As mentioned, I didn't make this. It's actually armor from Kurosawa's movie Kagemusha. The suits of armor are now used for the reenactment of one of the battles of Kawanakajima from the mid 1500s during the Sengoku (warring states) period.

I was a member of Takeda Shingen's army, Kaze Troop, Unit 1, with 12 friends (11 foreigners, 1 Japanese girl, all English teachers except her). We fought Uesugi Kenshin's army.

The armor was not that heavy at all and it was actually really cool to wear. I loved seeing the pieces of the outfit up close and inspecting how it was made. I realize its probably not authentic since it's movie armor, but it was still really neat. The hakama were very fun to wear. The swords are wooden but foiled so they look real. Very convincing and I really wanted to take it home. It wasn't uncomfortable at all (aside from the heat from the weather and the too-small waraji).

We actually got to charge the other team and take swings at them (well, they fought us too). It could be dangerous, but most people were careful and just doing it for fun. I actually got hit twice in the face; the first one split my gums and bled but wasn't that bad. I was more worried about my teeth! The second was higher and I think my forehead protector was hit.

For information on the reenactment, here's the page for Isawaonsen, Yamanashi Prefecture: http://www.isawa-kankou.org

For information on the battles of Kawanakajima, here's the wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kawanakajima