Published on May, 2025
*Note: The description for this activity says "mat cutting with a real katana is not currently available", but I don't believe that is true - we used a real katana to cut tatami mats!*
The 5-star reviews of this amazing dojo led us to this activity, and they were spot-on! We spent 2 hours learning and practicing a kata (set of moves) with Yushin sensei and his two students. Yushin sensei had a native English-speaking student there, Jordan, who did a great job translating. Osayo, sensei's other student, dressed us all and later impressed us with her katana skills. Yushin sensei himself led the entire training, which was such a unique experience! We were eventually all tested on our kata skills, and even given the chance to don real samurai armor. Each student was able to use a real katana to slice mats after all the practice and testing. The sensei was funny, energetic, relatable, and patient. Yushin sensei also showed us some more complex katas himself, which was very cool to watch and see. It made us realize we all had a lot more work to do! Don't miss this activity - it was a big highlight of our short trip to Japan and of our time in Kyoto!!!! We would love to return again and again!