photo by Dominic Alves
Ninjas, their enigmatic presence still fascinates people all over the world. Some might get interested in them and have started wanting to know more about them after watching ninja movies or animes such as The Last Samurai, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series or NARUTO. The thing is, the Japan Ninja Council was established in October 2015, and February 22nd has been appointed as National Ninja Day*. Ninjas are attracting more hot attentions from overseas as one of the coolest icons of Japanese culture. This column will introduce the places where you can enjoy genuine ninja experiences. If you are a foreign visitor who is enthusiastic to have actual experiences of ninja culture, not just books or video pictures, this column is for you. In such places, maybe you can have a chance to learn genuine ninjutsu.
*Number 2 in Japanese is pronounced “ni” which is similar sound to “nin”. On February 22, three “2”s are in a row, and pronounced “nin nin nin”.
The basics about ninjas
photo by go.biwako
A ninja is a person who are trained to use special skills called ninjutsu. They kept themselves out of sight and engaged in missions to infiltrate an enemy county, spy on them, or even to demolish, ambush or assassinate. The most important role of them was to communicate an enemy counties’ situation to their lord, which is just like an intelligence agent’s role in modern days. It is commonly said that ninjas from Iga and Koga dominantly played the role in the age of provincial wars. However, most of them found virtue in living and dying anonymous, only little details of their secret lives have been revealed. There is no detailed records about ninjas. People created embroidered images of ninja in stories or stage plays based on vocally transmitted ninja tales, and those modified images of ninja have spread around the world and commonly shared in people’s mind in these days. Ninjutsu is sometimes taken for a type of martial arts in some foreign countries. This is not entirely off the mark as ninjas in fact had to endure the toughest trainings to sharpen the senses. They endured their fate to die anonymous to fulfill missions and dedicated all their lives to complete important jobs in the end. Such a lifestyle of ninja represents the way of life many Japanese people admire.
Ninja Museum of Igaryu in Mie
Located in the ninja sanctuary Iga, you can enjoy all ninja activities in this museum. Once through the entrance, you will be led by a kunoichi, female ninja, around a ninja house equipped with a flipping door, secret path, disguised door and other traps. In the Ninja Experience Hall, more than 400 ninja tools including shurikens are exhibited. You can also watch how ninjas infiltrated a castle on the video screen in the Mini Theater. At the Ninja Tradition Hall, you can learn about ninjutsu, that are useful in modern times, such as code languages, Kuji-kiri, physiognomy. The tour is highlighted by a ninjutsu show performed by a special ninja group “Ashura”. By using genuine ninja tools, this partially comical action-packed show attracts huge cheers and applause every time. You can also enjoy a shuriken experience. You will know that you actually have to shoot a shuriken instead of throwing it. After having rapidly increasing number of foreign guests, they are currently improving services such as free Wi-Fi point and staff fluent in English or Chinese.
Also, there is a special ninja tour held by Igaueno Tourism Association. The tour offers a new style of tourism which is extremely popular to foreign tourists. You will disguise in a ninja costume and complete missions written on a secret document.
Ninja Museum of Igaryu
Address: 117-13-1 Ueno Marunouchi, Iga-shi, Mie-ken
Opening hours: 9:00～17:00
Fees: Adult JPY756, Child JPY432, Ninja show JPY300/person
Kogaryu Ninjutsu Yashiki in Shiga
Koga is another ninja sanctuary always paired with Iga. Built in the Edo era, this house is the only genuine ninja house remaining in Japan, dwelled by former Mochizuki Izumonokami, the leader of 53 Kogaryu ninja families. It looks merely an old fashioned private residence, but inside is full of familiar traps such as a flipping door, shinobi-mado, and pitfall. The most exciting thing here is, you can actually touch or even try these traps yourself, not just observing. Climbing the secret ladders that genuine ninjas might have used or solving riddles make you feel like you turned a real ninja sneaking in someone’s place.
Also, there is another ninja attraction in Koga area, Koka Ninja Village where you can be trained as a ninja. The best activity here is the ninja dojo which you can experience nine types of ninja trainings. When you complete all the trainings, you will be issued with a certificate of graduation. Also, people gather here once every year to compete their ninja skills in the All Japan Ninja Championship.
