WOW Writer Elina becomes a Real Samurai in Asakusa, Tokyo!

Have you ever dreamed of becoming a real samurai?Well then, here is your chance!Visit Waza in Asakusa and wear real Samurai armor (weighing about 15 to 20 kilos) and take lots of pictures to show your friends.You can visit by yourself, as a couple or as a group.Staff members fluent in English (some also fluent in Chinese or French) will welcome you and teach you all about samurai armor history and dress you into a real warrior.

Visiting Waza in Asakusa, Tokyo

samurai_asakusa I became a real samurai the other day; I would never have imagined myself dressing up as a samurai. Let me tell you- this samurai armor activity that I experienced at Waza in Asakusa, was far from what I had imagined. I have lived in Japan almost all my life, and yet there was so much I did not know about samurai armor, and so much that I found interesting and fun about this experience. Here’s my story.

I imagined a very educational, serious and traditional samurai armor experience. As I walked toward Waza from Asakusa Station, a few minutes after I crossed the Komagata bridge, I found a beautiful Japanese modern-looking store front. The lanterns on both sides read of the store “Be Samurai” and I immediately thought, what a foreigner-friendly atmosphere. It’s rare that English is used on Japanese lantern- it’s almost always kanji. Staff members immediately found me waiting outside and warmly asked me to come in. I was expecting solemn, elderly men to greet me, but instead was greeted by young, cheerful and friendly staff. “Please come in,” they said with a big smile.

As I opened the sliding doors, I was immediately surrounded by samurai armor. Literally, three sides of the room, I was surrounded by a total of 11 samurai armor bodies. It was my first time to see samurai armor not behind glass and locked up for display. It was so up close that I could touch the armor and look at the finer details, so the sight was captivating. Within my experience, I had some time to talk with the owners of the store. They gave me a lot of interesting facts about the amour. “The samurai armor here was not actually used in battle during the era of the samurai, (thank goodness, that would be scary). If this was something that was used in battle it would cost about 20 to 30 mil yen” explained Waza’s store owner, Mr. Koji Isohata. “But they are as real as can be, using metal and strings to create samurai armor just like the ones used in the past. It’s not plastic or anything fake, it’s totally real, so an armor weighs about 15 to 20 kilograms. The Kabuto hat weighs about 3 to 5 kilograms. One samurai armor costs about 0.5 mil to 1 mil yen to create.” samurai_asakusa Mr. Isohata passionately teaching us about samurai armorWaza in Asakusa opened in July 2018 and is a store that offers a hands-on, real samurai experience. “When we say samurai, Westerners tend to imagine samurais from the movie, “Last Samurai” or “Ruroni Kenshin.” Our goal is to provide tourists with a high quality Japanese cultural experience and we believe this service will lead to a better understanding of samurais. When you try it on you’ll see that it’s not easy to swing a sword or run when you wear real samurai armor from head to toe. We will also teach you about samurai armor history and answer any questions to the best of our knowledge,” explained Mr. Isohata. He also added, “All of our staff members are fluent in English, and some even speak French or Chinese. There are no communication barriers.” Explained Mr. Isohata.

My First Samurai Armor Experience!

samurai_asakusa The store gives you the opportunity to pick an armor, so I chose the red samurai armor outfit, which I was told was the most popular choice. “If you were wearing red, enemies were unable to notice that you were bleeding, making you less vulnerable,” explained Mr. Isohata. He went on, “Blue samurai armor is also a good choice because blue was called the “winning color” and it’s also why the Japanese national soccer team uniform is a “Samurai Blue.” Every color has a different meaning.” Going into the dressing rooms and trying on the armor, I must add that the robes were folded carefully and smelled like fresh laundry, and the whole facility is very clean. I thought I might have to wear sweaty, smelly samurai armor but it was nothing like that. Everything was fresh, clean and maintained well.

To start dressing, I took my shoes off and walked on Tatami mats with Japanese shamisen music in the background, and put my stuff in a locker. First I had to undress and wear the tattsuke or simple white robe, and on top of that a tattsuke hakama or Japanese style robe that comes with baggy pants. As I was picking my tattsuke hakama, the professional dresser advised, “Dragons signify power, and dragon flies signify good fortune because they can only fly forward. Mount Fuji is a popular choice too. It’s nice if you can choose a color that has the same color as your samurai armor but just choose one that you simply like.” I picked a dragon with red patterns and she went on to dress me.

