interested in kendo !!!?

I'm actually a kendoka and I have been for 2 years now. Maybe I can add to your first answer.

Is it fun? Depends on the person. Kendo is difficult mentally and physically, so if you like challenges, you'll definitely find it enjoyable. I definitely agree that you should watch a class first or try a free demo if it's available. Also, I do want to add this: if you do decide to do Kendo, realize that it's more than likely you'll go for a month or two without even hitting anything if you go to 2 or 3 practices a week. Basically, the longer you do Kendo, the more fun it becomes (until you get to bogu, which makes Kendo way harder which takes some adjustment).

What will I do? Besides stretching and warm-ups, n the first few weeks of the beginner's class, you'll do footwork (ashi-sabaki) drills across the floor with some suburi (empty cuts) slowly added to the mix. Eventually, you'll learn the attack step (fumikomi-ashi). You'll then be asked to use these cuts WITH fumikomi. Once you're ready, you'll start hitting targets (either shinai targets or bogu targets).

The advanced class is a little different. It typically starts with drills like Kirikaeshi, followed by uchikomi (practice hitting targets), followed by various forms of keiko (forms of sparring).

During both practices expect the instructor and advanced students to help you work out kinks.

How many levels are there? If by levels you mean ranks, Kendo uses the Japanese system, though there is no outward showing of it (no belts). This is where I disagree with the first answerer: there are actually 8 dan ranks now. 9-10 were deemed obsolete. There are also kyu ranks (below shodan, 1st blackbelt), but only 1 kyu is tested at the federation level. Ranks don't mean as much in Kendo as in, say, Karate, but it's just a tiny part of it.. If you do Kendo for ranks you wont last long.

To complete all ranks it takes years? Yes. The youngest to get the highest ranks (8 dan) is the mid 40's. This test is the hardest in Japan with a less than 1% pass rate per year. The average time just to get shodan (1st degree blackbelt) is around 2-4 years. If you go to a legitimate Kendo dojo you'll quickly find it's not a belt (or I guess rank) factory like McDojos are.

Well I’m not a kendoka so take my specific answers as a grain of salt and throw them away when you actually get a kendoka to answer for you.

1. Is kendo fun? Actually this is really more about you than kendo. Will you enjoy kendo? I don’t really know. What you can do to find out is to visit the dojo. Most dojo offer a free demo class for the student to try out before signing up. So go try it out and see if you have fun.

2. Now I’m out of my depth. I don’t know what kendo classes do since I haven’t been part of a formal class, but I’d imagine it’s similar to all the other martial arts. Warm up/light workout, technique drills, then possibly sparring before finishing the class.

3. How many levels… Anything lower than dan(black belt levels) I’m not sure how many levels there are. For the dan levels there are 9 levels(lowest 1st dan to highest 9th dan).

4. How long to clear all levels… Oh dear. Let me start by saying most people that train all their lives never even reach 8th dan. To reach 9th dan you would have to be the greatest swordsman of history. So most likely you’ll never really finish learning kendo. To put dan levels into perspective a judoka gold medal Olympian are only about 4th dan.

If your unable to find out you could (like I did) Post an add on craigslist to find one near you like a teacher maybe who doesnt have a studio but does know the kendo ways