. Yoshi was absolutely incredible. The tour through the historic areas was amazing, and he explained all the history in detail, and even had diagrams on an iPad for visuals. The samurai experience was out of this world, and my grumpy teen son with a fractured collarbone, was absolutely beaming by the end. And we finished off with a lovely dinner. If you’re in Tokyo, this tour is a must. You won’t regret it.

The whole experience was awesome, and it was very fun and exciting. The guides Mai and Alice where nice, sweet and funny it, was also exciting when they took us around and told us stuff, before we headed to the samurai studio. They also paid attention to if you where tired or sweating. So definitely a 5/5.

Mark was a very good guide, he explained everything perfectly and the damurai experiemce was unique!

My family and I thoroughly enjoyed our Samurai experience ably guided on a short tour by Molly through Kagurazaka. Despite the tremendous rain, Molly’s delightful and sunny demeanour entertained and informed us with much history. We even squeezed in an arcade and some souvenir shopping before the main event. The actual samurai experience was such fun and skilfully demonstrated by the team running the show. Not only did we learn a bit, the dress up and fight reenactment was such an amazing interactive experience. Highly recommended!

Molly was an amazing your guide ! Pointed out very interesting spots and great conversation over the tour. Very knowledgeable . Samurai class was amazing and lunch was delicious . Highly recommend .

My experience was good because 4 hours is the perfect time to get to know about the culture in japan. The guide spoke good english so you will definietly understand him.

Wonderful Samurai experience with Mark who's is fluent in English and highly acknowledgeable tour guide. I learned a great deal about Japanese culture and the language today.

Mark was a wonderful and well acknowledged tour guide to show me around in this trip. Very calm and patient explaining Japanese cultures to me. I learned a lot through this Samurai experience.

An absolutely perfect experience for a family! Our guide, Meg, was really good, informative and kind. And the samurai experience was one of our funniest moments in Tokyo. Do go there, if you're in Tokyo with kids (10-15 yrs). And on top of that, the local restaurant shown to us by Meg was a place we never would have found ourselves. Truly magical!

We had a really nice morning/afternoon together with Hitomi. She was fun, warm, and knowledgeable. It felt like being with a friend (and her English was perfect). We saw small shops away from the main streets, and had lunch at a very cozy hidden little gem. The Samurai experience itself was lots of fun.

Great to first learn and walk the streets of the old Samurais, before getting dressed up and learn the basic samurai techniques and fighting With a Samurai wooden sword 😀 Eating sweets on the way Getting great and personal guiding and ending the evening having a nice dinner with the guide. A perfect day.

Ken-San was great - very engaging, with lots of knowledge. He was very flexible in terms of addressing our particular interests.

It was such a wonderful experience, from the stroll through the old narrow alleys of Tokyo to complete Samurai experience to an authentic lunch in a local restaurant. Molly and team made us feel at home. Wonderful people and the best memory of our trip to Japan. Thank you!

Not only did we get to dress up as samurai and get lots of memorable photos, but we also learned a lot about the surrounding area from our tour guide Molly. The lunch was delicious and so was the snack before the samurai training. We had such a great time and could not recommend more highly!

Educational and fun. The guide was friendly and personable. The venue crew were professional and courteous.

Fabulous guide (Naoki) very informative, friendly and fun. The Samurai Theatre was a lot of fun. The food was amazing too.

The Tour was great and our tour guide was amazing also, Hitomi. She was able to speak with us properly, and show us all the great places until the samurai experience. Lunch was amazing also.

AMAZING, Hitomi was great! she is a great vibe and a perfect tour guide.

Hitomi is very friendly, I was really enjoying the tour with her at the samurai theather! She is very kind also!

This experience was really fun. And I think this will be one of my highlights of my trip in Japan. I was lucky that I was the only participant that day and Meg was a real sweet guide. She gave me a tour through the Kagurazaka area. After that we went to the Samurai Theater where I got dressed up and got basic training of the two awesome guys there. And it ended up in a real movie scene :). To finish the experience Meg and I had lunch in a authentic Japanse restaurant where the food was really nice. I really had a fun time and would defenitely recommend. Arigatou Gozaimasu!

