The secretive world of Ninja assassins is being promoted in a bid to grow tourism in parts of Japan.
A collaboration between tourist agencies and local governments plan to set up a body, tentatively named the Japan Ninja Council, in order to woo more overseas tourists to the country.
A steering group has been established by local government officials in the towns of Iga in Mie Prefecture, Koka in Shiga Prefecture, Ueda in Nagano Prefecture, Odawara in Kanagawa Prefecture, and Saga Prefecture – areas previously associated with Ninja agents who conducted espionage activities during Japan’s feudal times.
One of the areas, Koka in Shiga Prefecture, has its own Ninjutsu Village which houses a ninja-themed museum and a ninja training centre where visitors can take courses in one of nine combative ‘shadow arts.’
Last month officials at Koka city’s tourism bureau donned their black Ninja outfits to promote ‘National Ninja Day’ in Japan.
The nationwide Ninja Council plans to hold a press conference next week to announce more details and has called for a coordinated marketing strategy to promote ‘Ninja tourism’ ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“The council will bind together as one the public relations activities related to Ninja that each local government is executing,” an official said.
“We anticipate that foreigners seeking access to more ninja-related information will visit Japan.”
