What other travelers are saying about Myoryuji Temple (Ninja Temple)
The 'Ninja Temple' is an absolute must-see when visiting Kanazawa. It is necessary to reserve tickets in advance, but our hotel arranged this for us, so it was easy to get a tour, even on a weekend. The tour itself is only in Japanese, but the guides do speak some English and will give you a written guidebook that gives you a very good idea of what you are viewing. The tour is absolutely fascinating and full of history and lore. It's worth every yen of the entrance fee. No photos are allowed inside the temple, so it's hard to convey the quality of this tour but take my word that it is the best place we visited while we were in Kawazawa. Worth making a special effort to see.
You need to make reservations by calling personally from the hotel or by ringing the person in the souvenir shop on the temple grounds. In both cases you’ll be asked questions about your nationality, mode of transportation, etc. The most money we paid in Kanazawa as entrance fee ¥1200 per person. Very cold inside. Guide speaks Japanese, but all foreigners are given a laminated A4 booklet with all the information and photos for you to relate description to the things around. Very cool place! Try to imagine it in the 17th century with no artificial lights.
Temple with a lot of hidden tricks up its sleeve. As this was used as a watch out tower, there are lots of traps and hidden spaces throughout the building. A guide will walk you through everything. Even though the guide will only speak Japanese during the tour, a folder with photos and English guidance will be provided which has all the information you need. 1200 Yen per person.
Advance reservation by phone is recommended but with a bit of luck you can reserve at the temple for one of the following groups.
Must do experience in Kanazawa.
Main reasons for docking stars is that the tours require reservations (which isn’t made clear anywhere) and that it’s kind of expensive. However, it seems to be decently easy to secure an unclaimed slot as a walk in. The temple is pretty cool, but it would have been cooler to explore unguided.
Crazy procedure, but worth a try! You have to ring an intercom next to the shop for charms and answer a couple of questions. After that you get advice when the next tour starts.
Get off your shoes and wait to be seated, after you paid the entrance fee. 😉
No English guidance, but a book with English explanations and numbers to follow the tour. The guide announces the English numbers during the tour, so you can follow.
Tour takes 40 minutes and you’ll see all the details about the hidden traps, Harakiri room and secret doors of the temple.
You’re not allowed to take any photos inside.
