Tokyo Traditional Japanese Archery Experience with a Master

Most visitors to Japan never get closer to its archery tradition than a photograph. Here, you pick up a bow yourself. A master of shihan-mato, a traditional Japanese archery style with its own bow, posture and history, teaches you in a private studio five minutes from Ebisu Station. You change into traditional archery dress, learn stance, grip and breathing, then shoot for real while the master corrects your form personally and moves the target back as your aim steadies. Once the basics settle, the mood shifts: you play a friendly target game against your group, your host, or the master himself. Very few guests beat him. Your English-speaking host interprets throughout, so nothing is lost. Shihan-mato is distinct from kyudo, the modern standardized form, but shares the same roots and the same emphasis on posture, breathing and etiquette. With a maximum of eight guests, everyone shoots many times and everyone gets corrected personally.