A local government in Japan is on the lookout for full-time ninjas to promote tourism.
Aichi prefecture in central Japan is hiring ninjas, famed martial-arts masters and secret assassins of ancient times, on annual contracts with a monthly salary of 180,000 yen ($1,580) plus a bonus.
Candidates should ‘enjoy being under the spotlight even though he or she is a secretive ninja’, according to the job advertisement.
The tourism ninjas will perform acrobatics, use ninja ‘shuriken’ weapons and pose for photographs with tourists, Satoshi Adachi, of Aichi’s tourism promotion unit told the AFP.
"Our ninjas also have to be good at talking to promote tourism, although ninjas are basically required to be secretive," he said.
They should ‘be able to do backward handsprings and some dance moves’, Adachi said.
The prefecture is accepting applications until next week and is open to both Japanese and foreign nationals.
There has been a revival in ninja arts recently as a means to promote tourism with the formation of a nationwide ‘ninja council.’
