Eri Hirose, a senior director at the Japan National Tourism Organization, takes us on a virtual tour of fascinating places for Star Wars fans to visit before or after Star Wars Celebration Japan.
If you’re planning to attend Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025, you’re already in for one of the biggest celebratory Star Wars events in any galaxy next April. But there are plenty of other ways to connect with the Force beyond the convention floor in Japan. You can visit the castle from The Hidden Fortress, one of the Akira Kurosawa films that inspired Star Wars, or take a walk in the footsteps of real-life samurai who served as the template for the Jedi Order.
If you’re ready to play galactic tourist, we recently spoke with Eri Hirose, a senior director from the Japan National Tourism Organization, to collect some ideas to add to your Celebration itinerary.
Akira Kurosawa Film Locations
With a career that spanned over 50 years and 30 movies, Akira Kurosawa is often considered to be one of the most influential filmmakers in history. His films have gone on to inspire other filmmakers, including George Lucas who took inspiration for a galaxy far, far away from Kurosawa’s 1958 film The Hidden Fortress, among others. One of the clearest ties between The Hidden Fortress and Star Wars: A New Hope is that both movies feature two main characters helping a princess who is leading a rebellion. But Kurosawa's visual style, including the framing and quality of his images, also inspired Lucas’ filmmaking. Several locations that helped define Kurosawa’s work can be visited in Japan today, including Akizuki Castle in Fukuoka Prefecture, which was a key setting for The Hidden Fortress.
If mountaintop castles aren’t enough, you can also visit Izu in Shizuoka Prefecture where battle scenes were shot for Seven Samurai. Notably Lucas’ favorite Kurosawa film, one of the most direct homages to the Seven Samurai story can be found in the second season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars in an episode called “Bounty Hunters.” Or you can take a stroll through Nagamachi Samurai District to see what it might feel like to be in a Kurosawa movie yourself.
Hiking in Yakushima
It’s not quite Endor, but you’ll feel like you’re about to see an Ewok around the corner on the island of Yakushima. Located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Yakushima is home to ancient cedar forests, waterfalls, and other wilderness features that could be a perfect place for a Return of the Jedi-style celebration. Named a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 1993, you’ll find forest trails suitable for walkers and hikers of all levels on the island — including some guided hikes available in English.
If you’re up for a 10 hour hike one way, you’ll find the Jomun-sugi, a cedar tree that rivals even Yoda in age at a suspected 2,000 years old, at the end of the Arakawa Trail.
Samurai and Bushidō – Jedi Inspiration
There are a number of cultural influences to be found throughout Star Wars, including that of traditional Japanese warriors known as samurai. Samurai were a warrior class in Japan that existed for hundreds of years that were known for their swordsmanship and code of conduct that would later become known as Bushidō. Sound familiar? The Jedi were influenced by different elements of real-world samurai, from their lightsabers to the Jedi Code itself. To learn more about samurai culture and its influence on the Jedi Order, the Bushidō Samurai Experience at Shiroishi Castle in Miyagi Prefecture will give you the chance to dress in full samurai armor. Or take a visit to Hayashizaki Iai Shrine in Yamagata Prefecture for your own spin on Jedi training — a hands-on experience with a lesson in Iaido, “the art of drawing sword.”
The Birthplace of Ninja
Real life ninjas were another class warrior during Japan’s feudal time period that were often trained in martial arts and have become known world-wide for being masters of stealth. For any Star Wars: The Clone Wars fans, you might already be thinking of Krismo Sodi and the Kage Warriors who were first introduced in the season four episode “Bounty.” The Kage Warriors bear a striking resemblance to ninja, especially in their mastery of unarmed combat, electro swords, and stealth.
If you’re ready to immerse yourself in the origin of ninja and perhaps even embrace your inner Kage Warrior, Iga City should be on your list of stops during Celebration. Iga City, considered one of the birthplaces for ninja, is home to the Ninja Museum of Igaryu. You’ll be able to learn about ninja, view exhibits with equipment on display, and even see performers demonstrating techniques and tools that ninja used.
These are just a few locations and activities in Japan that can further connect you to the Force during your visit, before or after Celebration. Have fun and may the Force be with you.
Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 will be held April 18-20, 2025, at the Makuhari Messe in the Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo, Japan.