It was really interesting and a very authentic Japanese experience with Mark. The restaurant was stunning and the samurai experience was great fun.

This was an absolute blast and so worth the money. We did the private tour. Our guide Molly was so kind and helpful. We have two young boys (10 & 11) and they loved every minute of the Samurai experience. The instructors for the Samurai demonstration were fantastic. They were very kind and quite funny at times which made everyone at ease. The walking tour is just a stroll through a quaint neighborhood but it is fun and a nice way to warm up for the main event. The included meal is good. The restaurant we went to was pretty unique in that it was an older converted house. That part was more interesting than the food, honestly. All-in-all, great experience and would definitely recommend, especially if you've got kids that are into Samurai!

Naoki was a knowledgeable and friendly guide. His experience as an actor and studying in England made him a great person to lead our tour. Naoki described all of the different things that we saw as we walked through the neighbourhood. The Samurai experience was fun. And lunch was great in an historic restaurant down a tiny side street.

My daughter and I spend some really interesting and fun hours with Hitome in the area around Iidabashi station. We tasted lovely decorated sweets, had coffee, saw a small place with production of tofu, visited a Temple, had fantastic Samurai training and went for a lovely lunch at a really nice restaurant. Hitome had great knowledge of history, old and new culture and it was a pleasure to spend time with her.

Our Samurai experience in the Kagurazaka area was absolutely unforgettable! From start to finish, it was a beautiful blend of history, spirituality, and cultural discovery — all brought to life by our incredible guide, Molly. Her deep knowledge, warm personality, and passion for Japanese culture made every moment come alive. We began our journey walking through the charming streets of Kagurazaka, a neighborhood filled with old-world charm and hidden stories. Molly shared fascinating insights into the area’s samurai past, which gave us a true sense of Japan’s proud warrior heritage. One of the highlights of the day was visiting Zen Kokuji Temple, also known as the Tiger Temple — and we happened to be there on the Day of the Tiger! What an incredible honor and stroke of luck. The atmosphere was serene and powerful, a moment that truly captured the spirit of mindfulness and strength that defines the samurai way. Molly also explained the important distinction between temples and shrines — that temples are places of Buddhist worship, while shrines are dedicated to Shinto beliefs. This made our next stop, the Akagi Shrine, all the more meaningful. The shrine’s architecture was stunning — modern yet reverent — and the energy there was both peaceful and inspiring. By the end of the tour, we felt not only enriched by the stories of the samurai but also deeply connected to the spiritual essence of Japan. And then it was time…. Time to become samurai. with the ceremonial dressing in traditional kimono, hakama, and obi. Each layer carried history and symbolism, and as we were dressed, we could feel the quiet discipline and dignity of the samurai taking hold. The fabric, the folds, and the precision of each tie transformed us — grounding us in stillness and purpose. Then came the moment of awe: being presented with a katana, the soul of the samurai. With reverence, we learned how to hold it properly, how to stand, breathe, and move with mindful intention. Under careful guidance, we practiced the power stances — strong yet fluid — and entered what Molly beautifully described as the “warrior flow.” Each movement felt meditative, every gesture filled with centuries of meaning. It wasn’t about fighting, but about presence — balance between strength and grace. The session became a kind of moving meditation, connecting body, mind, and spirit. If you’re looking for a truly immersive cultural experience — one that combines history, spirituality, and heartfelt storytelling — don’t miss this Samurai walking tour with Molly. It’s a perfect way to see Kagurazaka through the eyes of the past and the soul of Japan.

