Ninjas! [Archive] - Kung Fu Magazine Forums

SoCo KungFu

06-03-2007, 03:16 PM

:rolleyes:

no

NO

and

NO

Holy crap! You win the ignorant mo-fo of the year award.

If I'm the ignorant mo-fo then you must get the douche of the year award.

Let me repost from my 3rd sentence, real slow since you have trouble comprehending. Ready...here it is...

When....I....lived...in....Japan....

So ummm...I guess I got that BS from...I dunno....Japanese people? Idiot.

You know, I think I got a tire iron or a crow bar or something in the shed you could kinda use to pry that foot out your mouth. But its still going to be pretty tough for you. Might need some help getting your head out your *** first.

Since it seems the intelligence level of some members of the forum isn't really up to par, let me say again that this is just gee wiz info. Its pretty well documented that there was a secret sect of society which existed in Japan and various exploits of its members.

The whole Shinobi translation conversation came up at dinner while a couple friends of mine were helping me with my Japanese language homework. You know since again...they were Japanese and all. We got on talking about martial arts, samurai and ninjas and all that stuff. He drew out the kanji for it and explained to me. I thought it was interesting because as an American, I've always thought...OH Ninjas...Coooooolll!

The shinto thing, I asked once in conversation on Japanese culture/religion about this. Anyone thats taken a course on Asian studies would know that religious practices throughout Asia are often a mixture of various faiths. Anyways when I brought Shinto up I got some rather unpleasant looks. I asked my friend Michon what I did wrong and his words were "Shinto...very bad." Later after dinner he explained to me the cult status it has sort of now holds in Japan. Actually "cult" was the exact word he used in describing it too. Though to be fair that's mostly mainland. In Okinawa they really don't care as the Ryukyus have there own faith backgrounds prior to the influx when Japan took over.

unkokusai

06-03-2007, 10:56 PM

If I'm the ignorant mo-fo then you must get the douche of the year award.

Let me repost from my 3rd sentence, real slow since you have trouble comprehending. Ready...here it is...

When....I....lived...in....Japan....

So ummm...I guess I got that BS from...I dunno....Japanese people?

You.....are.....an.....idiot.

You have wrongly extrapolated from a sample far too small and unrepresentative for the conclusions you have drawn.

For instance:

If an American were to tell a Japanese person that the word 'niggardly' was an insult to African Americans and 'proved' it by showing him where the epithet was contained in the word, would he be correct, or would that listener have been misinformed?

If that same visitor was told by some hard-core fundamentalist that evolution was a lie and that the Bible was to be read literally, would he be correct in assuming all or even a majority of Americans held that view? What if he were visiting some NY snobs and was told that Evangelical Christians are 'considered' evil nuts by 'Americans'? What subjective viewpoint would be the 'correct' one?

Keeping your ears open doesn't help if your brain is a block of wood.

Maybe you should go back again and try not being stupid this time. You might get more out of the trip.

sanjuro_ronin

06-04-2007, 12:15 PM

Ninjutsu is cool, you get to wear funky boots with the big toe separated, a mask, throw around some shuriken, play with swords and sticks, maybe even a blow gun and then drink sake.

WTF is wrong with that ?

SoCo KungFu

06-05-2007, 12:37 AM

You.....are.....an.....idiot.

You have wrongly extrapolated from a sample far too small and unrepresentative for the conclusions you have drawn.

For instance:

If an American were to tell a Japanese person that the word 'niggardly' was an insult to African Americans and 'proved' it by showing him where the epithet was contained in the word, would he be correct, or would that listener have been misinformed?

If that same visitor was told by some hard-core fundamentalist that evolution was a lie and that the Bible was to be read literally, would he be correct in assuming all or even a majority of Americans held that view? What if he were visiting some NY snobs and was told that Evangelical Christians are 'considered' evil nuts by 'Americans'? What subjective viewpoint would be the 'correct' one?

Keeping your ears open doesn't help if your brain is a block of wood.

Maybe you should go back again and try not being stupid this time. You might get more out of the trip.

Here you go again. I'm going to repeat this for the third time...gee wiz. Its like the stuff you find off the back of your box of lucky charms. But then you do come off as the type that would go argue with your waitress because your fortune cookie was wrong.

As for extrapolations. Its not a post about conclusions. Its a post about another viewpoint from a certain group of people that most don't consider to exist. By your own examples it is evident. How many Christians are in our country? And yet also how many are there who look down on such beliefs? What are those guys called again? Atheists that's right. Why is it such a stretch for your mind to take the fact that such a notion is possible for another country and culture?

You know Japan is a first world country. They do have modern technology and...oh my gosh! People smart enough to develop and use it :eek: Who are those guys? Oh yeah, scientists and engineers. **** and I thought only Americans had those.

