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 (2F)
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(65 Ratings)
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1 star
Lara_k
Oct 26, 2025
A lot of information & great experience - It was a great experience to climb the stairs inside the castle. The guide provided a lot of details and information about the architecture, fighting styles, samurai culture and weapons as well as the history of the town and castle, which was great. The samurai experience was also really authentic and it was interesting to try the fighting style myself. The guide had great restaurant recommendations and other tips as well :)
Review provided by Viator
Moetfan
Oct 23, 2025
History and fun all in one tour! - Great views from the top of Matsumoto Castle followed by a fun and interesting experience at Samurai school! Our guide was knowledgeable and made the tour unforgettable 😊
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susansk6747wf
Oct 14, 2025
History and swords in one morning - Such a great trip with Chin yesterday. He led us around Matsumoto Castle, explaining lots about the history of Japan and then onto the samurai experience. Such great fun, learning basic moves and some more history. Chin took loads of photos for us and helped out a lot…. As a left handed person I needed it! Great trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
514nelsona
Oct 7, 2025
Afternoon in Matsumoto with family. - It was a great experience, we recommend, and our Akiko guide was incredibly kind. She explained everything in detail and told the story while being interesting. Thank you very much to her.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rayaso
Sep 28, 2025
Great experience in Matsumoto! - Our guide Tom was OUTSTANDING! He was great with the kids keeping them interested with quizzes and sticker prizes, very engaging and theatrical explanations. The castle was AMAZING , so beautiful and interesting. Tom also showed us around the castle, some shrines and water fountains and gave us food suggestions. The samurai experience was very fun, the sensei was a very good teacher and we had a great time!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bossman221
Aug 29, 2025
Made my day! - Really enjoyed the whole experience with an excellent knowledgeable and friendly guide. The swordmaster teacher was amazing! Her attention to detail and respect for the craft felt like I was learning the ways of real Samurais of old.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ryan_b
Aug 2, 2025
Awesome experience - Fantastic experience. Our guide for the castle was very knowledgeable and friendly, she moved at the perfect pace for us. The samurai experience was fantastic! Instructors were great and our teenage kids had a blast!!
Review provided by Viator
Jennifer_d
Jul 28, 2025
Very cool experience. The... - Very cool experience. The castle was amazing and the samurai experience gave many demonstrations and instructions on how to properly perform the actions.
Review provided by Viator
Courtney_i
Jul 26, 2025
Samurai Kai - This was a fantastic experience. We’re so glad we signed up for this tour. Tim was our tour guide around the castle and he was knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. The castle was everything we hoped for. Watch out for the steps! They are steep and narrow and we would not recommend this tour for the elderly or people with mobility issues. We followed our castle visit up with Samurai Kai. Kai was very knowledgeable and a terrific instructor. We dressed up as samurai, selected our swords and got down to business. Kai taught us about sheathing and unsheathing the sword as well as offensive and defensive tactics. After the instruction we acted out a samurai assault scenario. My boyfriend and son finally got to live out their dreams of being samurai. Kai went above and beyond. While we were with him a thunderous downpour began. He called us a cab and made sure we had a safe, dry place to wait. The whole family loved this excursion!
Review provided by Viator
Leon_v
Jul 31, 2025
Samurai facts and show photos with lots of fun - Our Canadian guide, Tom, gave good, fun, funny and interesting information about the city, the castle and the history of the samurai. He also gave nice tips about other cities in Japan. The Samurai experience was very nice. You will learn the basics of drawing and tucking back the sword and an attack and defense movement. No practice fight, but nice pictures that looks like a nice fight.
Review provided by Viator
From $85
up to 12 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).