Location
Visiting a ninja village is a must while you are visiting Japan with kids. Learning about the ancient culture of ninjas and their ways makes the history of Japan come alive.
The Oshino Shinobi No Sato Ninja Village is found outside of Fujikawaguchiko, a town at the base of Mt. Fuji. If you are visiting Fujikawaguchiko, I highly recommend taking the time with your children to visit the Ninja Village. I also highly recommend visiting independently (without a tour) so that you can have the time that you want to take in the whole village and focus on the parts most important to your children.
From Fujikawaguchiko main station, you can take a public bus to stop number 121 Oshino Shinobi-no-Sato, and you will find yourself directly across the road from the village entrance. To return to town, just stay on the same side of the street as the village and take the bus going in the other direction. The signage at the bus stop will tell you the timetable of when the bus will arrive. We found the timetable to be accurate, however you can also check the location of the bus if you look it up on the internet. You can check this before entering the village, so you have an idea of when to head back as the bus only comes about once an hour. Once you know how long you have, it will improve your visit as you know how long you have can plan accordingly.
Tickets and Opening Hours
*prices below based off July 2024, prices subject to change
Entrance Fee (inclusive of the ninja show, village playground, gardens, and ninja trick house)
Adults – Y1800
Elementary aged Children – Y1300
Preschool (3 and up) – Y1000
Under 3 – Free
Additional costs for:
Costume rental (for adults and children)
Ninja training (children only)
Shuriken carnival game
Ninja stamp rally (for Japanese children only)
Opening Hours
Hours are dependent on seasonality. Most often the hours are 9 AM – 5 PM, but check the website to double check that the village is open when you want to visit and the hours have not been shortened.
Areas of Ninja Village
Gift Shop
Upon entering the village, the first building will be the gift shop where you pay your entrance fee. This is also where you will pay for the extras that you want during your time at the village. These extra paid options include renting a ninja costume for the duration of your time in the village, a special ninja training exclusively for children, and a ninja stamp game where you try to find stamps around the village for a special prize at the end. All of these options are available at the gift shop cashier.
The gift shop itself comprises of various ninja related items and the usual touristy Mt. Fuji souvenirs.
If you choose to get a costume rental, you can pick out your size and colors inside the gift shop and then go change in changing rooms next to the gift shop. There are also coin lockers you can use next to the changing rooms.
Note that the cashiers can help you in English and there is a brochure with a map of the village in English. However, the village itself is almost exclusively in Japanese including the show and training.
Ninja Show
The ninja show happens throughout the day in the room next to the gift shop. Upon paying your entrance fee, you will be given a ninja show ticket for a specific time, as there is a seating capacity for the show. This show gives a demonstration of the life of the ninja and should not be missed!
Ninja Training
The ninja training is in the same theater room as the ninja show. When you pay, you can sign your children up for the training. There is one every few hours interspersing with the ninja shows. The training states it is for children. My 12 year old son was able to do it, but not my 14 year old daughter. Parents can sit in the room while the children go through their training.
The training includes learning how to greet and then how to do different moves. The students practice together and one by one to train. The directions are in Japanese, but for non-Japanese speakers, there is some help in English, but mostly gestures are used for the children to follow along.
Ninja Garden/Playground
Once you walk out of the main building, you will see a garden beyond. This is the Japanese garden that houses the rest of the activities in the village. The gardens are a great spot for photos and to find stamps if your child is filling out the stamp card. There are carnival style stations games where you can throw real shuriken’s, but these will cost money. There is a station further into the gardens where you can learn about ninjas and throw some plastic ones for free.
The Ninja playground, which they aptly call the village ‘Ninja Initiation Course’, is designed for kids to try lots of different playground equipment that helps with their balance, speed, and agility. There is also a maze that can be used for kids and their parents!
Ninja Trick House
At the back of the gardens, there is a trick house that the whole family together can work on solving the puzzle of how to get from one room to another through the whole house. Learn where a ninja can hide and flee from their enemies inside the house!
Restaurant/Tea House
There is a restaurant and a tea house on the village property. However, during our time there, these were closed as group tours came through and ate in them. For food and drink, we were only able to find a vending machine at the back of the property next to the Trick House and some food inside the gift shop that was packaged as tourist gifts.
Our Experience
As international tourists coming into Oshino Ninja village, we did not speak any Japanese. But regardless of that, our experience at the village was extremely enlightening. One, my boys learned how to use ninja weapons and the way of the ninja despite their language barrier. They were able to play in the gardens and go through the trick house without Japanese. One of our unexpected highlights was finding out that the ground near the playground was covered in tiny frogs. The ground looked like it was moving because of the hundreds and hundreds of tiny frogs. This is probably seasonal, but it was extremely fun!
We spent about three hours total there, going through all the events that we could until it was past lunch and we were hungry. Since we knew when the next bus was coming thanks to the sign at the bus stop, we could plan ahead to when we should leave so that we were waiting out on the road for the bus when it arrived. We also were able to check on the status of the bus online and knew what time to go outside and see it coming.
Ninja Books to Prepare for Your Visit
Night of the Ninja by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #5)
Ninja! by Aree Chang
Wink – The Ninja Who Wanted to be Noticed by J.C. Phillipps
Ninja! Attack of the Clan by Aree Chang