You would be one so presumptuous to think that others could not be so far along on thought to even question their own society and wonder if it is truly the correct way. So not only are you an idiot, you're also arrogant. But I guess that's to be expected from someone with a screen name like yours....****stink? Yeah way to be juvenile.

Oh I'm well aware that stats show 80-85% of the Japanese populace practice either Buddhism or Shinto. I'm also well aware that its one of the national religions, or at least was. World War 2 did a number on it though. But again, that still doesn't change the fact that there are a lot of people which are questioning those beliefs and yes believe them to be at times extreme, archaic and in this case cultish.

There are a lot of reasons that could go into this aside from the Atheists...Most people identify themselves as Buddhist even if they practice Shinto traditions. Why? Look it up yourself I'm not Shinto, personally I think Buddhism at times can be a bit gloomy for my taste. And its about impossible to seperate the Buddhist from the Shinto in a persons life as it has become so interwoven in culture..most people do practice both. Also Buddhism despite being imported, is much more standardised in its structure. Shintoism doesn't (or at least historically didn't) have a defined doctrine. There isn't much known about its origins. Shinto practices weren't standised until the 19th century. And even now actual practices can still vary by location.

But you know what, even more the problem with that 85% statistic is that it doesn't take into account the human element. A lot of people there aren't any different than here. They aren't really religious but they say yeah, I'm a Buddhist or Shinto or whatever. But they'll tell you, they say it because its proper. As if its shameful to not believe. You know kinda like some people here. Just a lot of people don't open up about personal topics unless they really know you. Especially to foreigners. That's the problem with trying to be internet sociologists. There is only so much you can get from numbers and clicking that mouse key of yours isn't good enough. Sometimes the only way to really know people is to well...know them. But well, I'm not going to question everyone between Osaka and Tokyo just so you can get your suitable sample. A person can only base of their own experiences. Anything other than that and they are just taking someones word for it. In this case I suppose I'm doing both but at least I try to understand by going directly to the people and that means the people that I was close to; my professors, my friends, my fiancee and anybody I could drag off the street for a question. I'm starting to think that's more than you have bothered to do. You know all real discovery can only be varified in the field...

Now one last time. The original comments were just little fun bits of info. I'm not going to go any deeper into some debate about the validity of information the source there of or the practices of a country. I just don't care about you or your views enough to spell it out.

Now for the people denying ninjas existance. I don't know what to tell you about that...its pretty cut and dry. Some do some don't. Its just funny, most times I would bring it up, in a movie store or wherever. I usually get one of 2 reactions. They laugh and say ninjas aren't real. Or they laugh and say all Americans like ninja. Take it for what you want I don't care.

Ronin
I'm not arguing about the coolness of the ninja. I mean how bad @$$ do you have to be to have your own wardrobe, accessories and still be feared like none other? Those ninja booties beat all. What was that old movie when the ninja put a star between his toes and then round kicked it into some dudes neck? Only a ninja would come up with that.

I could try to explain the stuff as it was once described to me but I'm probably going to fudge it up. Every one pretty much knows or can at least search the direct translation of shinobi but like many direct translations it just doesn't really carry the full meaning. The way I understood it was like this;

There is a lot of different history on names in Japanese culture. You can look it all up rather easily so I'm not going to go into it, its way too much. But there are two that I'll touch on. One is that in ancient times the common people were considered to be property of the emperor and would sometimes be named according to status. Also there is the custom of taking a name for your given craft. This was something that was typical of performers, tea masters and the like. I do remember reading in an essay also that at times people were known simply by their craft itself. If a guy was a blacksmith...it wasn't uncommon for him to be known simply as blacksmith. Like I said though there is a lot of reading you could do on this and there are things which I have read that conflicts with what I was taught by my professor in Japan. So take what I say with that in mind.

The general idea I wanted to get at though was that people were known by what they did and how they contributed to their community. And its easy to see why that is important because with so much to be done, no one man could do it all. And yet for a village to survive, the tasks had to be done. And one could take some pride in what they contributed (this also went into an interesting discussion with my Professor on the origin of Yakuza and some of the recent laws passed in Japan...but that's another story).

Now with this in mind, you have some back fill on things I was thinking during the discussion in which a friend explained the whole ninja thing...or tried to anyways. The problem is that a ninja with all the circumstances of such a life, could not be known by these means. A ninja, could not be known period. It was said that it could be possible to live with a ninja in your village and you'd never have known. It basically living a second life. But yet that life depended on secrecy and thus no one could know the reality. There is no credit given for accomplishments (which happens to be another way a person could have been given a "name"). That is sort of what it meant by living in shadows. And why it was described to me as to not exist. You were living and breathing, but you weren't actually there. See I fudged it up. Its a cultural thing though I suppose...I still think Oh ninjas cool!

Anyways sorry to the other posters for hijacking the thread. I couldn't resist the ego jockey. I just thought the original post might have been interesting to some of you. It was never meant to be taken so seriously.

unkokusai

06-05-2007, 08:42 AM

sanjuro_ronin

06-05-2007, 08:55 AM

The only ninjutsu I ever came in contact with that made any sense was the kind taught in the Koryu's like the Shinkage-ryu and its off-shots and the TSKSR.

