Samurai Museum

Visiting the Samurai Museum was truly a 5-star, 10/10 experience and easily one of the highlights of my trip to Japan. Our guide Kazuki gave an absolutely amazing tour. He was incredibly knowledgeable, engaging, and passionate, and I walked away with a whole new level of respect and understanding for samurai culture, history, and the samurai code. I genuinely left feeling inspired and far more educated than when I arrived. Rey was also phenomenal — an incredible teacher who patiently and expertly showed us the ways of the samurai and even taught us how to gild a katana (samurai sword). The experience was hands-on, informative, and truly unforgettable. The museum shop was amazing as well. Every employee was so friendly, patient, and helpful without being pushy. We walked out with bags full of goodies and were pleasantly surprised that we spent under $300, which even included bringing home a sword and a sword stand — such an incredible value for the quality and authenticity. Another huge plus: the entire tour was conducted in clear, easy-to-understand English, which made everything smooth from start to finish. I would 1000% recommend this museum to anyone visiting Tokyo. If you’re staying in Shinjuku, this is a must-visit — and if not, it’s absolutely worth making a special trip. An unforgettable experience filled with history, culture, incredible guides, and an outstanding staff.

This is a wonderful experience of the culture. Our guide Rey took time to explain to us the details of how samurai came to power and evolved through time (from Edo to Meiji to present days). The sword experience was also wonderful, Leo was very thorough with sword techniques and helped us understand why each post is so important and connected.

Quick tour and throwing stars! ~$30 CAD each, good activity for a rainy day

Not something that would appeal to me generally, but it was a fantastic exhibit. They had an English speaking guide who made it very interesting with his knowledge. There’s even an opportunity to try on some of the Armor, and we finished with a little throwing star competition…was very interesting and entertaining

I loved this place. You get a one houre very informative, impressive and also funny tour and see lots of cool stuff. You can also buy cool stuff there if you want. One great thing about it is also that when you buy a ticket it is reusable. So we got there at 1815 but performances are shown only between 1400 and 1700. So we can come here on another day and watch the performance free of charge. 👍👍👍

This place was very interesting. They kindly offered English tours at certain time intervals and the information was great weather you were new to samurai or had a base knowledge. The tour guide was able to answers the groups questions and was very helpful. There was even certain parts of the tour where you were invited to try on replicas. There were also live 15 minute demonstrations later in the day that you could come back and attend if you kept your ticket from earlier. They also sold interesting gifts in the gift shop. Including replica and real swords.

We had to wait an hour because they are booked out with tours as it is a very popular place. So we came back an hour later after purchasing the tickets. It was 1900 yen per adult. I was very impressed with the way the whole tour was set up. Our guide was excellent, they spoke in English. You get to learn a lot and take photos also. If you're in to dressing up in traditional clothes and getting photos done they offer that as well after the tour. Also they offer a short show which I won't go it to detail of because it was really entertaining and I sat at the front with my heart racing the entire time with crazy expressions on my face. Really quite excellent. They also sell handmade Katana's there.

This place was great! Quite a collection! Also got to come back any day to watch the samurai show as long as you bring your tickets! All the staff are lovely. Free english tour guide as well explaining each armour or item etc. We also did the sword course, and that was very informative about all the different kinds of swords of Japan, the history of if, the making of... we love this place!

This museum was not what I was expecting. Usually when I go to a museum, it's a simple walk through or a guide that's just there to provide basic information. Our guide was Hiro, he was very informative and provide information in a fun and entertaining way! He was great at interacting with our group and getting us all talking. Also he's a dissident from a samurai family! The museum had great piece of samurai armor and weapons, all with great backstories. The entire museum is small but is between one and two floors and was very clean. Bonus- you get to take a picture dressed as a princess and samurai at the end lol! I guess I'll post mine They have a very small but cute gift shop at the front of the museum. I got a 6 pack of post cards for 500yen and a few cute little statues of famous samurai for 500yen each. I left very happy that I stopped by here during my trip and hope others take advantage of this museum!

