Samurai Experience: Matsumoto Castle Tour & Sword Fighting

Explore Matsumoto Castle and master samurai sword fighting in an immersive historical experience. Learn, dress, and fight like a true samurai!

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Matsumoto Castle - Matsumoto Castle is one of five castles designated as ‘National Treasures of Japan’ and the oldest castle donjon remaining in Japan. Construction began in 1592 of the elegant black and white structure with its three turrets. Because of the elegant black walls, Matsumoto Castle is sometimes called ‘Crow Castle’.
    Please note that…
What's Included
  • Samurai outfits and swords rental during the activity
  • Entry/Admission – Matsumoto Castle
  • Entry/Admission – Samurai Experience Activity
  • English Speaking Guide
What's Not Included
  • Miscellaneous fees during the activity (meals, snacks, souvenirs etc.)
  • Insurance (Travel Insurance, Private Insurance, etc…)
Additional Information

Your chance to become a Samurai while visiting Matsumoto Castle!
What better place to have your samurai experience than in a city with an authentic castle from the feudal era?
First take a tour of Matsumoto Castle designated a “National Treasure” of Japan due to its well-preserved original structure! During the tour, you will learn about the Matsumoto…

Location
Matsumoto Station
Tour begins at Matsumoto Station at the front of the JR Line ticket office / Starbucks Coffee inside the station.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(38 Ratings)
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T7493nubrianl
Jan 8, 2025
Fun! - The tour was great and the guide was super informative. Matsumoto castle is beutiful and definitely worth visiting. The Samurai Experience was very fun! Big shout out to the Samurai Master for making it very engaging. Would recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ikaaldonza
Dec 10, 2024
A must to do when in Matsumoto! - Mr shin was our guide. The tour is easy to follow and He is very informative on the agenda for the day. He spokes good english and he is very on time. He is patient with all of us, ensuring that we are not being left behind. A tour recommended for all if you are intending to learn more about the history of Matsumoto. As for the samurai experience, it is fun! We really like engaging in this, the instructor is so cool and it is an experience not to be missed out!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paniti_t
Dec 10, 2024
Great experience - I was on a trip solo and thanks for Kei, the guide for that day. He was very informative. We started the tour with Samurai experience a community learning center in Nakamachi street for an hour. I couldn't remember my sensei but her performance was the best. What I learnt was stage combatant which was very satisfying. The later two hours was walking around and inside Matsumoto castle. Kei was comprehensive and informative.
Review provided by Viator
Colin_m
Nov 12, 2024
A first class walk back in time. - The Castle and Samurai experience were exceptional. Our guide was the best we have experienced. Informative with good English, he made the experienceen joyable and memorable. The Samurai experience was amazing.
Review provided by Viator
Janet_o
Oct 21, 2024
Excellent 👍 - Very nice to get history of the castle. Also, the tour guide was excellent. Excellent personality and knowledge. My son(24) and I enjoyed the samurai experience too. He had a beautiful smile on his face when we were all done.
Review provided by Viator
Scott_m
Aug 29, 2024
Highly recommended for fun and educational - This was a fantastic experience. Walking to the Matsumoto castle we had about 20 min. to get information about Japan's history especially around the Matsumoto area. Our guide, Tom, was extremely knowledgeable about the area as he has been in Japan for 30 years and has been a teacher (and other jobs). We got several great photos and really enjoyed learning about the history and seeing the castle. Note that the stairs are very steep and large steps (almost like going up a step ladder) and there are about 5 floors in the castle. There is also a few low beams to watch for (it is an old castle). After touring the castle we traveled a short distance to meet a sword instructor. This was a very fun experience. They kept it simple enough but very active that we had fun. Miharu Sensei was very patient and was great at teaching (and Tom did great interpreting).
Review provided by Viator
Monty
Aug 11, 2024
Highly recommend. - Our local guide Kae (sp?) was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable about both the castle and samurai. It was a very enjoyable experience, loved by everyone in the family.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
W4767btrobertog
Aug 7, 2024
Awesome - The Samurai Experience is totally worth it. Both Matt and Sylvain were extremely knowledgeable, entertaining, and friendly. The Matsumoto Castle Tour was great and full of details. I fully recommend this to anyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cb201401
Jul 27, 2024
Castles and Swords - We met our tourguide at the train station right where they stated with a name sign. It was a crazy hot day but the guide stopped several times and pointed out natural spring fountains on our route that you can safely drink from. It's about 12mins from the Station meet up point to the Castle. Good explanation of the history of the castle. Be prepared for some crazy-sized old stairs. Fun and educational time with the Samurai Sword 'lesson' only a short walk from the castle. The kids had a blast and we have great memories and pictures.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alexanderw2548
May 30, 2024
Best Tour we had in Japan - The best Tour we had in Japan! The guide had a lot of knowledge about the castle and Matsumoto. He was very passionate about that and we learned a lot during this private tour. And the samurai experienve was also very interesting. We got to learn the basic moves and techniques as a samurai, as well as about the history. We can only recommend doing this tour! 10/10
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 6 guests
1 Adult
January 2025
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