Great Equalizer

06-05-2007, 09:05 AM

everybody here's freakin retarted. why don't you guy's stop insulting eachother, stop trying to prove you're right, and actually go learn something about the art, OR just bang your head against a wall.......that's more productive. It's obvious both of you don't know much about this art.

unkokusai

06-05-2007, 10:15 AM

everybody here's freakin retarted. why don't you guy's stop insulting eachother.

LOL, was that supposed to be a joke?

SoCo KungFu

06-05-2007, 11:36 PM

What's funny is that you obviously Wikipedia-ed your little heart out to try and support the nonsense you posted before and essentially came up with nothing, only further enhancing your image as an ignorant slob unable to process the tiny bits of utterly subjective opinion someone may have spilled near you.

Wrong again, old class notes actually. Thanks for all the attention though with all the people here you could be trying to mess with...I guess its true when they say love your haters...they are your biggest fans. Hey let me know where I can send you an autograph...gotta keep my greatest fan happy :)

GE, Giuseppe do either of you know of a man...I think his name was Stephen Hayes or something like that. I could be wrong its been about 8 years. Anyways he had a book that used to be advertised in the KF and BlackBelt mags. I think I found it in the library. Said he learned Bujinkan from Hatsumi. Is the name familiar?

He claimed the origin of ninpo came from a chance meeting between a fujitive ronin and a chinese holy man. Is that the way either of you were instructed?

In the book it listed the 9 disciplines you presented. But when he got to the techs he broke it down differently. First I think he divided it into a description of unarmed...striking arts and throwing/grappling arts. Then armed striking arts and throwing/grappling. Is this what was referred to as taijutsu and jutaijutsu? Later he went into weapon skills but didnt go very deep. He spent more time on categorizing into the 4 earthly elements and the void. Any of this familiar with you?

Going back to the whole ronin/chinese mystic thing. If that is the way you also heard it, what exactly did come from the chinese side of it? It seems that a majority of the technical skills came from Japanese military (samurai) skills. Are there any links to chinese fighting skills or is it mostly just spiritual practices? And IF there is any chinese fighting theory involved, how does it manifest itself?

I did see one documentary once on Bujinken. Unfortunately it was on a Japanese news program and at the time I knew almost no Japanese. I did like some of the demonstrated defenses though. A lot of throws and locks that on appearance..wasn't anything really different that things I've seen done by jiujutsu guys but he (Hatsumi) added in a conceiled bladed to the apps. Like the one he made the guy go down neck onto the blade...ouch.

He's shacked up in a place called Noda or Nado or something like that right? I brought it up to my girl once, turned out she knows the area...grandparents lived there. Unfortunately she also said there was no way in hell that she was going to let us move out there :( She thinks I spend too much time doing martial arts as is....

wiz cool c

06-06-2007, 12:44 AM

Bujinkan sucks big time. I studied it for 9 years got my shodan in 96. I wish I had spent that time doing judo instead. First off they don't spar only do out dated partner fake fights. There is no kind of conditioning. So all Bujinkan members are out of shape. There are no solo form to practice. No competition you can enter.

So you can't fight with it. It doesn't get you in shape. It's not a art form. But it's cool to play ninja.

Also when you are training with a partner they start giving you correction. Makes you want to just start beating the guy and say **** all this kata bull****.

unkokusai

06-06-2007, 03:33 AM

Wrong again, old class notes actually. .

Really? Because before you said it was just something you heard over dinner and while talking with friends. Do you usually take notes in those situations, or were you lying?

unkokusai

06-06-2007, 03:48 AM

How many Christians are in our country? And yet also how many are there who look down on such beliefs? What are those guys called again? Atheists that's right. Why is it such a stretch for your mind to take the fact that such a notion is possible for another country and culture?

And atheists are a decided minority in the US, so overhearing the comments of one over dinner would hardly represent grounds for drawing broad conclusions about what 'Americans' think, would it? :rolleyes:

In any case:

The ways in which that example does not apply to this case are, I'm afraid, too complicated for someone like you to understand.

unkokusai

06-06-2007, 03:53 AM

You know Japan is a first world country. They do have modern technology and...oh my gosh! People smart enough to develop and use it :eek: Who are those guys? Oh yeah, scientists and engineers. **** and I thought only Americans had those.

You would be one so presumptuous to think that others could not be so far along on thought to even question their own society and wonder if it is truly the correct way.

This bit of utterly irrelevant nonsense is not helping your case, champ. :rolleyes:

unkokusai

06-06-2007, 04:09 AM

Oh I'm well aware that stats show 80-85% of the Japanese populace practice either Buddhism or Shinto. I'm also well aware that its one of the national religions, or at least was. World War 2 did a number on it though. But again, that still doesn't change the fact that there are a lot of people which are questioning those beliefs and yes believe them to be at times extreme, archaic and in this case cultish.

