Worth visiting! Don't let the website or guidebooks deter you: you can show up the day if and ask at the shrine shop for a reservation and hopefully join the next tour! Tours are in Japanese, but an English guidebook with pictures explains everything in sufficient detail. No photos allowed inside, but you'll remember what you saw. Not wheelchair accessible.

Great experience. Tour with guide through old Buddhist temple plenty of secret entrances, deceptive defensive, etc -all in Japanese language but easy to follow with booklet containing description and pictures. Booked in advance recommended by phone or intercom located on the left-hand side of the temple. You might have to wait if you arrive directly at the temple without the booking. Pictures, shoes, and food/drinks inside strictly forbidden

40 min tour of the temple. Although the tour is conducted in Japanese but you’ll get an English folder which explains each station. Temple is not built for ninjas but designed to trick spies and enemies. You will need a reservation (not an issue getting one) from the charms/souvenir shop on the left of the temple.

今はコロナの為、拝観休止中です。勝手に入ると出てこれなくなるのでツアーのみでしか中に入れないからくり満載の忍者寺です。 This temple is also called as Ninja temple even though no Ninja was here. This temple was built in 1643, and this temple's Buddhist priest was the counselor for the feudal lord. The temple was designed as a hideout in case of attack, or escape. This temple looks like a 2 floor house, but actually it has 4 floors inside. There are 23 rooms and 29 stairs, but many of them are hidden. You can also see trick doors and escape routes. That is why this temple is called Ninja temple. You can only see inside of the temple by tour only because you get lost if you go inside by yourself. Currently the temple is closed due to COVID, please check their web page. (The photos were taken before COVID.)

I had read some good reviews about this place and gave it a chance. Recommend to book in advance, as they only offer guided tours in Japanese (I believe there’s some English translation book) for which you need to get yourself a spot depending on the schedule. We were very lucky that arrived just before a tour commenced and they had spots available. That’s the reason why it costs 1200 yen (which is high for a temple in Japan) but I found the tour quite fun and interesting. This was a temple used back in the feudal era in Japan and was built with some strategical passages and stairs to confuse enemies. The tour takes 40 minutes in total but it goes quite fast.

Definitely worth the visit to this very unique temple with its secret rooms and hidden staircases. We found it easy to to get a tour reservation - just head to the intercom speaker next to the small shop and push the button to ask to be added to the next tour. While the tour is in Japanese, they provide a booklet that explains each of the stops along the tour in English. It costs ¥1,000 per person with payment in cash at the start of the tour. No shoes or photography allowed while inside.

I personally love hidden passages, so this was a dream come true for me! There is a written English guide book, but I have a feeling it doesn't go into as much detail as the tour guide goes into in Japanese. But it was still very cool to see. The tour starts promptly when they say it does, and they won't allow you in if you're late! So make sure you're on time.

Just by looking from the outside, it is a normal and ordinary temple. However, there are various devices inside, and I could understand why it is called Ninjadera. The architectural style, the design of the interior, etc. are very profound. Currently, you need to make a reservation by phone to enter. The admission fee is 1,200yen.

I read through reviews before coming so: Our hotel staff helped us secure reservations first off. And it definitely seemed necessary, as there were lots of people. I never encountered any rude staff. Our guide was very friendly and tried to use some English here and there although it wasn't necessary for our group. The booklet they give is pretty much on for translation. Others mention the guides have some humor/are fun, and you do miss out on this if you don't know any Japanese at all but it isn't necessary and your understanding and enjoyment of the tour won't be any less overall. That said, this place is a well-oiled machine churning out the tourist groups. But as you make your way through the temple, it makes sense. The temple is quite small and it almost seems timed the way the groups will pass by each other perfectly as to not create a feeling of congestion or overcrowdedness. This is some high quality crowd control at its finest. As for the temple itself, it's really neat. There's nothing else quite like it. I think it's worth the cost to see at least once.

Awesome tour and English guide book! Excellent tour well worth seeing, make sure you call in advance and book. English guide book where you can easily follow along. Very interesting information and easy to follow and understand with the demonstrations and English guide book. Friendly and helpful staff. Lockers outside for valuables. No photos inside or during the tour. Leave large bags in the baggage room. Will definitely bring visitors here, very fun!

Very interesting temple sometimes visited by the feudal lord. Not really related to ninjas but has traps and secret rooms. Unfortunately, no photography allowed inside. Tour reservation is necessary.

We took taxi to get here, after a tiring walking around the higashi chaya district. This temple is kind of an interesting place to see

Worth a visit - entry is about 1000 yen, we were allowed to join the next tour with no reservation but I believe it is dependent on spot availability. We were the last group for the day so perhaps this is why there were spots still. The tours are in Japanese, but an English guidebook with pictures explains everything in enough detail to put one and two together. Note, if you can speak Japanese and you are going with someone that can't, it is advised that you are not allowed to translate on their behalf as this is very disruptive to the tourguide's explanations. No photos allowed inside. Not wheelchair accessible. You will be required to walk down and up some narrow staircases.