“We will dress you from left to right, so please put your arm in the robe from your left arm first. Everything flows from left to right. Samurais placed their swords on their left side and reached out with their right hand. When samurais slept, they kept their swords to their left” explained Mr. Isohara.

Wearing the Samurai Armor with WOW editor, Chihiro

samurai_asakusa Wearing Sune-ate (something like soccer shin guards)Wearing lots of layersWearing Arm ProtectorsHaidate protectors on and almost doneThe kabuto hats are tied closely to the mouth so that it doesn’t fall off easilyAll done, prepared for battleWhile I was getting dressed, I was lost in thought, thinking of what the samurais, preparing for battle, might have been thinking when they were getting dressed. It was a total of 30 minutes, but all you can do while you are getting dressed is, well, get dressed- no reading, no trying to multitask. You are forced to relax and focus on your thoughts. So this led me to imagine myself as samurai getting ready for battle. I think these peaceful 30 minutes might have helped samurais mentally prepare themselves for battle. It was strangely very relaxing.

So now that I was all dressed, it was time for pictures. You can ask staff members to take your picture while you try to swing your sword around or fight with your buddy. They will teach you cool samurai poses, and suggest funny ones too. Staff members will also take your pictures through the 360-degree cameras. They will take pictures using the 20 built-in cameras set in different parts of the wall. You can expect some pretty amazing shots! What’s even more amazing is, you can download all the pictures through their free Samurai Style app- like this! samurai_asakusa I’ll show you one of the favorite pictures that I downloaded.I think it makes me look like a pretty strong samurai (…it does, right?)Did you notice the white curtains in the background? They were made in image of jinmaku, or curtains tied to poles and stretched around military encampments to form a defensive barrier. Even the background takes you back to ancient Japan. They made sure to include every little detail, so you can get the full experience and become a samurai.

After you are done with the activity, the professional dressers undress you and if you feel like you need a shower, you are free to do so. You can borrow a towel for free too.

I can’t tell you the amount of relief I felt when the dressers took off the samurai armor. Starting from the kabuto hat, my head felt free and a bit dizzy. I could only imagine how relieving it was for samurais back then to come back home in one piece, get undressed, and feel light again after spending an entire day in the battlefield.

If you are looking for a cultural experience in Japan, Waza is one of the places I would strongly recommend. Not only do you get to wear real, clean, and well-maintained samurai armor, you also get to talk with highly capable and friendly professional dressers who will dress you and feed you interesting historical information in your preferred language! samurai_asakusa

Q&A about Waza’s Samurai Armor Activity

Q. What is the price of this activity?
A. It’s usually 9,800 yen but right now they are doing a campaign, and you can experience it for only 7,000 yen! *This campaign is subject to change or terminate without notice.

Q. Can anyone wear Samurai Armor?
A. Yes, they do not set specific limits. People of any gender or age are welcome. Originally, samurai armor was customized for the samurai who was going to be wearing it. The average samurai was about 150 cm tall. Their samurai armor was created based on the average height, so it may look big on shorter people. But they say they have never had any problems dressing people- they can adjust the samurai armor onto pretty much any body type.

Q. Is there anything we should be careful about when wearing Samurai Armor?
A. Make sure you go to the bathroom before they dress you, because you pretty much won’t be able to go until they undress you. Also, they ask not to do any somersaults or hang from somewhere (anything crazy) in the outfit because it will lead to damage. They will have to ask you to pay for damages if any part breaks or needs maintenance. Please understand that this samurai armor is real, and costs a lot to repair so show respect when you have it on you!

Q. Do I need to bring anything?
A. You don’t need to bring anything at all. They have everything you will need ready for you there. Q. How many people can we go with?
A. Maximum number of participants in one group at a time is 10. If you would like a bigger group there is a longer waiting time. The recommended number is about 4. You can reserve different time slots if you are with a big group.

Q. What time do the activities start?
A. Every day from 10AM, 1PM and 3PM. (Mr. Isohata asks customers to please come on time!)

Q: Can we make a reservation on the day?
A. Yes, if they have open slots.

Q. How long is the activity in total?
A. About 1.5 hours.

Tour Information

Have you ever worn authentic Japanese armor, that samurai were actually wearing, unlike those in films, manga, or games? If your answer is “No”, now is the time! At waza, you can put on a beautifully hand-crafted armor called “kacchu”.