LOL! He not only provides evidence against his own case, but he then proceeds to reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of the issue itself. Well done.

There are a lot of reasons that could go into this aside from the Atheists...Most people identify themselves as Buddhist even if they practice Shinto traditions. Why? Look it up yourself I'm not Shinto, personally I think Buddhism at times can be a bit gloomy for my taste. And its about impossible to seperate the Buddhist from the Shinto in a persons life as it has become so interwoven in culture..most people do practice both. Also Buddhism despite being imported, is much more standardised in its structure. Shintoism doesn't (or at least historically didn't) have a defined doctrine. There isn't much known about its origins. Shinto practices weren't standised until the 19th century. And even now actual practices can still vary by location.

Wiki-interesting, professor...:rolleyes:

But you know what, even more the problem with that 85% statistic is that it doesn't take into account the human element. A lot of people there aren't any different than here. They aren't really religious but they say yeah, I'm a Buddhist or Shinto or whatever.

Now, in addition to misunderstanding the issue, he is just flat-out guess about things. LOL!

I'm not going to question everyone between Osaka and Tokyo just so you can get your suitable sample.

...admitting that his previous comments were unfounded...

A person can only base of their own experiences. Anything other than that and they are just taking someones word for it.

Oh? Is that how it works, professor? :rolleyes:

Now for the people denying ninjas existance. I don't know what to tell you about that...its pretty cut and dry. Some do some don't.

I'm sure you could find some people in the US who don't believe the Minutemen existed, but that means nothing. You fail again.

Great Equalizer

06-06-2007, 01:46 PM

wiz cool c

06-06-2007, 09:20 PM

I can prove I trained 9 years and got my shodan from Ny Budo under John Peir Seibel In 96. My first teacher was Brain Stein in Long Island. I have my rank from Japan right in my dressor here in Beijing where I live and train in Shuai Jiao under Liu Xue You at the Chao Yang Sport Center and Bagua under Zhang Shen Li.

So many Bujinkan people talk about randori. Do you mean that exercise when one guy throws a punch at you and you do whatever you want. Out of maybe 10 dojos I have been to only one sparred.Do you have any videos of your group doing randori.

If you still don't believe I am a shodan ion Bujinkan you can go to e-budo and ask around or I will find a way to copy my rank and post it here. This is a video of me sparring in Beijing Shuai Jiao

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCPuk-mfWXA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiefVcI2TbU

wiz cool c

06-06-2007, 09:29 PM

Great Equalizer

06-07-2007, 10:12 AM

O I see I should have got my 15th dan and then I really could kick some butt. The fact is a blue belt in Bjj would kick any 15th dan ass in bujinkan. I'm willing to put money on this.

Really if you have mats and training partners why not just work your techniques and then roll or do randori. Why would you waste your time doing all that nonsense.

okay look i never said i don't believe you're a shodan. i was saying it really shouldn't take 9 years to reach your level. you should've been WAY past that. that is something to be said about your sensei. secondly about the bjj guy......this is my take , all martial arts are the same.....meaning they are based on the same principle ie; don't get hit, and hit back inflicting the most about of damage, with the least amount of force. pretty much any martial art has this core. so given that all martial arts have this core (except maybe for a few odd balls) if they are excecuted CORRECTLY they will be effective self defense movements. therefore the Tae Kwon Do fighter, Shaolin monk, Muay Thai fighter, Ju jutsu fighter, and Ninja are all effective arts, the difference is on the fighter and how well he understands the anatomy of combat. also how well the information was passed down. i don't care if you're the greatest martial artist ever, if your teacher is......ME you'll lose in a fight every time:D. Itcomes down to you, how well do you know what's happening when you're in a fight. In conclusion don't make the mistake of thinking one art is more superior than another, if that's your thought then there's an art out there bertter than yours, it's the fighter. Can a bjj guy take out a Ninja....sure, can a Ninja take out a monk...sure and on, and on......

Fighting_Lad

09-02-2007, 05:47 PM

Lol at Kungfuninja - he's taken you all for a ride.

SimonM

09-02-2007, 06:49 PM

LOL at resurrecting a thread that's been dead for nearly 2 years.

