Light
Museum hour
Armor, katana, star throw
- Length1 hour
- Group15 guests at most
- Pricefrom $23
Your party, priced
A Kyoto samurai experience and a ninja one, compared
4 options side by side
Price a warrior day for your group
Enter your group size to compare four bookings.
- Samurai session1.75 hours · each, tickets from $117
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View - Sword class1.5 - 2 hours · each, tickets from $64
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View - Museum ticket1 hour · each, tickets from $23
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View - Weapon forging2.5 hours · each, tickets from $146
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View
Lowest GetYourGuide prices at the ECB reference rate; the exact amount appears when you book.
Kyoto offers real places and hands-on classes from the age of the samurai and the ninja. This guide sets out the sword and ninja bookings, the castle that shows how shoguns lived, and who each suits.
Editorial team, kyotoactivities.com · Updated November 2, 2026 · About 6 minutes of reading
The fast read
- Dress-up classA samurai session runs 1.75 hours, from $117.
- Sword classThe sword class takes up to 10 people, from $64.
- Museum for ninja fansA one-hour ticket with a guided tour starts from $23.
- CastleNijo Castle admission is 800 yen for adults.1
- OriginsKoka and Iga are considered the homeland of the ninja.2
Two warrior traditions, one city
Samurai and ninja are the two figures most visitors want to meet in Japan, and Kyoto is a good place to do it. The samurai belong to the story of the shoguns and their castles. The ninja belong to a quieter tradition of scouting and surprise. Kyoto offers a way into each: places to see the history, and classes to try the moves.
The experiences fall into three groups. Real historic places show where warriors lived and ruled. Hands-on classes in swords, kendo and forging let you hold the equipment. Museum-style attractions with a guide add costumes and demonstrations and suit families. You do not have to choose only one group, and many visitors do a castle in the morning and a class in the afternoon.
Below is a plain guide to each type, with real bookings, group limits and starting prices, so you can match the option to your age, your patience and your budget. Where a claim comes from a listing, it applies to that listing only.
Five bookings compared
Sword, kendo and ninja bookings at a glance
| Booking | Length | Group | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samurai session | 1.75 hours | 14 guests at most | $117 |
| Kendo with gear | 2 hours | Group size unlisted | $102 |
| Sword class | 1.5 - 2 hours | 10 guests at most | $64 |
| Museum ticket | 1 hour | 15 guests at most | $23 |
| Weapon forging | 2.5 hours | Group size unlisted | $146 |
Starting prices per person from the listing records; they are not exact quotes.
Nijo Castle, where the shoguns stayed
If you want the real setting, begin at Nijo Castle. Kyoto Travel describes it as the residence of the Tokugawa shoguns in Kyoto, who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868.5 The palace has nightingale floors, built to squeak so that guards could detect intruders, and the screens of its main chamber were painted by artists of the Kano school.4,6
The castle opens at 8:45 a.m. and takes admissions until 4:00 p.m., closing at 5:00 p.m.3 Admission is 800 yen for adults, or 1,300 yen together with the Ninomaru-goten Palace; junior high and high school students pay 400 yen and elementary school students 300 yen.1,7
Check the calendar for the palace. Reception for the Ninomaru-goten Palace runs from 8:45 a.m. to 4:10 p.m., and the palace is closed every Tuesday in January, July, August and December.8,9 On the one-day bus tour sold on this site, Nijo Castle is a drive-past rather than a visit, so go on your own if you want the inside.
Session length
Hours on the clock for five bookings
- Museum ticket1 hr
- Ninja house1 hr
- Samurai session1.75 hr
- Kendo class2 hr
- Weapon forging2.5 hr
Durations as listed for each booking.
Swords, armor and kendo
The classes most visitors book are about the sword. The Samurai Kembu Theater runs a sword class in its dojo on the lowest floor of the Gozan Building near Sanjo-Hanamikoji, limited to 10 people, from $64, and it does not allow watching only. It takes 1.5 to 2 hours, so wear clothes you can move in.
The kendo and samurai experience with uniform and gear lasts 2 hours with an English instructor and costs from $102; it meets at an old Japanese house with a large gate. A third option, the Viator Kyoto Samurai Experience, runs 1.75 hours for groups of up to 14, from $117, and opens its gates 15 minutes before a session so guests can change into the attire.
The kyoto.travel activities page lists a similar sword-fighting experience at Myokakuji Temple, taught by a professional actor, which shows how widely this tradition is taught across the city.11 Most classes reward a straight back, relaxed shoulders and a willingness to look a little silly in the first ten minutes.
Pick one
Which warrior booking is yours?
Start from who is coming
If Our kids are small
The museum in Kyoto
A one-hour guided ticket with a star throw.
If I want a real lesson
The sword class
It takes up to 10 people and does not allow watching only.
If I want the full costume
The samurai session
Arrive 15 minutes early to change.
If I like crafts
Weapon forging
It runs 2.5 hours.