Really disappointing experience. Went with friends (we are all foreigners who live in Japan) and from the get go, they made it very difficult for us. They wouldn't allow us to reserve until a specific date when others had been able to reserve earlier, and the whole time, they made us feel like a hindrance, especially when we all have a reasonable level of Japanese. I think Kanazawa has many other more enjoyable places to offer, and although it's a cool temple, the experience was a big let down.

This place is unique, but it's hidden and need reservation to enter the building. These kinds of shrine actually a lot in Japan. Not so special for me. The place is clean and have toilet inside. So far, 4 out of 5 stars.

They have a tour for 1000 yen. Best to book in advance during the busy season. Really awesome to learn about their techniques to trap potential enemies and spies Easily accessible on Stop #10 of Right Loop Bus

Very interesting temple and it was cool to see all the various traps and escape routes. We asked our hostel to phone up and reserve a place for us the day before. Downside was the fact that the English guidebook wasn't that detailed at all, and with just one or two sentences on each item, it definitely wasn't as comprehensive as the Japanese guide's lengthy speeches. Although you could get the gist of each point of interest, I wouldn't have thought it'd be that much effort to provide a better transcription. This would make the experience much better for all the non-Japanese speakers, who made up a significant part of the audience when I visited.

No translation at all except an English booklet was handed out. I am very impressed that they are making an effort to preserve the language. Well done. No photos are allowed. That's wonderful and showing respect.

The Ninja temple turned out unexpectedly to be my family's second favourite place of our trip. Although it is a temple, the visit focused on the intricate and ingenious design. Not to be missed. I would have given the architect a standing ovation! We didn't have a reservation and just walked in. Guide spoke in Japanese and we just followed along with the guidebook which was good enough. To get here, we took a local bus and just showed the driver our Kanazawa shuttle bus ticket because it is covered within the zone.

Very interesting and interesting designed Buddhist temple. We had heard of the secret floors etc to make temples more resistant to attack so good to see in person. About the tour itself, it takes about 40 minutes. You need to reserve in advance and it costs 1200yen per person. There are only Japanese guides but they provide a booklet with English descriptions that you can read at each stop. The tour guide we had was quite cold/a bit rude to my ears, not on par with the service we'd received in other places. Overall worthwhile to go if you have the time just don't expect a friendly guide.

Ninja Temple, well not really a ninja temple. Just a place that a lord built to keep himself safe from attacks. It's called Ninja Temple because of all the contraptions used to keep the temple safe from attackers. Can get the tickets on that day by reaching the intercom near the temple as you are NOT allowed in without a guide. The tour is conducted strictly in Japanese with a English guidebook used as a reference so have to use your common sense to know what part your tour guide is talking about. Otherwise it is a nice place with interesting ways for a lord to keep himself safe. Will only attend again with others who haven't visited the temple. Overall liked it but wasn't very outstanding.

An intricate building that has some very interesting secrets and history - most of which I don't know because the tour is only in Japanese and the English guidebook available is an extremely abridged summary. 1200 Yen per person is rather steep for the lack of options for non-Japanese visitors and lack of ability to take pictures if you are so inclined but if you find the architecture itself interesting enough it's worth a visit. You need to reserve beforehand though. Bring some warm socks when it's cold since you won't be allowed with shoes inside.

Strongly recommend visiting even if you only understand English! Please don’t be put off by earlier reviews saying it was difficult, the guide made it very clear which page of the booklet we should turn to to read a translation of what they were saying at each stop - often guiding myself and the other English speakers where to stand so that there would be enough light to read what was on the page. If you’re in the area and haven’t reserved a spot it’s worth showing up anyway, I didn’t have a ticket and just paid at the entry - on the tour within a few minutes! Had a great time and really happy I went :)

Definitely the most interesting temple I have ever seen! Went there completely blind, only knowing it was 'famous enough' and that you needed to reserve it in advance, but I hadn't (...) Went there on a Saturday afternoon, and the ladies let us go inside basically right away after "speaking with a voice"... Once inside, you sit for a moment and the ladies come and give you a booklet with English explanation. Than you join other people and go for a tour of the temple. The booklet you have are basically the subtitles of what the lady is explaining at every station!📖🛕

Worth a visit if you have time, but I will say service was not up to Japanese standards (they were a bit rude) We got lucky without having a reservation and was able to join one of the groups going in, but I would definitely recommend making a reservation beforehand. They also don’t have an English speaking tour, but do have a binder with information and the guide will direct you to a certain page.

Extremely funny experience. Expected tour to explain about the history and culture of Buddhist worship but got a demonstration of the "tricks" of the building like hidden stairs. Tour is only in Japanese, non-Japanese speakers get a booklet explaining each trick while being herded through a sequence of rooms. Nothing deeper than surface level but we had a good life at the absurdity of it all.

