27,500 yen. Samurai experience in Yoneyama, Yamagata, the birthplace of IAIDO.

I usually live in Singapore. The temperature difference from Yamagata, Japan’s snow country, is more than 25 degrees Celsius.

In the “Murayama IAIDO Experience,” participants learn the kata (forms) that have been passed down from generation to generation for the past 450 years.

One person can apply for that experience.

I attended alone and paid for two people.

I don’t have any friends! A friend who is willing to go to Yamagata on a weekday to experience IAIDO with me.

Iaido’s sacred place is Japan’s first shrine Hayashizaki, IAI Shrine.

The sign says “Children’s Amusement Park” in Japanese. But I have no idea which one is the children’s amusement park! Even for free, with snow.

Charges

Iai Battoujutsu Samurai Experience (Plan to learn “Hatsutou” of the Muso Shinden style and observe a test sword cutting)

12,000 yen/person (tax not included)

Minimum 2 people (1 person can experience for 24,000 yen)

2 hours course

◆Fees include:

　Iai instruction by a master instructor, rental of a dohitoe, dressing fee, mock sword rental, tatami-zutsu fee for test cutting, and venue rental fee.

Not included in the price:

　Personal expenses, transportation to and from the venue, etc.

Additional options:

　Tatamizutsu (Tatami-matsuri) – 3,500 yen per tatamizutsu (I added this to the fee)

In my case, I visit for interviews and confirmation to draw cartoons.

Many Japanese manga artists do not do much research and investigation and portray it incorrectly.” A dojo sensei here told me that in “Rurouni Kenshin” the iaido movements are incorrectly portrayed in several places. Including the basic depiction of the left hand and right hand being reversed. I thought that was fatal, but it is also possible that the manga artist did a left-right reversal after drawing and left it as it was. It is also possible that the cartoonist flipped the left and right sides after drawing and left them as they were. Or maybe he forgot to do something else.

Sensei said that he is trying to provide correct information to the public, and he kindly agreed to cooperate with me, saying that if I ever put iaido drawings in a manga in the future, please contact me and I will check it out. Thank you very much.

The photographer of the following picture is a former police officer. He is not a dan in iaido (at the time of the interview). He is now involved in community development in the government. He said that the students tend to be Japanese for commuting to school and a high percentage of foreigners for the experience.