NINJA DOJO and STORE KYOTO — Attraction in Kyoto

Wow! Wow! Wow!

The 1-hour private ninja lesson at the Ninja Dojo followed by the half-day ninja trekking tour at Mt. Daimonji was the highlight of our trip to Japan!

We are a family of four with two teenage boys. We stayed in Kyoto for about 9 days and traveled around Japan during that time. This half-day ninja trekking on our last day was the highlight of our trip.

We arrived at the Ninja Dojo around 8:00am to begin the day with a 1-hour private ninja training course. Since our teenage boys brought their own ninja outfits from the U.S., my wife and I were the only ones who needed to get dressed up in ninja gear.

The 1-hour training session was awesome. We practiced hiding methods. We threw ninja stars. We blew darts out of a ninja blow gun. We practiced swordsmanship techniques with ninja swords. While we opted for the 1-hour instead of the 2-hour training session because of the upcoming hike, we did not feel rushed at all.

When the training session was done, we headed towards the subway with ninja master Ichikawa-Sensei and his apprentice and our tour guide Kuroda-San. Ichikawa-Sensei knows the mountain, the shrines, and the prayers inside out. Kuroda-San speaks perfect English and provides detailed translations and guidence during the trek.

The trek involved a 2-hour hike up the mountain along with a 2-hour hike down the mountain. We took a 30-minute lunch break at the summit along with smaller breaks on the way up and down. We visited multiple shrines during the trek and engaged in further ninja training at open spaces on the mountain.

The whole experience was incredible. The views at the summit and on the way down the mountain were amazing. The prayers at the shrines and the training felt very authentic. We felt very lucky to have found these guys and joined this private trek at the end of an exhausting trip through Japan.

Traveling through Japan as a tourist can feel like being in Disneyland at times. The Geisha district in Kyoto and the Samurai district in Kanazawa are overrun with tourists. Even the Hiroshima Museum feels like a house of horrors attraction with hordes of tourists popping photos while rampaging through the exhibitions.

The Ninja trekking experience at Mt. Daimonji was the single most authentic thing we did in Japan. Local families, groups of elderly trekkers, and students from local schools were going up and down the mountain trying to stay active and healthy. The shrines were small and intimidate. And the prayers and entire experience was very spiritual.

If you only have a few days in Kyoto, you should at least do the standalone 1-hour private ninja training at the Nina Dojo. But if you are doing a longer trip and can spare half a day, definitely do the ninja trek up Mt. Daimonji. When we came down the mountain at 2:30pm, we were at the gates of Ginkakujicho, which is a major tourist attraction in and of itself. The half-day trek did not interfere with our other tourist activities or temple visits.

The whole experience took only half a day. The price we were charged, which felt excessive prior to the private training and the trek, felt like a bargain by the end of the private training and the trek because of the amount of time a professional tour guide and an expert martial artist spent with us.

We will be doing this again when we are back...

My fiancé and I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Ninja Dojo and Store in Kyoto, and it exceeded all our expectations. From the moment I stepped inside, I was transported into the fascinating world of ninjas. The ambiance was authentic, with traditional Japanese decor and subtle lighting creating an immersive atmosphere. The highlight of my visit was the ninja training session. Led by a skilled instructor, the training was both educational and exhilarating. I learned various techniques, from stealthy movements to mastering ninja weapons like shurikens and katana swords. The instructors were patient, knowledgeable, and made the experience accessible to beginners like myself, while still challenging more experienced participants. The staff were friendly and passionate about sharing their knowledge of ninja history and culture, adding depth to the overall experience. Additionally, the dojo's location in the heart of Kyoto made it easily accessible and added to the charm of the visit. Overall, my experience at the Ninja Dojo and Store was unforgettable. Whether you're a history buff, martial arts enthusiast, or simply looking for a unique and memorable experience in Kyoto, I highly recommend visiting...

Ninja experience that is fun, entertaining, and educational!! Loved every second of the ninja experience at the Kyoto Ninja Dojo and Store. It was a mixture of explanations with a brief history of the ninja and weapons with some awesome hands-on experiences. After a short bowing in procedure, our instructor showed us how to do some cool ninja hand positions, explaining the spiritual reasons behind each. He explained how a ninja sword differed from that of a samurai and explained all of the usages. Then we got to try sneaking into a hidden revolving partition and were instructed on how to walk like a ninja. Our instructor showed how Ninja would be able to draw and resheath a katana (blunt), and we all got to practice a few times. We were then shown how to throw some ninja stars (sharp!) before moving onto practising some blow darts. (The blow dart mouth tube was wiped clean between each use) A brief bowing in procedure concluded the experience. The instructor was informative and engaging. We would highly recommend this to anyone who is in Kyoto... if you're not a fan of ninjas before you go, you will be...