Those hunting cabins are very susceptible to a Shinobi play. If they're outside TC range, you can easily start torching them down.

Once castle age comes in and Rus starts pumping out horse archers, as Japanese you shouldn't use your own ranged cavalry (Onna-Musha) because it's more expensive, costs gold, takes longer to produce, and does less damage and has less HP. Instead, go for Yumi archers, mounted samurai, and spearmen as your army composition.

You can't deny the Rus castle age because they don't need to gather outside their base, thanks to passive food from deer. Castle age is eventually coming.

Rus warrior monks are very expensive; killing one early can significantly delay the timing of relic income.