If you like Ninjas and Samurais...check out the Tokyo Samurai Museum. You will be given the history of the samurai with a tour guide. After you will be able to dress up in samurai costumes and take pictures. Make sure you buy your tickets in advance. After the tour, you can purchase gift items.

Great for those who know nothing about samurai. Wonderful for kids. Otherwise, go to Tokyo National Museum

I was on vacation to Japan for the first time and between all the food eating near Shinjuku, I happened to see the Samurai Museum. I wandered in on a weekday and the person up front mentioned that the next tour in English would be in 10 minutes. Great. I was able to use the restroom (pretty clean) and look around the downstairs before the tour started. Our tour guide (I am sad I forgot her name, but she was younger woman) was very good detailed. I did learn a lot from her as she went through the different exhibits and provided lot of interesting information. The museum is 2 levels (a waiting area with some cool samurai information) and then the bulk of the tour is upstairs. There is also samurai show that is about 15 minutes long that I thought was pretty cool to see. I know that they also let you try on some of the armor, helmet, etc. I actually opted out of this after the tour. This is not their fault, but there was a extremely smelly person in our tour group and I was not sure if I wanted to try anything on after them. But, I think that would have been a pretty cool picture to have. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to learn a little history of the samurai. A few logistics that I want to mention. I walked there from the train, so I am not sure what the parking is like (I assume most tourists do not drive here). The walk was not too long from the station. You will need to take your shoes off on the second floor.

This was a really well worth museum to see and get some decent information and background of what it was really like to be a samurai. The armor, helmets, artifacts, and other items on display were said to be some replicas and some where legit, which was really cool. They have several English speaking guides, so fear not; everything will be explained in detail and questions are welcomed. Later in the tour, you had the opportunity to try on some armor and take pictures, which was fun. The museum is two floors, and each room is curtailed to the history of the samurai. You can touch and take pictures too. Really interesting. You can easily spend about 2 hours here. Be sure to stop in their gift shop and make a little donation like we did; it's great to get some unique and meaningful gifts for family and friends!

This museum no longer exists and is just an empty area with a huge idol billboard beside it. Unfortunate! I'm sure it was a lovely place with history.

Okay, USA CA review here. I have always had a fascination w/ the samurai. When I heard about a samurai museum! I HAD to go. This tour is only one hour but worth every penny. It cost only $16 US dollars after the conversation and yes, they take credit cards. What you need to know: -There is a schedule. I suggest you go in and put your name down then explore the area until your time comes. - You will get an English speaking guide and tutorial. My guide was extremely knowledgeable. Please don't be that person with a million questions. Just ask your own personal darn questions during the break or just GOOGLE it. - Don't stress about photos. After the guided tour, you will be allowed to go back and take as many photos as you possibly desire. - It is a small two story exhibit. You will have to take your shoes off on the second floor. Don't wear smelly socks. But again, worth every penny. - In the end, you can take photos with a helmet and Japanese kimono. It's free and the guide will help you get it on. The helmet was freaking heavy. I can't imagine fighting with one on. I probably would have sucked being a samurai or been that one guy running around with no helmet. Again, worth every penny. Just check out my photos!

I am honestly surprised by the reviews here as my visit was very mediocre. My husband and I stopped by the samurai museum on two different occasions during our Japan travels. We were finally able to buy tickets for a time we liked as they require reservations on our second time there. Once we made our reservations we had about 45 minutes to wander around Shinjuku. There are pubs and people watching nearby so no problem there. The tour was quite lame. We were given a little bit of history lesson throughout the 1st and 2nd floor. We also saw a 15 minute (roughly) samurai show. That was the most entertaining minus when one of the kids in the group asked an odd question about why would samurais' commit suicide. Can we say awkward but it was also amusing to me when people are uncomfortable. Afterward, we were given a chance to try on our princess and or samurai outfit for pictures. Nothing exciting in my personal opinion.

