EDO KAGURA Corporation

A moment of meaningful travel.
Samue leads you on a deep journey.

Kagurazaka, Where the Old and the New Intersect

Kagurazaka, located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, near the Edo Castle built by the Tokugawa Shogunate, is an area with over 400 years of history. It is a rare area in Japan that includes diverse elements such as samurai residences, temple towns, restaurant districts, and a variety of shops. It is characterized by a townscape that retains a strong nostalgic feeling of earlier days.

With narrow alleys, cobblestone streets, and traditional wooden buildings, one can get a feel for the history of Japan just by walking around. For example, ryotei restaurants, teahouses, and hideaway izakaya (Japanese-style pubs) surrounded by black walls convey the atmosphere of the Edo period to the present. In these places, you can experience traditional Japanese cuisine and the hospitality of geisha, and feel as if you have truly stepped back in time.

On the other hand, Kagurazaka is also a town that incorporates modern elements. The latest cafes, restaurants, and boutiques blend into the old streets, creating a unique atmosphere of harmony between the old and new. Especially in recent years, Kagurazaka has become a popular area for the younger generation and is crowded with tourists and locals on weekends.

A Walk Through History

One of Kagurazaka's must-see attractions is the stone-paved side streets. Dotted with long-established ryotei (Japanese-style restaurants) and wagashi (Japanese confectionery) stores, visitors can experience traditional Japanese culture firsthand just by strolling along the streets. One step off Kagurazaka Street, you will find quiet side streets where vehicles cannot pass, especially "Hyogo Yokocho" and "Kakurenbo Yokocho" where the scenery is as it was in the past. These places are also popular as filming locations for dramas and movies.

Kagurazaka once flourished as a "Hanamachi", where you can enjoy geisha dances and other arts in a tatami room, and remains one of Tokyo's six Hanamachi. At its peak, Kagurazaka was home to more than 150 restaurants and geisha houses, and more than 600 geisha and hokan (professional male entertainers) were active there. Today, there are still about 20 geisha in the area, and they continue to preserve the tradition through events such as "Kagurazaka Odori". (Kagurazaka Dance)

Activities of EDO KAGURA

In 2023, Kagurazaka-based EDO KAGURA Corporation began offering clothing rental and concierge services for foreign visitors through its service brand "NINJA KOTAN." In 2024, the company began offering traditional culture experience tours centering on Kagurazaka. They hope to provide foreign visitors with the enjoyment and pleasure of experiencing "authentic" traditional culture, while at the same time preserving Japan's precious cultural heritage. By combining experience tours with clothing rental and concierge services, they aim to create a society where everyone can travel freely and to make people happy.

“NINJA KOTAN" is the name of the service, combining the Ainu word for "village" and “ninja” meaning "ninja village." Given the background of EDO KAGURA representative Mr. Shinya Yamada, a graduate of Hokkaido University, the Ainu language was incorporated to symbolize diversity and environmental protection. In addition, the lightheartedness of "Ninja" fits perfectly with the image of "easy travel," and the name is also familiar and friendly to inbound customers.

Traditional crafts such as dyeing techniques and braided cord production, which have been practiced since the Edo period, are in danger of disappearing as the kimono market shrinks due to changes in modern lifestyles. Demand for ukiyoe prints and geisha-style entertainment has also been declining, and temple management is facing a difficult situation due to a decrease in the number of parishioners caused by an aging population. However, traditional crafts, appreciation of geisha arts, and cultural experiences such as Zen meditation are attracting a great deal of interest from foreign tourists, and EDO KAGURA is making great strides in passing on these traditions to the next generation by providing these traditional crafts and cultural experiences.

The World's First Service, NINJA KOTAN

The NINJA KOTAN service consists of three pillars: traditional cultural experience tours, clothing rental, and concierge services.

Mr. Yamada's survey revealed that 90% of overseas travelers are dissatisfied with the amount of luggage they need. To solve this problem, the company launched a clothing rental service. Travelers can order clothing on a dedicated website, pick it up at their destination, and return it directly before their return. This service reduces the inconvenience of travel by reducing the amount of carry-on baggage and also contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions by reducing the weight on airplanes.

The concierge service provides assistance in creating a pre-trip itinerary. The service provides a variety of assistance for the convenience of travelers, including researching means of transportation between sightseeing spots, departure and arrival times, prices, and also translating restaurant menus. This service was born from Mr. Yamada's own experiences as a travel enthusiast who has visited more than 40 countries. Based on his experience of having difficulty gathering tourist information on those countries, the company aims to provide more convenient information for travelers.

This is the first attempt in the world to provide these three services simultaneously, allowing travelers to enjoy the cultural experiences of visiting Japan while making the travel experiences more comfortable and economical.

The Reason for the Introduction of Samue

Many foreign travelers wish to experience Japanese culture and traditional crafts before or after their business trip to Japan, but business suits and overly casual clothing are not appropriate for such activities. In particular, clothing that seems too uptight and rigid may come off as undignified and is not appropriate for the Japanese atmosphere of a tatami room or zazen meditation. Therefore, appropriate clothing is required. Edo Kagura actively organizes hands-on production and zazen meditation tours at historic workshops and temples based in Shinjuku and has focused on providing “samue” for participants, which is comfortable to wear and easy to move in. This is how the connection with WASUIAN was born.　

The samue they offer is "Kasuri Tsumugi Samue." This is a standard samue of WASUAN, available in sizes SS to LL and in 17 different colors. EDO KAGURA has introduced " Dark Navy " and "Wine Red " in sizes S to LL, which are popular among many people. The company cares for those samue in-house.

When travelers wore samue during their zazen experience, they were impressed by the deep immersion of zazen and the comfort of samue. We have also received positive feedback from monks who were very pleased to see foreigners wearing samue for the first time.

Creating a World Where All People Can Travel with Ease

We asked Mr. Yamada, who aims to “leave nothing but happiness on the road” by “creating a society where everyone can travel freely and make people happy” as his company's purpose of existence, about his future goals.

“After COVID-19, the number of foreign visitors to Japan has recovered significantly. However, they are concentrated in Kyoto and other prominent tourist destinations, causing overtourism. We believe that as the number of repeat visitors to Japan increases, travelers' needs will shift from "sightseeing" to "experiencing traditional culture", and from the hustle and bustle of urban areas to relaxing trips to rural areas.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide "authentic" traditional cultural experiences and create a system that allows travelers to travel lightly to rural areas by renting clothing. To this end, we are also working with lodging businesses in Hokkaido and Tohoku. First, we plan to have people experience traditional culture in Tokyo, and then we will conduct activities to introduce traditional cultural and tourist attractions in the surrounding regions.

Travelers also seek a sense of "immersion" when they experience something. This can be achieved by wearing Japanese samue worn by artisans and Buddhist monks during traditional cultural experiences. We believe that the combined power of traditional Japanese culture and samue will be a new bright spot for tourism in Japan.”

Mr. Yamada's vision and efforts are paving the way for the future of Japan's tourism industry, and we are honored to be a part of it. We will continue to support Mr. Yamada's activities to the best of our ability.