Japanese Sword Experience

Hello, travelers. This is Kumi. Picturesque Japan Blog welcomes you to Japanese sword experience.

These cool ladies are taking a private Japanese sword lesson.

First of all, the sword master explained us a lot about the swords and the armor's suits. Cool? Scary? Looks expensive? LOL


He teaches them how to grab and handle the swords.


Now, it's practice time.


They are all very serious!!


You should relax and let the sword cut the target.


Wow!!! She did it!!! She did it!!!!


At the end of the class, he showed us some demonstration. He moved so quickly, we couldn't really see the sword!


We really had a good time with this friendly teacher. :)


After the sword experience, we visited the Imperial Palace East Gardens.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3018.html
(*Usually closed on Mondays and Fridays)


This is the foundation of the former Edo castle tower.


By the way, do you know what "Edo" is? It's a former name of Tokyo. And "Tokyo" means "East Kyo (Kyoto)."

The garden is pretty and very peaceful. The scenery reminds me of Central Park in NYC.


A little creek.


As it was raining in the morning, the reflection makes a special atmosphere.


Bamboo tress.


The stone walls are really gigantic!


We came out from Otemon Gate.

Hmm... Isn't this pretty?


We walked to Tokyo station. It's about 10-min walk from Otemon gate to Tokyo station.


Tada! This is the station!


It's super tiny! (I'm joking) :P
To know more about Tokyo Station, please check out this page.

Thank you for the wonderful opportunity, ladies! It was really exciting to see you trying Japanese swordsmanship.

P.S.
I found this photo of me doing 居合い (IAI-DO) when I was at college.



*Please feel free to comment below with other experiences or information! Also, if you find any errors in content or grammar, please let me know.
Location: 日本、東京都

Popular posts from this blog

Winter Holidays in Tokyo

Image
Hello, travelers! This is Kumi. Welcome to the Picturesque Japan Blog, where we’ll share insights about the Year-End and New Year in Tokyo. For the Japanese, welcoming the New Year is a special occasion. Many public facilities close from December 29 or 30 through January 3 or 4, and many shops are closed on January 1. Temples and shrines become extremely crowded, and a popular tradition is to catch the first sunrise of the year. Here’s some information about popular spots during the 2024/2025 festive season. --- Popular Sites --- Hamarikyu Gardens : closed Dec 29 - Jan 1 Imperial Palace East Gardens : closed Dec 27 -Jan 3 Tokyo National Museum : closed Dec 23 to Jan 1 Tokyo Tower : Sunrise special tickets are required from 6am to 8:30am on Jan 1 Regular entry is 9am - 11pm every day * No countdown event . The lights will be off at 11pm on New Year's Eve and will turn on at 4am. Tokyo Sky Tree : open 9am - 10pm from Dec 28 to 31 open 8am - 10pm on Jan 1 to 3 *Happy New Year lights w...
Read more

Seeing Mt. Fuji from Tokyo

Image
Hi Travelers, this is Kumi. 2-23 (February 23) could sound /fu-ji-san/ in Japanese, so this is the Mount Fuji Day as well as the Emperor's Birthday! (*This photo was taken from the airplane from Tokyo/Haneda to Hiroshima.) Let me tell you where you can see Mt. Fuji from Tokyo. This is the article from my Kindle book "Tokyo Photo Locations." In this book, a traveler/photographer, Cat, asks questions to a guide/photographer, Kumi. C: Cat - traveler/photographer K: Kumi - guide/photographer * * * * * * * * * C: So how does Mt. Fuji look from Tokyo? K: This is from the Tokyo Tower. K: And this is from the Tokyo Skytree . C: Is it possible to check the views before going up? K: Currently, they don't have live cam services but I check the live view from the Government Building . If you see Mt. Fuji in this video, you can usually see it from other towers or buildings, too. http://www.taiki.kankyo.metro.tokyo.jp/taikikankyo/fuji/index.html...
Read more

Shochu-mimai & Zansho-mimai (summer greetings)

Image
Do you send summer greetings in your country? Though not all Japanese people do this, we have a culture to send summer greeting cards. Until the end of July, it's called " Shochu-mimai " (the meaning is something like "I care you during these hot days") and from August 1, it's called " Zansho-mimai " (the meaning is something like "I care you while the heat is still remaining"). I don't like summer, but these summer cards have been making me very happy. :)
Read more