1-Hour Japanese Archery Experience in Kyoto

This was an amazing experience! The sensei was an incredible & encouraging teacher with 65 years of experience. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone interested in archery or who wants to try something unique.

This is an authentic experience. The master and his assistant are generous, friendly and patient, and although I was terrible and only hit the target once, I would highly recommend it.

We loved the experience as a family ... the master or sensei ( in Japanese) is 80 years old and super good ... he is a high grade teacher and obviously loved his job ... we had his student translating for us and we loved every minute of the practise ..... will strongly recommend this experience

It's not only about shooting an arrow, but the whole posture, stance and mindset. Yamaguchi-sensei is very patient, and both he and his assistant Aina-san (?) explained things well. I would like to build up more arm strength and attend another class(es).

This experience was a bit underwhelming. Having a bit of experience in western archery, I was really looking forward to this experience as I was always interested in kyudo and I'm quite fascinated by the japanese style bow. Unfortunately this experience only left me wanting. The duration is way too short, it could use at least an extra hour. Each participant only got to shoot 4 arrows. The form and techinque were only briefly explained and on each shoot the instructor guides your hands and doesn't let you try on your own. This feels a bit pedantic and I don't think it's a good way for someone to truly enjoy this experience. After all where's the satisfaction and the sense of achievement? Unfortunately not here. Another thing that doesn't work in this experience's favour is the lack of a translator with good English skills. While the translator's English is serviceable, it's not at the level required to convey the instructor's guidance, which is a shame because he is a true kyudo master.

I do Western/target archery so was very excited to try this experience. I found it to be similar yet different in a fascinating way. We were taught by a master who has been practicing for much longer than I've been alive. There were 4 of us and we each shot 5 arrows, which I thought was a good amount, as shooting a bunch of arrows with no input is worthless, so the small class size was important so that we all got some coaching from the master for each shot. I found myself improving with each arrow. We also got given some resources and the chance to read a translated kyudo manual which were very interesting. I am now looking into kyudo in my area so that I can continue practicing.

My partner is very excited to learn both the essence and the technique. It really was a very complete workshop where the teacher taught us first with a demonstration and then 3 attempts. It is not simple and requires calm to internalize the teachings to improve. I wish I could have such an experience again, as we really enjoyed it. Thank you so much!

Great experience getting to to learn about and try kyūdō! Kyōshi and his students we’re so helpful and kind!

We were very excited about this experience but felt it fell a little short. There were four people during that session that day and we only each got to shoot four times. While the instructors were patient and kind and informative, I’m not sure if we would recommend this. Unless you’re a true cultural enthusiast it might be one to skip.

The experience feels so genuine in a city full of tourist activities. Yamaguchi sensei is spirited yet down to earth, Wei and the rest of the team are so welcoming you can't help but feel excited. We were even invited to a Kyudo Tourment and it was wildly awesome.