I booked a 90-minutes, Sword and Kenbu experience which included:
A crash course on the samurai and kenbu traditions
Choice of a Samurai costume to put on
A practice session on the basic handling of a katana (the ones we used are for show only and not the real thing so basically safer than the real thing, but still deadly)
Certificate of participation
My boys expectedly loved the experience. This activity is highly recommended for families with older children. It gives participants a better appreciation of the Samurai culture and traditions.
My boys, all so serious...They are killing the look!
Photo-ops with our Master Sword
Heavy sword lifting and choreography fighting stands, left us hungry. Dinner was at Matsuya in Kyoto Sanjo.
Today's itinerary is a quick trip to Fushi Inari and playing Samurais at Toei Kyoto Studio Park.
We were hoping for an early day's start. The plan was to reach Fushi Inari early to beat the crowd. Well, that did not happen though. It was already so crowded when we got there, it wasn't really fun anymore.
At Fushi Inari Shrine ~ there were so many people an ascend is unlikely. We managed to steal a few shots but decided to proceed to our next agenda soon after.
Toei Kyoto Studio Park is trip to Japan's Edo Era. We have visited an Edo Period theme park during 2016 Nikko visit and my boys all had a blast! So, I am pretty hyped for our today's agenda.
Here is the link to my blog on Edo Wonderland, if you are also interest in ~ Edo Wonderland Nikko.
Edo is the former name of Tokyo and the seat of power from 1603 to 1868. To us Edo is the old mystical Japan ~ the world of Ninjas, Geishas and Samurai.
Hubby and I went crazy over the variety of costumes choices and with an Edo town as a backdrop. We were like children let loosed in Disneyland, but in character!
Honestly, this is the most fun we have had so far in Japan. If you are planning to dress up in tradition Japanese attire, we highly recommend Toei Studio.
There were plenty of other things to do at Toie Studio. While there try to catch the Ninja/Samurai Show and see the impressive collection of life-sized anime superheroes at Super Sentai x Kamen Rider Gallery. There is something for everyone.
The park is easy to reach. We took Bus No. 63 from Kawaramachi Sanjo bus stop (located just outside of our Kyoto hotel) and alighted at Uzumasa Eigamura Mae bus stop. It is about a 40 mins ride by bus at Y230 each.
Drop by their souvenir shops. There are so many "kawaii" trinkets and even Kyoto sweets sold at competitive prices compared to those in Nagoya. Buy Yatsuhashi(sweets made of a sweet bean paste sandwiched in soft dough shaped into a triangle; they come in all sorts of flavors, such as green tea, chocolate, strawberry, banana, etc.). Our personal favorite of course is the matcha favored ones.
All the walking around the park will leave you hungry. There are plenty of themed restaurants inside the park. For lunch we opted for Chanbara Restaurant located at the Padios.
A quick stop at Kawaramachi Shopping Center
This is a gem, found many of this in Japan (this one located at Kawaramachi Shopping Center) ~ change your local bills into Yen.
It is so easy to use and with English translation too. We tried it on loose USD bills, rates comparable to ATM withdrawals and over the counter exchange transactions.
Planning a trip to Kyoto-Nagoya? Check our Day 1 to 5 itinerary, links below:
