When to book a samurai class

Kyoto's year for a sword class

Most classes take place indoors, in dojos and old townhouses, so the weather rarely stops one. Comfort and availability are what move with the calendar. The table sums up each stretch of the year, and the sections below go into the parts that affect the class itself.

Summer in armor and kendo gear

July and August bring daytime highs around 91–95 °F (33–35 °C) with heavy humidity. Inside a kendo helmet and padded torso guard, or under a full suit of samurai armor, that heat builds fast. Kendo Experience, from ~$101, dresses you in kendo uniform and bogu, and the armor at Kyoto Samurai Walk, from ~$104, is heavy before the weather adds anything. Even the kimono and hakama at the other classes count as extra layers. Book a morning session where you can and pack a small towel; the Kembu Theater class hands out a tenugui towel to keep. What to wear to a samurai class covers the thin layers that go underneath, and samurai experiences with kids has more on children in armor in the heat.

July also brings the Gion Matsuri, one of Japan's best-known festivals, which packs the center with visitors around its float processions. Streets close along the routes on parade days, so allow extra time to reach a class near Sanjo or Kawaramachi.

The rainy season and wet days

From about early June to mid-July, the rainy season brings low skies and frequent showers. For most classes it makes no difference, since the lesson happens under a roof. A few listings do change with the weather.

• GOATtrip's film shoot. The fight is usually filmed in the grounds of Myokaku-ji, and in bad weather it moves inside the dojo;
• Kyoto Samurai Walk. The march in armor to the Kamo riverbank is outdoors, so ask the operator what happens to the photos on a wet day;
• Kendo Experience. The outdoor part with wooden sticks switches to foam swords when it rains.

For a wet evening, the Samurai Kembu Theater show, from ~$32, runs about an hour indoors near Sanjo, and reviewers like it as a stop after a day of sightseeing. Its drawback is that you watch far more than you do. The hands-on part is a try-out of about 15 minutes with a sword, and the room is small and often full.

Peak weeks for blossom and leaves

Cherry blossom season, from late March to early April, and the autumn leaves of mid to late November are Kyoto's two great crowd peaks. Golden Week, a run of Japanese holidays from late April to early May, piles domestic travelers on top. In those weeks several listings carry a "Likely to sell out" flag, and the small classes fill first. GOATtrip takes six people at most per session and Yushinkan nine, so a family of four can claim most of a slot. Book a few weeks ahead for these dates, and choose a morning session if you want the afternoon for the gardens.

Early May has a bonus for sword fans, since a large kendo gathering fills the Butokuden near Heian Shrine each spring. Our guide to kendo, iaido or a sword class explains what you would see there.

The quieter months

Late May and October sit between the peaks, with mild weather and easier bookings, and early December brings cool days once the leaves have gone. January and February are cold, with highs of about 48–54 °F (9–12 °C), but the city is at its calmest. Old wooden buildings hold the chill, and you spend much of a class barefoot or in tabi socks on tatami, so bring warm socks for before and after. Each January the archery event at Sanjusangendo adds a samurai sight to a winter trip, and samurai Kyoto, places to see maps the rest.

Morning or afternoon

On GetYourGuide, Waraku's class lists a morning session from 10 am to 12 pm and afternoon sessions from 1 to 3 pm and 3 to 5 pm. The gate opens 15 minutes before each one, and you need that time to change. Viator shows start times only after you pick a date, so open the calendar for your day before you plan around a slot. Other classes publish their times the same way.

A morning class leaves the afternoon free for temples and misses the worst of the summer heat. An afternoon suits an arrival day, or a day trip from Tokyo or Osaka, which Kyoto or Tokyo for a samurai class plans out. Allow extra travel for Kendo Experience in Shugakuin, about 15 minutes' walk from its station in north-east Kyoto.

How far ahead to book

In the blossom and leaf weeks, and around Golden Week, book a few weeks ahead. At other times a few days is often enough, though weekends fill faster and the classes with six or nine places can go before the larger ones. Almost every class allows free cancellation up to a day ahead, with nothing to pay until later, so an early booking costs little. The exception is Waraku's Sword & Zen class, from ~$114, on GetYourGuide, which wants seven days' notice and payment upfront. On Viator the same class keeps the 24-hour terms, so book it there if your plans may change.

On the day itself, be on time. GOATtrip may turn away late arrivals, and dojo etiquette for first-timers covers the rest of the manners. For the full price picture, including taxis to the classes outside the center, see what a samurai experience costs.