Nagoya Castle in Japan Opens Its Own Ninja School

At Nagoya Castle in central Japan, tourists and visitors of all ages will now have the opportunity to become ninjas. The Japan Times reports that Nagoya Castle opened a free ninja school last month to teach visitors all about the history, weapons, and strategies of ninjas, as well as basic fighting skills.

On weekends through September 25, guests who purchase entry to the castle will be able to enroll in the hour-long program and receive certification as an official "ninja apprentice." The program, designed to promote tourism to the area, is run by a group of seven skilled acrobats, selected from an applicant pool in the hundreds.

The Nagoya Castle ninjas dress up in traditional garb and provide demonstrations on how to use kusarigama (a Japanese sickle), shikomizue (a concealed sword disguised as a cane), and shuriken (throwing stars). The Castle hopes to train at least 10,000 new ninja apprentices (and bring 10,000 tourists to the area in the process) while the school is open, so if you think you have what it takes to become a ninja, it’s time to plan your trip to Nagoya Castle.

[h/t Japan Times]

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