The Japan Sports Agency is aiming for martial arts to become a greater tourism resource with the launch of new experiences and activities under its Budō Tourism programme.
Part of Japan Sport Tourism, which also promotes snow sports, outdoor pursuits like cycling and kayaking, and urban activities such as skateboarding and BWX biking, Budō Tourism aims to offer journeys into the heart of Japanese martial arts, budō, which translates to ‘martial way’.
Experiences are available across Japan, in martial arts as varied as judo, kendo, karate, sumo, aikido, kyudo (archery) and iaido (the art of swordsmanship). Some include tours in picturesque, cultural or historical places, and unique dining, to offer visitors “an increased sense of Japan”, according to Japan Sport Tourism.
The kendo experience, available in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Kyoto, Sapporo, Fukuoka and Okinawa, features an introduction to samurai, a traditional ceremony, striking instruction, practice and a match. One two-hour session is available for up to 200 pax, at 18,000 yen (US$120) per person and includes a professional guide/instructor, rental of kendo armour and other equipment and a towel.
In Okinawa, the birthplace of karate, the Okinawa Karate Kaikan offers a 30-minute tile-splitting experience twice daily, either in front of the facility’s historic dojo or inside. For 3,000 yen per person, a tour of the Okinawa Karate Museum is included.
Visitors who prefer to watch can choose from several options including the Iai Shrine Samurai Show in Yamagata Prefecture. Up to 40 pax can enjoy a demonstration of iaido for 50,000 yen per person.
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