Hello everyone. Thank you for reading this article. I’m Shogo, the manager of this website and the interpreter/instructor at Yushikan Kyoto’s Samurai Training Activity.
While there are many other “Samurai experiences” and “Katana training activities” nationwide in Japan, there are a few reasons why we absolutely recommend our 120-minute activity if you have a chance to come to Kyoto, Japan.
1. An instructor with 20+ years of training
Unfortunately, many other facilities have undertrained instructors who can only teach tourists. Your instructor here, Yushin Sensei, has over 100 students nationwide and over 20 years of training experience since he was 12 years old. Not only is he well-trained and knowledgeable, but he is a great teacher who never forgets to add humor to his lessons and keeps the training serious. I’m sure you will feel safe under his guidance, even if this is your first time holding a real katana.
2. The venue is a real dojo
The activity venue is not a tourist spot but a real dojo where more than 20 students train regularly. A magnificent kamidana is always placed in the dojo, and a list of students’ names lines the wall. At our activity, you will learn how to draw, sheath, and wield a real katana and feel the atmosphere of a real training hall where modern katana swordsmen train their skills. That alone is an extremely valuable experience.
3. Everything is interpreted in English perfectly
I, Shogo from the YouTube “Let’s ask Shogo (1.7M subs)”, who is a student of this dojo myself, will interpret everything in English perfectly. In most other facilities, the interpreters are often not actually students, but in our activity, all of the organizers are students and instructors of the Ryuha style. I also learned about things other than katana/martial arts while running my YouTube channel, so you can ask me any questions you may have about Japan.
If you want to participate in any of our activities, please book through our Airbnb or TripAdvisor pages. We look forward to meeting you all.
This was the best experience from my first trip to Japan in early March this past year. All the instructors are welcoming and incredibly skilled. Yushin Sensei has a strong presence and performed fantastic techniques, but was very down to earth. Osayo was incredibly smooth and had an elegance in her technique, she also helped take video of us cutting the tatami and pictures. Shogo explained everything perfectly and worked with us even though he was feeling under the weather. All the instructors worked together to give us an unforgettable experience. We even got to wear samurai armor and cut tatami mats. This experience re-ignited my passion for budo, and I will be forever grateful!