Toei Uzumasa Eiga Mura (Toei Uzumasa Movieland)

10 Higashi-Hachigaokacho 

Uzumasa, Ukyo-ku, Northern Kyoto

075/864-7718   

Take the  Train: JR line to Uzumasa or Hanazono Station (8 min.) or Keifuku Line to Uzumasa (5 min.). Bus: 75 to Uzumasa Eigamuramichi

Open Daily 9am-5pm (9:30am-4pm Dec-February)  Closed Dec 21-January 1

Admission charged.

A studio park for one of Japan's three major film companies and where most of the samurai movies are made. This is not a theme park, but an actual, working studio with indoor and outdoor movie sets re-creating the mood, setting, and atmosphere of feudal and turn-of-the-20th-century Japan, with "villages" lined with samurai houses and old-time shops. Stagehands carry props, hammers and saws, and rework sets. You may even see a famous star walking around dressed in a samurai outfit , or come upon a scene being filmed.

There is a museum tracing the history of the film industry, a 20-minute Ninja show four times a day Monday through Friday, a special-effects show, a haunted house, a games arcade, and indoor rides and play areas for children. You can also have a photo taken of yourself in a kimono or samurai gear. Note: Back lots are open only on weekends when there is no filming, but children will prefer a weekday when there are Ninja shows and filming. Plan to spend a morning or afternoon as there is much to see and do.