First off, I really liked this place but it is small with not enough exhibits for the price of ¥1900. I have always been intrigued by the Samurai and ninja warriors since I was a kid. This place seemed to have just 4-5 small rooms to show and left me wanting to see more. The cost does include an English guided tour. They do go over the periods of the Samurai. There was a live Samurai fighting display for all to see and was pretty cool but space was limited. You can easily see everything in less than an hour. I stayed longer as I was reading everything. I also got to try on a period costume and take pics of myself which was very cool. I'm not sure all the displays were authentic and some may be copies but it's cool nonetheless. Pictures are allowed but video is not. They do take credit cards here. There is a small restroom here. It's located in an area where there are a bunch of strip clubs.

Very cool experience! This place is in the heart of it all! I am really glad that my hubby found this place! And tbe tour was in English and very Informative ! There was very cute show at tbe end it was nice to experience such a fun thing in Japan! Plenty of information and tbe tour guide was great with answering questions. I wouldn't call this a tourist trap more of a tourist attraction:)

What a wonderful collection of armor and weapons! There are some authentic mixed with replicas. The tour was nice and the guides spoke good English. For tourists in Japan, you can learn a lot about the history here. However, as an expat practicing Iaido, there were a lot that I already knew. It was fun to fill in the information gap, and the guides weren't offended at all either. The demonstration show was great!! As a practitioner, the demonstrator's technique is from Kyoto and he was really good. At the end of the show, my boyfriend and I shared some of our technique with him, and he shared some of his with ours. Super humble guy and worth seeing! Definitely worth the pit stop if you are in Shinjuku.

Excellent 1-hr history tour of samurai included with admission to this two story museum. Great for 8 yo and 10 yo fitting jet lag at end of a long first day in Tokyo. Bring socks for 2nd floor and the tatami mats. Get to try on armor and helmet while holding weapons at the end for free!

A great place to stop by if you're in the area! Even if you think museums are boring, this place is about samurai! Armor, swords, history. It's some pretty cool stuff. Our visit started with a sword demonstration. The guy was showing different techniques such as offense, defense, hiding your weapon, wiping blood off the sword, etc. They said pictures were okay but no videos (pretty much the whole museum allowed pictures but no videos). Afterwards, a tour guide showed us around the various rooms. He said he studied English in the U.S. and he made the experience pretty fun! It was cool to see the history of the samurai and how they changed over time. Seems like the inspiration for Star Wars might have come from some samurai armor (according to our guide). There's also a photo booth area where you can put on some cool clothes, wear a samurai helmet, hold a sword, and take a great picture. There's also a small gift shop at the end. Overall a fun place to see in Tokyo!

I really wanted to love this place and post a great review. Bought tickets to visit this museum since I was around the area already so why not check it out? Despite the awesome friendly staff and some of the cool displays they have, sorry to say this but to me it's a tourist trap.

This place was so cool. We took part in the tour. It was a little crowded for the tour so we did our own thing mid way. It was slot easier to just walk, read the signs and do things on your own. We even got to try some old clothing on.

Hiro our English speaking guide throughout the museum tour was amazing! He was very knowledgable in all the historical facts and explained everything well! The sword show and putting on the samurai head gears were very entertaining and fun! Highly recommend for all first time Japan visitors!

I thought this was going to be a really small quick kinda walk-thru museum. And it is small, but they give tours as part of your ticket price and you should absolutely get on the tour because they do a great job entertaining you and at the same time teaching you a lot about Japan's history and samurais. And I know a lot about samurais, their culture, and bushido. I still learned a lot and had a really great entertaining time here. Even if you don't know anything about samurais, you should do this. You'll have a great time.

I really appreciated the English guided tour, but the groups are fairly large for such a small place. At the end there is a small demonstration of a samurai and ninja "fighting" which was entertaining. Overall I would give them 3.5 stars...if Yelp allowed .5 stars...I'm looking at you Yelp!