Dragonzbane76

09-03-2007, 08:38 AM

I can't believe i read through that post. I feel dirty all over now and 10% more dumb. I just felt my IQ drop. Wow, just wow.

golden arhat

09-03-2007, 02:39 PM

Lol at Kungfuninja - he's taken you all for a ride.

this guy lives near me

i challenge him first
hahahahah at leeds united (should get him going)

anyways i challenge everyone anywhere ever ........ever

golden arhat

09-03-2007, 02:40 PM

Oh student Mega_Fist, you have learned well but the spiritual is still not complete within the "Zoul". More training required methinks. Chinese judo is rubbish, send the chins back to chinatown and I'll judo-kick them.

i challenge you to an interperetive dance off :cool:

golden arhat

09-03-2007, 02:45 PM

I can't believe i read through that post. I feel dirty all over now and 10% more dumb. I just felt my IQ drop. Wow, just wow.

u have realised the true power of tiger spiritual shaolin-ninjutsu-boxing-judokick fu

THE IQ DROP

quickly look away from the screen
like now

no
sertiously

NOW
stop reading all the time i'm saying NOW

see why did you look at that just NOW ?

i fear for your mind
stop seriously

RIGHT NOW

ok youve looked at it for too long i'm immune but by now i suspect u are brain dead

**** you mega-fist-foot-kungfuninja-johntakeshi-fightinglad

HOW MANY MORE MUST FALL LIKE THIS ?! BEFORE YOU END YOUR REIGN OF TERROR
**** YOU AND YOUR MASTERS DEGREE :mad:

NJM

09-03-2007, 02:57 PM

Also, i am currently studying ninja boxing wiv my mate john
You aren't even trying anymore, are you?

The tiger of the mind is the spiritual of the mind of the essence of the enlightenment of the tiger of the spiritual.

mkriii

01-14-2008, 02:34 PM

I took Budo Taijutsu lessons for about a year from someone who learned in the Genbukan system, It's a split off from the Bujenkan Dojo. The founder is one of Hatsumi's old friends until they had a parting of the ways.

mkriii

01-14-2008, 02:39 PM

There is a Genbukan Dojo about an hour away from where I live. It's in a very rural area (area called Burgin, Ky), nothing but horse farms and open country around it. It got to expensive driving an hour each way twice a week. Classes were fun though. It was taught in a real relaxed manner. Not real formal and only a small group of student (5 students in all).

GeneChing

04-23-2008, 09:09 AM

couldn't resist posting this for the title alone... :p

Michelle’s the Ninja granny! (http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/cardiff-news/2008/04/23/michelle-s-the-ninja-granny-91466-20804395/)
Apr 23 2008 by Gavin OConnor, South Wales Echo

GRANDMOTHER Michelle Murray’s NHS day job means she has a knack with a needle.

But the ninja nan is just as sharp with her bare hands and has a wicked spinning kick to match. That’s because the Cardiff-born phlebotomist has qualified as one of the UK’s best martial arts practitioners.

Michelle, 44, has spent seven years training her way up to the exalted position of Fifth Dan black belt in ninjitsu – making her number two in the UK.

The grandmother of two took up the discipline in 2001 after meeting her partner, Marc Moor, 51, a former bodyguard to a Greek shipping tycoon, and the couple are now the highest-ranked ninja pair in the UK and teach classes in Bridgend and the capital.

“I met Marc at a junior doctors’ party,” said Michelle, formerly of Ely, Cardiff.

“He invited me along to watch one of his classes and I was hooked.

“It was a bit scary at first because it’s very much male-dominated.

“But I developed a great sense of confidence and you gain a real calm through training.”

The couple have been running Budo Warrior School classes at Plasnewydd Community Hall, Shakespeare Street, Roath, for seven years and they also have a class at the Bridgend YMCA.

But for Michelle to reach her Fifth Dan rank, she had to travel to Japan to pass the mystical and ancient sakki test at the hands of Ninja Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi.

Michelle, who started her medical training at Rookwood Hospital and has worked for the NHS for 22 years, said very few women have managed to pass.

“You have to sit on the floor with your eyes closed. Hatsumi stands behind you, sword in hand (a bamboo sword, no longer a real sword) and then strikes down with an intent to kill the student.

“If you dodge the attack successfully you get awarded the fifth dan.

“This is the first step of Bufu (true warrior’s way).”

Michelle, now living in Newnham- on-Severn in the Forest of Dean, said the student has to rely on sensing the strike before moving, which she did successfully.

Marc passed his Fifth Dan in 1999 and now has the rank of Tenth Dan.

“Women generally go for karate or kick-boxing,” said Michelle. “Ninjitsu is more defensive martial arts and I think everyone should give it a go.”

Seppukku

04-23-2008, 05:51 PM

I agree wholeheartedly with her summary: Ninjitsu is 10X more manly than karate and kickboxing.

But I have to question the ethical standards of anyone that would give a woman a 5th Dan in Ninjitsu. Isn't there some kind of female equivalent, like a Danielle?

Just ridiculous. GGM Takeshi Ukeno is rolling in his grave.:(

Lucas

04-23-2008, 07:33 PM

Seppukku

04-25-2008, 02:14 PM

Why do you always hear about people with 10th dans now days?

From what I understand the 10th dan is very very rare, as is it represents the unattainable completion of your art...

Are we soon to see 20th dans?

If you add up my dans, I have at least an 18th Dan. I'll be at 20 when my master dies, or I kill him to give him an honorable death, whichever comes first.

