Statues like this were scattered all over town.
The whole city was all about ninjas. Ninja-themed shops, restaurants, and parks were all over the place. Our first stop was to a costume store, where they rented us ninja costumes that we could actually wear around town. There were costumes of all colors and sizes, but we decided to go with typical black, even though real ninjas probably wore navy or dark brown (as those colors blend better at night).
That's the thing about ninja-themed anything nowadays. It isn't authentic at all; the mystique surrounding ninjas is probably even more fantastic in Japan than in America. But in the case of ninjas, they are so popular that it doesn't matter that their current iteration is far removed from their origins. Besides, it's fun to go parading about in duds like these.
If you can tell which one I am, then I have failed as a ninja.
We first went to a "ninja mansion," a recreation of a house where ninja lived. On our way there, we found (not unexpectedly) that three pasty foreigners dressed head to toe as ninja were quite a popular sight, and people everywhere asked to take our pictures, from kids...
to adults...
Even other foreigners wanted in on the action.
The actual mansion, the ninja yashiki, was really cool. The tour guide showed us how certain panels on the wall were actually revolving doors that lead to secret passages between walls, how something that looked like a shelf could turn into a set of stairs at the touch of a button, how a small wooden door on the wall could be opened only by swiping two separate locks simultaneously with pieces of paper, and even how to open secret floorboards where weapons were stashed.
After that we went to a short performance, where actors would demonstrate the use of various weapons used by ninjas. Here is a cutting demonstration. Having done this myself in the past, I can tell that the guy actually isn't that bad. A bit showy, but this is a show, after all.
He also demonstrated how kama were used by ninja. This was new to me, as I had thought that kama were used by Okinawans only in their development of karate. But again, authenticity of origin is less important than awesomeness of technique, and this was pretty cool.
After the exhibition we were taken to a shuriken-throwing range, where we all got to practice throwing at targets. Given my level of hand-eye coordination and my arm strength, I was surprised to actually hit the target, even if it was only one time.
There was a museum attached to the ninja mansion and the demonstration stands, where various ninja artifacts were on display. Here's a bunch of actual shurikens that were created during the Warring States Period of Japan, (during the 14th and 15th centuries).
There were also several exhibits showing how ninja were able to do some of the legendary things they have been purported to do, like disappearing in flashes of smoke, or walking on water, etc. They showed how ninjas would create the flash powder and use it to quickly escape, or how they developed shoes that allowed them to stay on top of boggy, muddy moats.
No castle is safe from me!
By this point, we needed sustenance, so we grabbed a bite to eat nearby. It was funny, looking at our gaggle of ninjas sitting down and eating tonkatsu (essentially chicken-fried pork). But that's the charm of a ninja town. Even the cooks had shirts with a shuriken design on them.
After lunch we went to a small....game center (for lack of a better description). It was essentially a place for kids to practice their ninja skills as they relate to the Five Paths of Ninja. I knew I needed a power-up, so I took off my hood and went with a Solid Snake headband.
I don't know how infinite ammo is gonna help here, but still!
We did stuff like shuriken throwing (again), demon slicing (they taped a Wii remote to a wooden sword and had a ninja video game to play), and message interception (climbing onto a "roof" and clandestinely acquiring a message scroll by fishing it off the floor with a weighted hook and string). I thought I did a pretty decent job, but I didn't get the rank of Legendary Ninja like I was shooting for. I did get Senior Ninja, though, and I've got the certificate to prove it.
See? It says it right there. Level 225 Senior Ninja.
After that it was time to start heading home. Ahh, the last day trip of my stay in Japan. From here on out, I'll try to finish up miscellaneous things that I have been putting off, like the neighborhood castle.
You are the ninja on the right. I would recognize that hand anywhere. (So was this just your TMNT fantasy come true or what?) :)
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