Was visiting Tokyo for a few days and found this place under one of the many things to do. . Located down one of the many small streets. I would recommend taxi or walking since street parking is bare to none and there's usually always people walking in the street. JR Shinjuku Station East Exit: 8-minute walk Seibu Shinjuku Station: 4-minute walk Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin line , Toei Oedo Line Higashi-Shinjuku Station A1 No. 6-minute walk from Exit A 10-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Marunouchi and Fukutoshin line , Toei Shinjuku Line sanchome Station Can't miss the front with the samurai museum sign and samurai display. Once inside, there's a small gift shop on the left . They sell shirts, swords and other merchandise for souvenirs . On the right is the check in where you purchase tickets . Price ranges from adults to kids. I believe 1800 yen for adults. This is not a self guided museum. The ticket comes with the next available time slot where you are guided through the museum and informed about each display. Our guide was very friendly and did her best at explaining everything and answering questions in English. My group was 8 people . There's also a small artifact under each item in English, Korean and Chinese . You'll learn about 700 years of samurai history, check out helmets, guns , swords and armor . Half way through the tour you'll have to take your shoes off at and place them in a shelve. At the end you'll have an opportunity to try on a helmet with a sword and take photos. Entire tour takes about an hour. Also, they offer a free samurai demonstration between certain hours during the daytime everyday . Just bring your ticket showing you did the museum tour already.

Yep. I am a tourist. I came to Tokyo, went to a Samurai museum, and loved it. From the outside it looks closed, but when you walk through the automatic doors there's someone there to greet you right away. Instantly you're hit with the smell of burning incense. It was nice. The tickets are about $14 US dollars per person. We first passed a few traditional Samurai suits. They looked like they were for tiny people. The leg armor would have probably been used for my arms. Really cool hand sewn pieces though, and helmets to match. Some of the face masks had a blond mustache. That was unexpected. Once upstairs we took our shoes off and entered the first room, which were swords. This guy came in, we later determined he was the owner, and started telling us about the pieces in English. It was pretty awesome to have someone explain the different swords and time periods. This was a special treat, it didn't seem like he visited the museum often. He had a millionaire vibe, and this was his hobby, but he was super friendly and down to earth. We were able to try on helmets and hold samurai swords, he even opened up the rifle case and let us hold a few guns. The helmets were heavy as hell, my head pretty much sagged into my neck. All the museum workers seems to get a kick out of watching us try all this stuff on. At the end of the tour they let us do a little photo session with outfits for free. I'd like to think it's cuz they liked us to so much. Everyone was so accommodating and friendly. It was a great visit. I'd recommend a quick stop inside if you're in the area. There's a lot of replicas, but still good mix of authentic pieces too.

This place is awesome! I recently stopped by the museum during my trip to Shinjuku and I was not disappointed! If you are in Shinjuku I definitely recommend checking out the Samurai Museum. Admission for the museum is approximately $16USD a person so it isn't too expensive. Admission into the museum includes a group tour of the museum with a tour guide. There are several language options for the tours (I went with the English-speaking group). Our tour guide was a nice young lady who was very knowledgeable about the Samurai history as well as the artifacts that they displayed in their museum. The tour wasn't boring or dry as some museums tend to be. Our tour guide went through great lengths to make the experience entertaining as well as informative. We learned a great deal while simultaneously having fun and laughing. The best part of the tour is that they let you try on some of the Samurai gear that they have available! After the tour, you have access to the gift shop which sells a variety of cool things. This is a great place to pick up any cool souvenirs if you are vacationing/visiting Tokyo. They have various gifts such as Samurai swords, fans, figurines, etc. Everything in the gift shop was fairly priced and they do provide shipping options if you decide to purchase a Samurai sword so that you can display one in your home! Awesome!

I enjoyed this museum and learned a ton about samurais and some about Japanese history. They had a bunch of interesting and cool artifacts. The tour guide was knowledgeable even when asked questions. The end of the tour allowed us to take pictures in kimonos or samurai outfits with weapons. There was also a demonstration of someone who stills practices the samurai life of a bunch of moves. He was also able to answer any questions regarding samurais. Their gift shop was cool and interesting to look at since they had a bunch of traditionally weapons and armory you could buy.