Sicilian Tofu M

05-19-2008, 01:24 PM

Why do you always hear about people with 10th dans now days?

From what I understand the 10th dan is very very rare, as is it represents the unattainable completion of your art...

Are we soon to see 20th dans?

the ninja grandmaster, forgot his name said theirs alot more 10th dan's and above(think it goes to 15) because people are living longer and not getting killed by unnatural means as often.

SimonM

06-04-2008, 08:07 AM

Wood Dragon

06-05-2008, 09:05 PM

The Bujinkan (I don't know much about the other splinter factions/'kans) will not have much luck with realism until they stop initiating all their waza with that viciously retarded pseudo-spearhand/arm extension by the uke.

No one on Earth, anywhere, ever, attacks like that.

The mcdojo "karate" reverse-punch-into-front-stance "attack" was bad enough. This is a trillion times worse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY-GkoY5LOY

The Bujinkan has a lot of good stuff, but their pedagogical method (what there is of it, outside Japan)......sux.

GeneChing

07-30-2010, 09:51 AM

Ninja mums urge women 'reclaim streets' (http://www.news.com.au/national/ninja-mums-urge-women-reclaim-streets/story-e6frfkvr-1225898229805)
* By Lucie van den Berg
* From: Herald Sun
* July 29, 2010 5:35AM

URBAN ninja mums are urging frightened women to take back the streets.

The fear factor, fuelled by reports of weekly stabbings and bashings in Melbourne, is feeding a revival of the ancient Japanese art of fighting.

And nunchukkas, sais and staffs are not always the weapon of choice.

"I am a weapon," black belt ninja Annette Christopherson declares.

At just 150cm tall, the 50-something mum is a force to be reckoned with, without all the brawn.

One Melbourne establishment, the Kevin Hawthorne Ninja School, is training mums and dads - and even kids as young as five - in the art of ninjitsu to protect themselves from street violence, bullying and home invasions.

"Sadly the world which we live in is not safe - there are gang attacks, blade attacks, attacks on the way to the train. People have the right to feel safe," Ms Christopherson said.

She said the keys to being a successful ninja were commitment, talent, balance, timing and psychology.

"Any age group can learn - sometimes it can simply be a little pinch and knowing how much skin to take," she said.

By using ninja techniques, a person could overcome just about any situation.

"If you remain calm you can assess the situation. It also prevents the foe from feeding off your fear," she said.

"You use your peripheral vision, which is where our camouflage and stealth work come in, wait it out and you can calmly take each attacker on at any situation or time."

She said it was important to keep it simple.

"You don't need to do fancy complicated moves, one step, two step, because by the time you get to step two, you're gone," she said.

But don't go to a class expecting to learn the art of invisibility - it's more about pressure points and patience for this Romsey mother.

Her daughter, Penny, is also in on the act.

The 27-year-old has a brown belt and admits her skills give her the extra confidence she needs to walk the streets.
nice pic. what did she step in?
http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2010/07/28/1225898/170666-urban-ninjas.jpg

Lucas

08-03-2010, 11:38 AM

nice pic. what did she step in?
http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2010/07/28/1225898/170666-urban-ninjas.jpg

dead perps!!!

GeneChing

08-04-2010, 09:37 AM

...it's on the The ugly hands of martial arts AND ALSO A NINJA! (vids) (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1030097#post1030097) thread, but it bears repeating here.

When I get a moment, I'll merge the loose ninja threads together here. Can't have loose ninjas (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ninja-styles.html) running about now, can we?

GeneChing

08-04-2010, 10:06 AM

This explains so much.

Lindsay Lohan Strips, Goes Ninja, Rolls Around Bed For Marc Ecko Campaign (PHOTOS) (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/04/lindsay-lohan-strips-goes_n_670272.html)
First Posted: 08- 4-10 11:00 AM | Updated: 08- 4-10 11:01 AM

Lindsay Lohan was busy with a lot of provocative photo shoots before her stint in jail. The latest to surface is a Marc Ecko ad campaign for his online presence. Lohan shows off her chest, wears a ninja hat and rolls around in a bed for the photos.

She also did German GQ, Maxim and some porn star promos.

For more People.com has a video of the sexy shoot, TMZ has more behind-the-scenes photos.

Samples below of both, in addition to one of the ads.
Get your ninja hats here! (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ninja-styles.html)
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/189429/LINDSAY-LOHAN-NINJA.jpg

GeneChing

09-28-2010, 09:46 AM

ninja meyraiyuth?

Self-described 'ninja' charged with Mountain Home burglary (http://www.baxterbulletin.com/article/20100927/NEWS01/9270331)
September 27, 2010

A 40-year-old Joliet, Ill., man was arrested for burglary Saturday afternoon in a neighborhood south of Mountain Home.

