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
(53 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Natalie
Jun 6, 2025
A fantastic morning in the castle and being a samurai - We had a fab morning visiting the castle and participating in the samurai experience. The castle is tall and imposing with lots of floors to ascend, Very photogenic, but the samurai experience topped it. We had such fun and really enjoyed dressing up and learning the moves. Naomi, our guide was lovely. Very knowledgeable and took great photos and videos of us during our experience. Would totally recommend this.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karine_d
Jun 5, 2025
Very nice activity!... - Very nice activity! Our guide explained the history of the city and the castle very well. Miah was excellent for our samurai session. One of the best activities of our stay!
Review provided by Viator
Michellefy3275vz
May 3, 2025
Well done tour - It was a wonderful tour. The Castle was really interesting, and the tour guide was full of fun facts. I told him at the beginning I was more interested in architecture than history, and he made sure to show us a lot of architectural elements on the castle. It was really fun. Afterwards, my husband and I did the samurai experience. It was very unique. The teacher spoke Japanese, but the tour guide stayed during the lesson, and translated everything for us. My husband really enjoyed getting to learn new sword techniques. We both had a blast. My only complaint was looking back at pictures of the samurai experience, and realizing there was a random shirt hanging on the wall in all of them. I wish I had realized it sooner. It kind of made them look less serious, lol. After the tour, we went and got special dumplings the tour guide had recommended to us. It was a really fun experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
887to
Apr 26, 2025
Great experience thanks to fantastic guide - The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. Both the tour in the samoerai castle and the samoerai experience were amazing. The guide made all the difference!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bensker
Apr 17, 2025
A great guide, a great experience, and a lovely samourai teacher! Book this and you will not regret this great experien! - The experience was beyond expected. Tim, our very nice guide, took us first to a samourai course with Miha. She was a wonderful and lovely teacher. This was such a very nice class! Completely out of our comfortzone, but something to remember forever. Then Tim took us to the castle and shared a lot of interesting things along the way. His knowledge of Japanese history is profound. And moreover he is a very nice person. I recommend this activity!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Melissa_r
Apr 13, 2025
Loved this tour - This was one of the highlights for us. Weren’t rushed and has a lovely tour of the Matsumoto Castle which is beautiful. The samurai experience was so much fun and would definitely do it again.
Review provided by Viator
38ciprianr
Apr 11, 2025
Wonderfull Matsumoto tour - Tom was a great guide and teacher we could ever ask for. He was friendly and knew his stuff and more. It was 100% worth it and we highly recomend it for anyone!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yerriyong
Apr 5, 2025
Edo experience - Awesome experience, Saiyuko was very friendly and knowledgeable. Recommend for couples, family or small group. On the day it was just my wife and I so, we had all the one on one attention you could ask for.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chioi
Apr 4, 2025
Samurai Warrior Transformation - The castle was beautiful but the highlight was the Samurai Experience. Our amazing instructor, Miharu, was highly skilled and turned us into Samurai Warriors. We were chuffed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tracey_j
Apr 4, 2025
Samurai Transformation! - The castle tour was great but the Samurai experience was the highlight. It was an absolute thrill and our instructor, Miha, was highly instructive. She turned us into Samurai Warriors.
Review provided by Viator
From $89
up to 12 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).