I had a great experience here yesterday. Our guide Amiri spoke good English. She was wonderful and gave us a real history lesson. I loved the authentic samurai armor, paraphernalia, and weapons. It isn't a huge museum but its collection is filled with stuff that's not only significant, it's very well-presented. If you speak English, this place is friendly to foreigners. After the tour you even get the opportunity to dress up in replica armor and get your photo taken (the picture I have uploaded is one of me in actual armor, taken during the tour). To get even more value, try to come before one of the scheduled times for demonstrations. The one we got to see was pretty epic, and two guys from the audience even got to try out the various stances and techniques. It's definitely worth waiting for, but the room can surely get packed during the performances. All in all, I spent about an hour in the museum, more than I had expected, and have no regrets about paying what I thought at first to be a hefty entrance fee (Y1,800). This would be a good stop for families with kids, I think.

Really legit samurai and artifacts. They have English speaking guides which help a lot. Admission also includes a samurai show and tour. They also sell real swords if you're looking to take one home! Overall very unique and fun cultural experience.

Walked to the Samurai Museum after visiting nearby Gyoen National Garden in Shinjuku. The museum is small but definitely worth the price of admission! (¥1,800) adult I arrived right at the top of the hour so they brought me straight upstairs for the samurai demonstration which was jaw-dropping. The speed at which he drew his sword and the precision of each technique that we were shown was astonishing. After the demo you could take pictures with the samurai! After that I went back downstairs and went on an awesome tour with my guide Haruno! She was super knowledgeable and incredibly enthusiastic! If you end up on a tour with her you'll have a wonderful time! She went into great detail about every suit of armor and each of the weapons! On the second floor I got to try on a face mask and helmet in one of the rooms (smaller group so more time to do this I guess) also they have a photo corner with more helmets and weapons! Photos are all free and you can take pictures of almost everything in the museum! Definitely worth checking out if you have time and it's just a stones throw from the Robot Restaurant! One of the more memorable experiences of my trip!

So not only do you get to learn history, you get to take pictures! Let's be honest, I was in it for the pictures! I don't think people know that they have costumes to take pictures in...so we were the only ones who did it in our group. Just ask!!! The people are so nice. They were helpful. It's a quasi guided tour...meaning there's a guide you have to follow. However, we digressed when we saw the costumes. Somehow a tour guide saw us so he helped us with the costumes and took our pictures! Also, there are 15 minute samurai shows at 2, 3, 4, and 5pm. Def worth seeing it. In the end, they ask for volunteers. Raise your hand quickly! I did and got a mini sword fighting lesson and demo the swords!

This museum was a great little gem to see while visiting Tokyo. I got to see and handle a 300+ old samurai sword in their store. The staff were courteous and very informative while viewing antique weapons and armor from Japan's pre-western influence times. The guided tour for 5 of us lasted about 1 hour. I'm glad for the time spent here for it made me appreciate learning about Japan's past.

This is a pretty awesome tour and I enjoyed every minute of it. We all did! Our tour guide was very knowledgable, nice and funny. It was nice to have insight on the way of the samurai in Japan and the samurai hierarchy. Each head piece had a different rank and family crest. At the end of the tour you have the option to take a picture in a beautiful traditional kimono or a traditional samurai outfit. We took our time taking pictures and going back into each room. It does get busy so come here early or buy tickets in advance. If you are not able to see the samurai demo same day, you can come back another day as long as you save your ticket. Our tour guide told us our tickets never expires so we can come back and see the demo in a year if we liked. I'll test her theory.

As soon as my husband heard about this he said we had to check it out and I can honestly say I am so glad we did. It's about $20 for each adult but totally worth it they even let you try on a samurai helmet and other clothing at the end but my favorite part was the samurai show they put on. My husband even participated in the act against both samurai. It was fascinating learning about the different type of armor worn and the different type of weapons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_nftydXPWI This place was awesome. Took about an hour with a guided tour. Pictures are cool, videos are not. Our tour guide took us from room to room and would ask us some crazy questions...I don't think they were rhetorical...like, he'd point at some kanji and ask if any of us knew what it meant. Or, he'd ask who took over such and such during the Edo period? Anyway, they all speak English, but if you're visiting Tokyo, I hope you've been throwing out some simple Japanese! You learn a lot from this tour. There are multiple rooms you go through and tackle topics like armor, helmets, weapons, etc. Finally, you get to dress up like a Samurai! And if you book in advance, you can take a sword class. Gift shop is pretty cool too.