The Baxter County Sheriff's Office received a call at about 4:38 p.m. on Saturday reporting that a man had broken into a home on Big Pond Circle. Deputy Aaron Brown responded to the call and apprehended a man who was drunk and who refused to cooperate or to divulge his identity.

It was soon determined that the suspect was Wayne Alan Rogers, a resident of Joliet, who had been staying with the person next door to the house that Rogers broke into, according to a sheriff's office release. After the neighbor left, he had broken into her home and taken some beer and other alcoholic beverages. He subsequently was heard to boast that he was a "ninja," able to enter and exit a house unseen, according to the report.

Rogers was booked on charges of residential burglary, theft of property and obstructing governmental operations. He posted a $25,220 bond and was released until his scheduled appearance in circuit court on Oct. 7.

— From Sheriff John Montgomery

GeneChing

09-30-2010, 01:15 PM

I've put ninjas back on my web newsfeed because of KungFuMagazine.com's NINJA STAR 2010 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=922). Now I'm wondering why I didn't keep it there since last year. Ninja news is so interesting.

Cops: man dressed as Ninja hid in Nordstrom’s for after-hours shoplifting spree (http://triblocal.com/skokie/2010/09/28/nordstrom-ninja-shoplifter/)
By briancox Special to the Tribune at 2:20 p.m.

Chances are that a Nordstrom employee charged with hiding in the Skokie department store after hours, then going on a midnight shoplifting spree, didn’t select his outfit from Nordstrom’s fall line.

Carlo Frank Settecase, 21, of the 9400 block of Leamington Avenue in Skokie, was dressed in a Ninja-like outfit as he casually strolled through the Westfield Old Orchard mall department store for several hours in the dead of night, stealing more than $30,000 worth of merchandise, police said.

Settecase worked as a switchboard operator in the store and on Friday, after a three-week investigation, he was charged with felony theft in connection with the theft, according to a police report.

Police said that when store security locked the doors and left for the night on Sept. 5, Settecase was hiding under a desk in the switchboard operators booth on the store’s second floor. He emerged from his hiding place shortly before 8 p.m. and was filmed by store surveillance cameras walking through the store wearing a black top, with a grey hood, a ski mask over his face, black gloves, black shorts and black socks without shoes, the police report said.

“It was just all black and stuff,” Skokie police officer Tammy Jacobsen said Tuesday. “Other than to mask his identity I don’t know what his reasoning was behind that.”

According to police, the surveillance tapes show Settecase walking through the men’s fragrance department, the handbag section, the fine jewelry section and other departments casually selecting items and placing them in a mail tote box.

“Settecase went to different sections of the store throughout that evening and selected more merchandise which he placed into the male tote box. Settecase returned to the mailroom after each trip, where he placed all of the merchandise he had selected. This continued until approximately 1 a.m. on Sept. 6,” the police report said.

After returning to his hiding place, police said Settecase was discovered by a housekeeper at around 2 a.m. and told her he worked at the store and was staying there because he had family problems and did not have a place to stay. He repeated the same story to another employee who discovered him laying on his back under a desk shortly before 8 a.m. Both employees reported Settecase’s odd behavior to their superiors, police said.

The next day, a Nordstrom employee noticed that two expensive handbags were missing.

Managers knew that Settecase had stayed in the store overnight and after reviewing store surveillance footage, it didn’t take them long to figure out what had allegedly happened.

“They reviewed video surveillance, which revealed the subject disguised in the ski mask selecting numerous items of Nordstrom merchandise. They believed the subject to be Settecase since there were no other know Nordstrom customers or employees in the building at the time,” the police report said.

Store security also checked eBay and learned that two jars of LeMar facial cream, identical to ones sold at Nordstrom, were being offered on an account used by Settecase on the online auction site, police said, adding store surveillance footage also showed Settecase leaving the store after his Sept. 6 shift with bags stuffed with stolen merchandise.

On Friday, confronted with all the evidence against him, police said Settecase confessed, saying he planned to sell the merchandise he had stolen from the store on eBay and use the proceeds to buy a motorcycle. Authorities said he also told them that criminal activity portrayed in the television shows “The Sopranos,” “Dexter” and “Breaking Bad” influenced him to commit the theft because the characters on those shows committed criminal acts and got away with it.

“I think that reality and the movies, people need to separate the difference,” Jacobsen said. “The criminal will be caught, and it’s only in the movies that they get away with it.”

Settecase had hidden the loot at his parents’ house, where he also lives, and when police searched the home, they recovered 77 pieces of stolen merchandise, officials said. Nearly 30 items did not have price tags, but those that did — including handbags, wallets, facial creams, watches, clothing and fragrances — had a total value of more than $29,000, police said.

Police on Tuesday were crediting store employees with helping authorities catch and charge Settecase.

“It’s because of the store employees noticing that stuff was missing, being alert, as well as the cleaning crew coming forward saying they did see someone sleeping there,” said Jacobsen. “I’m giving them credit for being observant.”