If I want history first
Nijo Castle
The shoguns ruled from 1603 to 1868.5
Three depths
Light, hands-on or serious
Hands-on
Sword class
In a dojo
- Length1.5 - 2 hours
- Group10 guests at most
- Pricefrom $64
Immersive
Samurai session
Attire and cuts
- Length1.75 hours
- Group14 guests at most
- Pricefrom $117
The ninja side: history and what you can try
The ninja tradition has a homeland outside Kyoto. The national tourism organization says that, together with Iga in Mie Prefecture, Koka is considered the homeland of the ninja, and that ninjas spent most of the Sengoku Period, the 15th and 16th centuries, as soldiers or mercenaries.2,10 In Koka, visitors can throw shuriken at straw targets in a throwing range.12
In Kyoto the experiences are shorter and easier. The Samurai Ninja Museum ticket from $23 lasts 1 hour and includes a guided tour, a samurai armor trial with a katana and a ninja star throw. The GetYourGuide guided tour of the Kyoto museum is a small group limited to 4 participants, from $23, and the listing warns that it is the Kyoto branch, not the Tokyo ones.
Go further and you can make something. The ninja weapon forging class runs 2.5 hours from $146, is a 1-minute walk from Hieizanguchi Station, charges extra for certain weapons, and lets you take finished weapons home only in checked luggage. A short session in a real ninja house in Arashiyama lasts 1 hour for groups of up to 8, from $45. A ninja experience in Kyoto leans on museums and short classes.
A warrior day
Castle in the morning, class in the afternoon
Toei Kyoto Studio Park: samurai on a film set
For a more playful day, the Toei Kyoto Studio Park is a working film studio. Its Edo-period street set is used to shoot more than 200 films per year, so the wooden shopfronts are real sets rather than replicas.13 Walking down them feels like stepping into a period drama.
The park offers a transformation experience that lets visitors dress as Edo-period townspeople, with 4 courses to choose from.14 Check the park's own website for current hours and ticket prices before you set off, since its schedule changes.
It suits families and groups with a mix of ages, because there is something to watch and something to do. Combined with a morning at Nijo Castle, it makes a full day of samurai-era Kyoto that needs no class booking at all.
Video
Kyoto Samurai and Ninja Museum experience
Luigi Sanpo on YouTube · The player connects to YouTube only after you tap.
Ninjas spent most of the Sengoku Period (15th and 16th centuries) as soldiers or mercenaries.
Checklist
Before a samurai or ninja booking
Ahead of the booking3
- Check the Kyoto branch address for museum tickets
- Arrive 15 minutes early to change
- Check the group limit on the listing
Bag contents3
- Clothes you can move in
- Cash for Nijo Castle: 800 yen for adults
- A checked bag if you forge a weapon
Matching class to person
For children, the museum ticket is the easiest: it is short and hands-on, with an armor trial and a star throw. The one-hour length means no one gets bored, and the price starts from $23. For older children and teenagers, a sword class or kendo session offers more physical challenge.
For adults who want a serious lesson, the sword class and the kendo session both reward effort. For couples, the samurai dress-up and photo sessions are the most photogenic. For history fans, Nijo Castle is first, with its floors and paintings, and the museum is a light addition.
Do not overbook. A day with two classes plus a castle is tiring, particularly in summer heat, and the classes are more fun when you are fresh. Aim for one hands-on session and one place to wander.
FAQ
Things people ask us.
How much is a samurai experience in Kyoto?
From $64 for a sword class.
The Viator samurai session is from $117 and the kendo session from $102.
How long does a samurai class last?
About 1.75 to 2 hours.
The Viator session runs 1.75 hours, and the kendo class 2 hours.
Is there a ninja experience for children?
Yes, at the museum.
The one-hour museum ticket includes a guided tour and a ninja star throw.
How much is Nijo Castle?
800 yen for adults.
With the Ninomaru-goten Palace the ticket is 1,300 yen.1
When is Nijo Castle open?
8:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The castle closes at 5:00 p.m.3
Where do ninja come from?
Koka and Iga.
They are considered the homeland of the ninja.2
Can I take a forged weapon home on a plane?
Only in checked luggage.
The forging class listing says so.
What are the group sizes?
From 4 to 15.
The guided museum tour is limited to 4 participants, the Viator session takes up to 14 and the basic museum ticket up to 15.
Sources
- Nijo-jo Castle (Kyoto City) · Fees ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Shiga's Koka Ninja Village ↩
- Nijo-jo Castle (Kyoto City) · Opening Hours, Days Closed ↩
- Kyoto Travel (Kyoto City Tourism Association) · Nijo-jo Castle ↩
- Kyoto Travel (Kyoto City Tourism Association) · Nijo-jo Castle ↩
- Kyoto Travel (Kyoto City Tourism Association) · Nijo-jo Castle ↩
- Nijo-jo Castle (Kyoto City) · Fees ↩
- Nijo-jo Castle (Kyoto City) · Opening Hours, Days Closed ↩
- Nijo-jo Castle (Kyoto City) · Opening Hours, Days Closed ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Shiga's Koka Ninja Village ↩
- Kyoto Travel (Kyoto City Tourism Association) · Activities ↩
- Japan National Tourism Organization · Shiga's Koka Ninja Village ↩
- Toei Kyoto Studio Park · Toei Kyoto Studio Park ↩
- Toei Kyoto Studio Park · Toei Kyoto Studio Park ↩