Very informative and great display of costumes from the Samurai era. I really like our tour leader. He answered every question we had and took his time to explain everything about every piece on display. The samurai are an important part of Japanese culture and history so I highly recommend coming here if you're visiting Japan. My favorite part was the show towards the end of the tour! Very awesome! Very much worth the cost of the ticket. I recommend that you include this in your trip!

This museum is largely the personal collection of the owner. It's always wonderful to see people share these treasures with the world.They have a several sets of armor that cover a large set of history, as well as other swords and helmets. There was a guide who walked me through personally and explained the time periods and significance of what I was seeing. It was great. This isn't a large museum, but it's worth a stop. It takes about an hour, and you can put on a replica samurai helmet and see a demo of the sword handling. Each group was walked through individually and then guided to the demo. There were some kids in there who really liked that part (though it was funny to watch them cover their ears when the performer yelled with each stroke).

Happened to be in the area and decided to visit. They have a nice little gift shop next to the actual museum entrance. I bought me a Date Masamune mini samurai. Our guide spoke English well and was very informative. There were plenty of armor and weapons to view as well as character bios. They allow you to wear some samurai gear for pictures. There is a samurai demonstration with sword play with one of the visitors (not me this time). I felt this was a solid tourist attraction and well worth the few USD equivalent entry cost. I was short on time and my phone was low on battery so I asked for directions. An older gentleman (maybe the owner?) walked me a few blocks to make sure I knew where to get to the right train station. During the walk he gave me some helpful information about Shinjuku. What a great experience.

Cool suits. I enjoyed it. My wife really enjoyed and actually she learned a lot even though she knows a lot of Japanese history. Tour guides were very informative and knowledgeable. Some very rare stuff. We were surprised of the location of the museum. In the Kabukicho area known for its night life if you know what I mean. I expected it to be a better area but I'm still glad such a place exists.

If you are looking for something fun to do while you are visiting Tokyo, there are about as many choices as you can imagine and more. I wanted to check this place out just for fun thinking it would be a cool place. It was! But it was also very interesting to learn about the whole history behind the samurai. Our guide was well informed, enthusiastic about the subject and spoke English very well. The displays on their own of the armour and weapons were fascinating but the presentation added a lot to the enjoyment and appreciation of all of the artifacts. It took us under an hour to see everything but you are welcome to stay as long as you want and take photos. There is a small souvenir shop and if you want to, you can put on a samurai helmet and mask or a Kimono and take a photo. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice this was. Great place for families too.

First of all, this place is in a semi red light district of Japan and you're bound to get lost but it's totally worth it if you have a few hours to kill and don't know what to do. I'm not sure how but my husband's aunty found this place and she thought it would be a fun exhibit for my son to see. Not only was it fun for him, but it was fun for all of us. We enjoyed it even though it was slightly pricey. This museum was neat in that it was the owner who amassed this entire collection of really old but really well taken care of samurai items. We even snagged an English speaker to give us a tour of the place. He explained all the items and paintings and even the history behind the items. We got to try on the samurai outfit (replica) as well as take photos. We definitely felt like we got our monies worth in our Christmas photo op alone! We also got to watch a demonstration with a man showing us the different fighting moves of a samurai. People were also welcome to give it a try as well (my son was too shy but another child was up there strutting his stuff). The show fills up quickly so in order to get a good seat, you should probably be there about 15-30 minutes before the show will actually begin. It is definitely a good tourist destination despite my initial thoughts of it going to be some tacky tourist trap. They have some neat things and it's nice how friendly the staff is and how willing they are to take pictures of you.

Caught the English speaking tour as we walked in. Guide was well versed and did a great job explaining everything. Tour and size of museum was perfect. Not too long and tedious. Just enough information and interesting!! My 13 yr old was enthralled and loved trying on the costumes and meeting the samurai after his demonstration. Would highly recommend it!

My man Maki is the greatest tour guide of all time. Very informative and funny. You need to see this tour and ask for the next time Maki is doing it. It's great.