Kogaryu Ninjutsu Yashiki
Address: 2331 Konancho Ryuboshi, Koka, Shiga Prefecture
Opening hours: 9:00～17:00
Fees: Adult JPY650, Child JPY350
Museum of Togakushi Folklore, Togakure Ninpo Museum, Ninja House in Nagano
Togakure Ninpo is one of existing schools of ninjutsu known to those in the know. More than 100,000 people are learning Togakure Ninpo at its dojo all over the world, and it seems that they have more western pupils than Japanese ones. At this complex facility, you can learn about Togakure Ninpo and local history of Togakushi. Approximately 500 ninja tools including shuriken and makibishi are of course very popular exhibitions here, but what attracts foreign tourists most is a ninja house. As soon as you take your shoes off and step inside, you will hit a dead end. Only person who manage to find a secret door can enter the next room. Guests are required to go through series of rooms that are full of such complicated tricks and traps to get outside, and quite a few people actually get stuck inside of the house every time. Strangers often gather their ideas to work out the way out, and if you still cannot manage to get out of the house, monitoring staff will come to rescue you. The layout of this house is strictly kept secret as no photo shoot is allowed inside. It is worth giving it a try yourself and challenging one of the hardest ninja house.
Families can also dress in ninja costumes and enjoy an obstacle course or the ninja slalom at the Kids’ Ninja Village.
Museum of Togakushi Folklore, Togakure Ninpo Museum, Ninja House
Address: 3688-12 Togakusi Nagano, Nagano Prefecture
Opening hours: 9:00～17:00 (April to November only)
Fees: Adult JPY600, Child JPY400
NINJA DOJO and STORE in Kyoto
An action-packed ninja show, 3D maze “the Ninja Fort”, full of traps Ninja Mystery House, when it comes to a ninja spot in Kyoto, TOEI Kyoto Studio Park might be the first thing pops up in your mind. However, this NINJA DOJO and STORE, newly opened in 2015, is attracting more attentions from foreign tourists visiting Kyoto. You can learn how to use shuriken or a blow gun in the stylish dojo, where ninja spirits are transmitted to the modern world. After learning the profound meaning of Kuji-kiri and having a lecture about hidden traps in the dojo such as secret paths and hidden arms, the main event of the day, shopping time comes up next. Many kinds of shurikens, ninja sword, kunai, makibishi, other arms and tools, ninja clothing and many more items can be purchased from the store. Also you can quench your thirst with ninja beer or Ninger ale. This place is located in the heart of Kyoto city, 90% of its visitors are foreign tourists and their website and Facebook is English only. No need to understand Japanese to experience ninja culture here as you can have a ninja lesson in English upon request.
NINJA DOJO and STORE
Address: 2F, 528 Hakurakuten-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
Opening hours: 10:00～18:00
Admission fees: Free entry
Quick ninja experience in metropolitan area #1, NINJA AKASAKA
If you are too busy to go outside of Tokyo, this place is for you. As its name represents, NINJA AKASAKA is an entertainment restaurant operated under the concept of ninja culture. Once you get inside, a female ninja kunoichi will lead you through shugyo-do, the hall way. You will go through some traps such as a hidden door before arriving a private dining room. Original dishes with full of ninja features, ninjutsu performance by advanced ninjas, a little surprise at exit, this restaurant guarantees 100% exciting and fun time from the beginning to the end. Vegetarian dishes and pork-less dishes are also available. All restaurant staff in ninja costumes are fluent in English and there is English menu lists are available too. This place is constantly busy with foreign people who come to enjoy dinner in the ninja house.
NINJA ASAKAKA
Address: 2-14-3, Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-5157-3936 (inquiry), 050-5570-6974 (Booking)
Trading hours: Mon to Sat 17:00～25:00, Sun & public holiday 17:00～23:00
Quick ninja experience in metropolitan area #2, Ninja capsule Shinobi
One down side of the popular restaurant NINJA AKASAKA mentioned in previous chapter is that the pricing is rather high in this place, as it targets foreign business persons who intend to have a business lunch or dinner with their guests. If you are on limited budget, maybe you want to think about a capsule hotel to save an accommodation fee. This capsule hotel newly opened in Yokohama is designed in the motif of ninja. Floors covered with tatami mats, the interiors with motifs of shuriken and kunoichi, 12 specially designed guest rooms (capsules) are ready to welcome tourists in the Shinobi world. All the guest rooms are cooped up, of course, as they are capsule size, but budget pricing and the special ninja features are attracting high popularity here.
Business Inn New City Ninja Capsule
Address: 53 Fukutomicho Nishidori Nakaku Yokohama
Tel: 045-231-3726
In the end of our quest,
On National Ninja Day 2016, many of ninja-relates events were held at more than 100 places. Represented by “Odaiba NINJA TOWN” project, Ninja world is in the midst of a boom. When you visit places introduced in this column, you will know that ninjas are not just an imaginary creation, but genuine people existed in our history who were deeply involved in some historical moments without being seen. Let’s visit a hidden ninja spot and learn true ninja spirits that is something Japanese people also should revise.