Great place and super interesting. I’ve been reading a lot of comments from foreigners saying how “unaccommodating” the temple is. If they were unaccommodating to you, you either didn’t understand what they were trying to tell you, didn’t try to understand what they were telling you or you were an idiot to them. Myself and my other 2 Caucasian friends (obviously foreigners) went and we didn’t have a reservation, but they were able to add us to a tour that had just started. They explained, in somewhat broken English, that the tour was all in Japanese (because it’s in Japan, so I’m not sure what people expect), and they just didn’t allow translations during the tour because it was disruptive to have multiple people talking. However, they give foreigners a binder that explains everything that the tour guide is going over, room by room. We didn’t feel that we missed out on a single thing, and we felt as welcome as anyone else. Don’t listen to any negative reviews about how unwelcoming they are. I recommend it to anyone visiting Kanazawa.

Let me say the house is nice, but Price is to high, 1200 per person too much... The guide is only in Japanese language and they give to you a book in your language but is write just a small part..no foto inside

Amazing experience! It is one of a kind building for sure and anyone even remotely interested in japanese military topics should give it a try. Prior registration via phone in Japanese is a must though! The tour itself is in Japanese but they give a leaflet in English to follow the tour. Also a bit expensive, but understandably so, it is a special place that needs support to be maintained.

Myouryuji Temple, also known as the 'ninja' temple, is a fascinating place to visit in Kanazawa. While it's not actually a temple used by ninjas, it does have a lot of traps and nifty hidden tricks that make it an exciting and unique experience. If you plan to visit, it's important to note that you must book a tour prior to coming to the temple. You cannot buy tickets right off the bat. Unfortunately, we didn't know this and arrived at 9am, but we were able to book a tour for 11am afterwards.

Need a paid tour to enter, a little pricey but worth it. Actually if you attempted to navigate the place without a guide there’s a high chance you’d get lost, trapped in a pitfall or locked in a room. Really fascinating place with secret passages and stories. The tour group is a little too big though at around 15 people, they should reduce this to 10 people max to allow for a more relaxed viewing. They should also consider an audio guide for non Japanese speakers, the English guidebook they provided was a little difficult to read in the dim lighting. The historical kimonos from the clan looked like they could use with some restoration work and a good wash. Overall, I felt enriched and enlightened after 50 minutes. Wish there was a little more flexibility with the no photography rule.

Great tour and experience at Myouryuji! The tours are conducted in Japanese but there are a bunch of pamphlets and booklets in other languages to help tourists. It was about a 45-50 minute tour. Next time, I’d come earlier to get some of the Shiba Inu shaped ema and omamori (prayer charms).

it's all trap doors and secret staircases super cool! tours only done in Japanese but they give you a pamphlet to follow along with that explains everything. just read it and enjoy the experience, don't hate on them using their own language

Fascinating history here. The English language guide provided is enough to get a lot out of visiting. The building is genuinely amazing.

We barged in with out reservation but the team was able to accommodate us. The walk through is in Japanese but they hand over English catalog with pic and text that you can read. Worth it especially if you have young kids

My favorite thing on our trip to Kanazawa. Currently you can only book up to three days in advance. The staff spoke limited English but was able to reserve us smoothly over the phone. The tour was in Japanese but they handed out a binder of well organized information organized by the route available in half a dozen languages. Such fascinating hidden features in this very complicated temple. There are some rules you need to follow because the tours ran at a fast pace so no translations during the tour etc but we didn’t ever feel discriminated as foreigners like some other reviews suggested.

Loved this temple. It is like being in a Manga with Ninja traps. Beware that the tour is only in Japanese. Leave your bags, shoes and hats at the entrance

Great experience! As close as you can get in real life to the cartoonish Western idea of ninja :) (even though really there were samurai in there) Visits are every hour, may need to book. It's in Japanese but you are given an English booklet with the things the guide will say, so it's easy to follow. Recommended!

A really nice temple! Not easy to find but the view along the way is nice. YOU HAVE TO RESERVE AHEAD OF YOUR VISIT. Thats trully the only bad thing there is. Apart to that, it's a really great experience and really educational. In my opinion, it's more fit to adults and less for little kids. Enjoy!

Supeeeeerncool! At the begining I got to the place without knowing I needed a reservation! And apparently the only way to get one is though phone and the people speak mostly Japanese so it was a challenge to make the reservation although I speak a little bit of Japanese, but all the secrets behind this building are really magic. The tour is Japanese only, but they borrow you English, Spanish, Italian, etc, printed version for you to keep up

Very bad attitute to foreigners. It starts with phone reception. Once the staff realizes you are a foreigner, you get looked down upon. No talking is allowed in languages other than Japanese. No translation is allowed. The staff gives you printed translation of the excursion text which you are supposed to read in the dark. If a foreigner exclaims anything like "Cool!", the staff says "Hush you!". If a Japanese exclaims, the staff says "That's right!". If you go out to the restroom which is outside in a separate building, you cannot go back in. The floors are ice cold in winter, and you cannot wear anything but your socks. The price keeps going up but the service keeps getting more arrogant.

Definitely a fun & interesting tour if you’re in Kanazawa. The tour is spoken in Japanese, but if you’re an English speaker, they will hand you a booklet that has everything the guide will say translated into English, stop by stop with pictures, so you don’t miss anything. Reservations are required; I recommend asking the front desk at your hotel to call them for you. We easily got a reservation for the next day on a holiday weekend. No photos are allowed inside.