I have been a history buff for the longest time. Very informative and educational to see what they (Samurai) were about. Awesome tour took about 1 and1/2 hours. Excellent!

Small, $18 and worth every penny. For roughly a 30 minute experience, you spend $18. That seems a bit crazy, initially, But, then you realize: 1. You're getting a guided and personal tour. 2. The collection is hundred of years old and was procured by 1 person, the owner. 3. You get to try things on and get a picture in a kimono or samurai outfit. All of a sudden $18 doesn't seem too bad.

$18 - Definitely thought it was worth it! Friendly/Funny staff. Plus there's a small show (:

Brilliant little place in Tokyo. With a guide, you learn all about the history of samurais from the 12th to the 19th centuries. You see all sorts of different armors and swords and other weapons. Also, at select times, they have a samurai re-enactment performed by a very skilled actor trained in the samurai ways. Really fun, really cool museum!

Not the biggest museum in the world but they have some really impressive artifacts, and the staff really go to town explaining the history of each one. The samurai show was also an unexpected treat.

This is a high quality museum filled with rare artifacts from the Samurai epoch, covering the Heian (pre-1185), Kamakura (to 1333), Muromachi (to 1573), Azuchi-Momoyama conflict (to 1603), and Edo (to 1868) periods with brief insight into the role of the Samurai after the Meiji Restoration in 1868. All the guides are extremely erudite and possess a great wealth of knowledge and expertise. All spoke excellent English and had a deep sense of history. Having a Masters in Military History, I'm somewhat skeptical of museum guides in the US who pander to "fake history", revisionism, popular aspects, all at the expense of scholastic integrity. This museum was a refreshing detour in the fact that all the concepts presented and explained were factual, and historically accurate (sans political correctness). As a history snob, I came away very, very impressed. The guided English tour takes about 1:15 hrs to conduct and afterwards the guide invited us to stay for the Samurai demonstration. The demonstration was awesome and featured a young man who studied Samurai tactics for over 15 years. He demonstrated all the moves with Katano and explained everything through an interpreter. All in all it was an enjoyable afternoon for my son and I, and I highly recommend this museum to anyone visiting Shinjuku with an interest in Japan feudal warfare.

Had amazing experience here! Tour was around an hr long and extremely informative, i learned so many interesting new things that give me great insight into the samurai culture and reasons behind their armor designs and weapons, and ive grown up watching samurai movies n thought i had a good idea of things.. only downside is its kinda in a sketchy part of town if anyones heard of kabukicho but i had no problems getting in n out, would highly recommend

This is the coolest museum I've ever been to! I loved all the samurais artifacts and that the owner is cool enough to let you try on a replica of one of the samurais clothes. The Japanese guy who performed the basics of fighting with a katana was also amazing to watch. I'd suggest the photo opportunity towards the end where you can dress up in a kimono or samurai costumes. Please do yourself a favor and stop by if you're ever in Shinjuku, you won't ever forget an experience like this one!

The Samurai Museum is truly amazing! It seems a bit gimmicky from the battle that they put on (make no mistake, my kids aged 8-13 were absolutely mesmerized), and the opportunities given to try on traditional outfits for photo ops, but it actually also contains a surprisingly dense collection of well-preserved samurai armor and weapons dating back thousands of years. We had 2 different tour guides walk us through the whole thing (both of whom were far more knowledgable than I would have expected), and we all learned quite a bit about feudal Japan. A must see 1-2 hour activity!

This place is amazing. They have samurai armor and weapons going back 300+ years. They also have several reproductions that they are happy to let you try on. They'll even give you outfits and weapons (!!!) and take photos for you. The staff speaks enough English to show you around and tell you about the exhibits. Very kid friendly too. The staff was happy to give my kids swords and show them how to hold them correctly.

My son and I took a side trip from the family and went to the Samuai Museum in Shinjuku and it was a fantastic experience. After visiting the Japanese Sword Museum near Asakusa, our expectations were low. But this one really surprised us. Our tour guide was Gin and he walked us from room to room explaining the history of the Samurai and each of the exhibits we were looking at. Add in a demonstration and a chance to put on Samurai outfits and I couldn't be happier. A++