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Ninja, Samurai, Castle Experience

Discover the world of the Ninja and Samurai

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Hosted by one of Japan's leading ninja experts and a bilingual local guide, learn the history, techniques, and stories behind the ninja and samurai at Odawara Castle. This exclusive experience gives you access to the mysterious world of the ninja.

Expert Hosts

Ninja Scholar and bilingual guide

Special Access

The Ninja Museum after hours

Exclusive Experience

Famed Ninja host to teach and guide you

About your Experience

Odawara Castle will be the setting for this experience which will be highlighted by our time with one of the foremost experts on the history, culture, and techniques of the ninja. The experience will start with a guided bilingual walking tour of Odawara Castle and the castle grounds by a local expert to give you the historical context of the time of the samurai and ninja. We will also visit the SAMURAI Museum to see some authentic artifacts and learn about their role and culture to compare to the ninja later. We move through the NINJA Museum and show some historical artifacts after hours (throwing stars, katanas, photos). Then in a traditional private Japanese room we will start to learn and practice some of the fundamental techniques used by the ninja including...

・Ninja weapons and Tools....Watch real weapons in use. Learn and use a katana sword, throwing star and more in practice to learn the fundamental techniques and history about each weapon (showing and asking questions about real items that were used).
・Short Meditation....With stories as to why it was important to ninja and how it is connected to modern daily lives. We encourage guests to do it together.
・Movement....We talk about how the ninja moved, encourage participants to join, and then end with a short "sword demonstration" to show how fundamental movements affect swordsmanship.
・Hand Gestures....See and learn the iconic hand gestures used by the ninja to aid in focus and concentration.
At the end we encourage open discussion and questions...ending with the iconic ninja hand gestures that we explain. It is our hope that some of the techniques and insight can help enrich your daily lives in the future as well.

About your Host

This special experience will be lead by one of the foremost experts on the history, culture, and techniques of the ninja. We will learn about the skills and tools used by these special people. This experience will be based on the historic records of who the ninja were and what they did. Enjoy the blend of interactive experiences and knowledgable insights with us.

Our passion for the subject and enjoyment in sharing this knowledge make for a memorable experience for anyone who participates. There is a lot to learn, many questions to be answered, and an enriching time for you as your sensei also adapts the techniques and lessons of the ninja for your modern daily lives.

What's Included & What to Bring

Entrance for all the places and museums will be included. We ask that you wear some comfortable shoes and loose fitting clothes to better enjoy our exploration of the area and ninja practice. Please bring water or be prepared to purchase a drink at a vending machine if needed.

Location and Time

The NINJA Museum is located on the Odawara Castle grounds. It is a short 10 minute walk from the East Gate of Odawara Station. The Odawara Castle grounds will be the main focus of this experience. The grounds also including the SAMURAI Museum, NINJA Museum, and Odawara Castle. This experience will start from 15:30 JST, Japan Standard Time. The time allotted for the program is 150 minutes, ending at 18:00 JST. Meeting place will be the entrance to the NINJA museum on the grounds of Odawara Castle Park.

Things to Know

・For cancellation, please contact us at odawaratourco@gmail.com
・2 person minimum required for booking
・Cancellation fee of 100% if booking is cancelled 1 day or less before event
・Cancellation fee of 50% if booking is cancelled 3 days or less before event