Odawara Castle Exploration: Insights into Ninja and Samurai History with Expert Guide
5.0
7 Ratings
Odawara

Uncover the secrets of the ninja and samurai at Odawara Castle. Join a leading ninja expert and bilingual guide for a tour, museum visits, and hands-on ninja training.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Odawara Castle History Museum, Ninja-kan - Meet at the entrance of the Ninja Museum in Odawara Castle Park. This is where the tour will start.
  • Odawara Castle Park - The experience will start with a guided walking in Odawara Castle Park by a local bilingual expert. The grounds of Odawara Castle have been preserved and retain original forms…
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What's Included
  • Hands-on ninja experience with provided wooden swords and ninja attire.
  • Included entrance tickets to the Ninja Museum, Samurai Museum, and Odawara Castle.
Additional Information

Hosted by a renowned ninja expert from Japan and a bilingual local guide, this experience offers the opportunity to meet and learn from a ninja scholar. Participants will tour the Odawara Castle grounds and practice essential ninja techniques.
The adventure begins with a guided walking tour of Odawara Castle, led by a local bilingual expert. Visitors…

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Location
3-71 Jōnai
Meeting place is the entrance of the Ninja Museum in Odawara Castle Park, which is a short 10 minute walk from the East Gate of Odawara Station.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(7 Ratings)
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Katiekyu
Dec 2, 2024
An experience not to miss - Had the most amazing time, from the tour to the ninja experience. 10/10 would do again and people are missing out on a major experience if they don’t do this. Don’t just go to the major cities, explore Odawara aswell :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Veronical1533
Nov 30, 2024
Fun and informative experience! - This was such a fantastic way to spend an afternoon/evening. We are so glad we did this. It is a unique and very fun way to get to learn about a formative period in Japanese history! For the ninja portion we did some katana drills, star throwing and blow darts which brought out some healthy competition amongst us. Our guide, Naoya, was so fun, helpful and knowledgeable and both he and the ninja master were very generous with their time. We happened to make this part of our itinerary because it suited our travel as a stop off between Hakone and Tokyo, but it is worth the trip to Odawara just for it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fiona
Oct 21, 2024
Become a Ninja - great fun! - The highlight was an hour's personal tuition from a ninja master, learning how to blow a poison dart, throw a "shooting star" and wield a sword. We were shown each of the castle gates with an explanation of the historical context and purpose from our English-speaking guide. The view of the sunset from the top of the castle was amazing. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mark_e
Jul 9, 2024
So much fun! - This was a ton of fun for my husband, adult daughters and me. First we had an interesting tour of beautiful Odawara Castle, as well as the Samurai Museum, with our very knowledgeable guide Jeff. Then we put on Ninja garb (you have to not mind looking a little goofy!) and learned some of the skills used by real Ninjas. Our teacher (I don't remember his name) was a true expert, very patient, and made it SO much fun. We learned to scale a (small) wall, sneak up on your enemy despite a creaky floor, look for escape routes and hidden panels in rooms and use throwing stars, blow guns and swords! I would recommend this for older kids (not toddlers), teenagers and adults. We loved learning about all the history and then getting to do the activities.
Review provided by Viator
Fernandoci1172cw
Feb 24, 2024
Best Ninja experience in Japan!! Fun and knowledgeable guide made this unforgettable to our kids!! - What a wonderful experience for our family!! It was absolutely worth it to go for this private tour, in contrast to other ninja experiences we had in Japan!! Our guide Jeff was extremely knowledgeable, and very patient to interact with the multiple questions our 9 years old son had!! The castle itself is stunning, and the part where we learn ninja skills was really fun and interactive!! Our Ninja Sensei was also super friendly and connected really well with the kids!! In summary, this was a highlight for our Japan trip and we highly recommend to other families!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kiwikjones
Aug 6, 2023
Excellent - Just like to thank the whole team for a great tour of the castle grounds and really great ninja lesson! Would recommend this to any of my friends for sure! We'd love to come back sometime for another Odawara Castle experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
E6658wvchristophel
Feb 27, 2023
A wonderful and genuine experience! - What a wonderful and genuine experience even for someone that already knows some martial arts and some Japanese culture. From welcoming at the Shinkansen station (walking distance to castle) to a short visit at the castle and spending more time about samurais and ninjas. No more samurai and real ninjas (old-fashioned medieval SEAL of Japan) in Japan! The interpreter is a real fluent interpreter, and knows also how to tell stories in concise ways. The castle/samurai visit is all in English; only the master needs translation and that was very pleasant. The ninja master is just too cool, serious, good sense of humor, not aloof and l forgot to say, knows what he is doing. Christophe Laudamiel
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 12 guests
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