We throughly enjoyed our tour. Our tour guide Naomi did a very good job of explaining the history of Samurai and specifically the area of the tour. He talked about the Shogun and specifically the one that originally built and lived in the castle that the Emperor took over and made the Imperial Palace. The highlight was obviously the Samurai School. It was so much fun dressing up as a Samurai and being taught how the Samurai fought. Our instructors were wonderful. This truly made the tour. Highly recommend. The only downside was finding the meeting place. The metro station is huge and you need to know the right exit gate to take to find the Flower Shop. Both google and Apple Maps took us to the wrong place. Still we highly recommend this tour

We had such an amazing time during our samurai experience! Our guide went above and beyond, not only was she incredibly kind and knowledgeable, but she also took the time to show us around the town and even treated us to a few local sweets from different shops. It felt more like exploring with a friend than a tour guide. Truly one of the highlights of our trip. Highly recommend this experience!

It was a great cultural experience with a guide taking us around the streets to try some Japanese delicacies. We then got dressed up as a samurai, learned how to use a Katana and then performed. It was so much fun and a great experience. I recommend for families and partners. We then ended the experience with a traditional lunch which was delicious! Guides were awesome and fun. Highly recommend!

I didn’t know what to fully expect from the tour other than perhaps a walk through an old village/city where our tour guide would point out historical sites, and that we would visit a museum or something dedicated to samurai. Interesting for sure, but nothing too exciting. My first surprise was that there was no “we” - I was the only one booked for the tour! I panicked a bit not sure how having a tour ALL to myself would go, but my guide, Hitome, quickly put me at ease with her personality. She showed no sign of dismay that I would be her only customer that day and was cheerful, upbeat, and personable - even in the heat and humidity of the day. Kagurazaka is far from the old village I had envisioned, though there are definitely old buildings and offshoots that we walked past and through. It was delightful to see the blending of the old with the new - which is a major factor in why I wanted to visit Japan. Along the way, Hitome took us to a few temples and shrines, giving brief historical facts about each. She had a folder of sheet-protected facts and drawings that helped provide a visual to her spoken information. Though not my culture or beliefs per se, it was an honor to observe in my own way these important cultural facets, and nice to see the citizens still visiting and showing respect to them as well. We also stopped at a few places for snacks and drinks (iced tea). The first establishment was a tofu company that had been in business for over a hundred years. Small, and not too much to see, but still cool. Hitome mentioned that we should get something to eat there and that’s when I thought “okay, here’s where I have to start paying for every place we visit” but she quickly told me that no - it was already paid for! The next few food stops were less significant (a convenience store and a place to get what I would call bao), but still tasty! A bit more walking and we eventually arrived at the theater. There, we were greeted by the actors (I unfortunately didn’t get their names) that were dressed in traditional samurai clothing. To my surprise, I was informed that both Hitome and I would also be outfitted and I got to choose my clothing. We were assisted by the actors and then shown seats where they gave us a demo on a sword battle. Rather than focusing on a detailed history of the samurai (I think Hitome’s folder helped with that), the actors focused on the swordplay - stances, correct holding positions, nomenclature of the sword parts, etc. After each mini lesson, we were given the chance to stand and execute what we learned. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we both got (wooden) swords of our own! Finally, the actors taught us the choreography for the skit we first saw them do when we entered and we got to act it out - complete with dramatic music and sound effects. I was too nervous to see if I recognized my music, but Hitome’s was from one of the seasons of My Hero Academia, which I thought was cool/funny when I recognized it. The entire thing was amazing! I would definitely recommend this theater and experience to others. After leaving the theater, Hitome took us to get lunch at a quaint restaurant. The food was tasty but I enjoyed the conversation with Hitome perhaps even more. She seemed very open and friendly and like she really enjoyed her job, though I didn’t really feel like I was “just another client”. We talked about our families and experiences, corrected each others’ languages (her English is light years better than my Japanese), and she gave me tips on other fun things to do while in Japan. After lunch we stopped by a gift shop and I only mention this because like at the gift shop and the temples and shrines we visited, Hitome would say something like: oh people like to buy this or that, or this would make a good gift - which I think is part of her job, but I never felt pressured into buying anything at all. She made it seem (and perhaps it really was) like it was just a suggestion of things I might not know about. By the time we departed - I felt that I had a very enjoyable experience and sure, that I had made a new friend. I would certainly recommend this tour to others, though I strongly believe that Hitome made it as enjoyable as it was, so book her if you can! I would also recommend perhaps not eating too large of a breakfast as the snacks and lunch provided were filling, and that the tour be booked not in very hot/humid seasons. One more thing I will admit - had I read my tour itinerary more closely, I would have been less surprised by the events that took place since they were all described there, ha!

The guides were great and had lots of knowledge to share about the area. Samurai experience was fun. The snacks were tasty and the lunch was good too.

I went on this trip with Mark, and it was a really cool tour of the area. The Samurai experience was awesome and totally fascinating! We also had a delicious meal.

Mark made this tour unforgettable. Walking through Kagurazaka’s streets, he shared to me the history of the places and how they are now operating. I was really interested with the samurai and geisha facts, he also brought me to shrines and temples, explaining their histories as well. The samurai fighting lesson with professional instructors was the highlight, it was super fun and interactive. I really felt like I was becoming a master :D We explored hidden alleyways and shops, ate tofu snack, and ended with a fantastic lunch in a traditional Japanese house. Mark’s knowledge and warm personality turned this into a perfect blend of culture, history, and flavor. This tour is highly recommended to everyone wanting to experience being a samurai 😁

Great guide - great people - great settings. Something for every one, both adults and teenagers/kids. Highly recommendable.

Had a fantastic trip. Our guide was very friendly, fun and knowledgeable. The samurai part was a bit artificial, but still fun. And getting to know the parts that are not on every front page is very nice.

Mai was an excellent guide, showing us historical locations and interesting shops in Kagurazaka. We then participated in samurai sword play in traditional Japanese kimono. This was great fun for my 12 year-old son and I. We finished the experience with a traditional lunch which was fabulous.

Mai did a phenomenal job on the Samurai experience and tour. She was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and just a joy to follow through the city. The samurai masters provided excellent guidance and made the whole experience truly unforgettable!!!

Samurai tour was very fun and experiential. We got to try about 6 different moves. Our guide Mai was fantastic and very generous. Lunch was sushi and sashimi in a traditional Japanese restaurant with shoes off. Would have never found on our own. Highly recommend.

It was a fun tour! Really enjoyed the samurai experience, and the lunch after was delicious! Our guides were very friendly

this was fantastic! definitely worth trying for a full samurai experience. you learn different key techniques and you use them in a choreographed fight. the instructors were clear to understand and very pleasant. The rest of the tour was an eye-opener to Japanese history and Mark had such vast knowledge that we talked about many facets of Japanese history and culture that weren’t necessarily related to what we were viewing. Definitely worth it and thank you Mark for a memorable tour.

We absolutely loved our guide Lily! She really knew her stuff when it came to Japanese history and culture, which made the whole trip so much more meaningful for us. When traveling with two teenage girls, we were honestly a bit worried about keeping them interested, but they had a blast. The Samurai experience was totally worth it - we'd definitely recommend it to anyone thinking about booking it.

Jasmine was great and made the experience fun and personable. We got to enjoy the entire area while also learning about Japanese culture and history.

We had so much fun. Mark was delightful. He was very informative and very knowledgeable. We highly tecommend this experience.

Was a really great experience. Taka was brilliant. The Samurai experience is fantastic. The food was great really good Couldn’t recommend it any better it to everybody Recommend it. Now I have to go buy a samurai sword

The most unique tour we’ve had in Tokyo! ✨ Magical Trip made it so immersive and intimate with a small group—history, samurai, and food all in one. Always wanted to try something like this, and learning samurai moves was both fun and insightful! Had the best time with our tour guide, Taka! Thank you!

To be honest, this is one if not the best activity we've done in our 8th trip to Japan! The more I listened to our guide Taka, the more I learned that I learned little about Japan esp. the Samurai era. The highlight of the trip is when I became a samurai for an hour! Thank you to our Sensei and our trip guide Taka for the wonderful experience.