Nordstrom officials in the store’s Seattle corporate office said they were unaware of the theft or any similar cases.

“We don’t generally discuss employees matter in situations where the authorities have become involved,” said Shelby Koontz, a Nordstrom public affairs specialist.

Settecase is scheduled for a Friday hearing at the Skokie courthouse.

GeneChing

10-01-2010, 09:16 AM

Keeping a ninja news thread ttt-ed is so easy.

Check out the new Warrior's Way trailer (http://kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1043565#post1043565), coming to theaters on Dec 3rd.

GeneChing

10-04-2010, 02:21 PM

Somewhat oxymoronic, but ultimately a good cause.

Ninjas Against Domestic Violence (http://www.wix.com/cbruggem/ninjas)

October 04, 2010
Sorority uses ninja game to raise awareness of domestic violence (http://thetartan.org/2010/10/4/news/ninjas)
News | Emily Dobler
Credit: Jaclyn Stutz/Art Staff

The game “Ultimate Ninja” has conventionally been used in the past as a fun bonding exercise by Carnegie Mellon students. However, last Friday, it was used instead to raise awareness about domestic violence. Given the chance to be ninjas for a day, students across campus signed up and participated in a giant game of “Ultimate Ninja.”

Taking place in Donner Ditch, the game boasted around 30 players, all competing to be the last ninja standing. The grand prize was a $50 gift certificate to Chipotle. The competitive, fast-paced game lasted over two hours. The participants not only enjoyed an afternoon of fun, but also helped raise money and awareness against domestic violence.

Since October is nationally recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the event “Ninjas Against Domestic Violence” started off the month on a high note, raising over $1,000. All the proceeds went directly to the Women’s Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, one of the first shelters built for battered women and children in the country. According to the website (www.wcspittsburgh.org), “each year more than 5,200 individuals — women, children, and some men — utilize our services for domestic violence victims.”

Ninjas Against Domestic Violence was organized through Carnegie Mellon’s sorority Alpha Chi Omega, as increasing awareness against domestic violence is one of its main goals. Rosie Weisburgh, a senior mechanical engineering major and the vice president of fraternity relations for Alpha Chi Omega, created the event in hopes that by “being bold, and doing something unique, we would raise more interest.... My personal goal is to raise over $2,000 over the course of the month.” Along with help from Courtney Bruggeman, a senior mathematical sciences major and member of Alpha Chi Omega, the event grew quickly.

“While our main goal behind the event was to raise a lot of money for the Pittsburgh Women’s Shelter, we were really excited when people asked us more about the cause. As the kickoff event of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we really hope that people will remember this event and come to our others to help support the cause,” Weisburgh said.

“At first I thought Ninjas Against Domestic Violence was an unusual event, but a lot of people showed up and we all had a really fun time. The event was for a really good cause, and I’m so glad I participated in it,” said Colleen Treacy, a sop****re physics major.

In addition to Ninjas against Domestic Violence, the sorority sells luminary candles throughout October and has an annual Vera Bradley brand product sale in the spring to continually raise money for the Pittsburgh Women’s Shelter.

“If the event is successful, which I think it will be since the game of ‘Ultimate Ninja’ has become fairly popular on campus, I could definitely see it becoming a repeated philanthropy event,” said Sara Hoge, participant of the event and service chair for Alpha Chi Omega.

“Personally, I think this is a great cause, because domestic violence is a problem in America that hits home for a lot of people, and donating to the Pittsburgh Woman’s Shelter is a way to help right here in the local community,” Hoge said.

GeneChing

10-12-2010, 10:29 AM

Note that these won't qualify you for NinjaStar 2010 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58511). These will (http://www.martialartsmart.com/16-01.html), and they are a lot cheaper, but not as nice.

NINJA SUIT
* $109.99
http://airblaster.goodbarry.com/Images/Store2011/blackninja.jpg
The classic that started it all, and still the best long underwear on the planet! If you have never owned an Airblaster Ninja Suit, you truly are missing out. I would say that on an average winter day, you are about 60-70% as comfortable without a Ninja Suit as you would be with one. That extra 30-40% comfort that you pick up when you put on your Ninja Suit means more runs, more smiles, more miles, more FUN! You really need to try one to believe how great and wonderfully addictive the Airblaster Ninja Suit is! There is a really good reason why people refer to it as the best long underwear on the planet.

Ninja Suit Features:
Air-Tech 4-way stretch wicking fabric
7-panel ergonomic hood to seal out drafts and snow
Full-length front chest zip
Front fly for easy #1 access
Circumferential waist zip for ultra-easy #2 access
Thumb loops at wrist cuff to seal out snow

GeneChing

10-14-2010, 09:49 AM

We should add that if you get busted, you are DQed from KungFuMagazine.com's NINJA STAR 2010. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=922)

Jewelry heist: Teen tied to home invasion is 'ninja' suspect (http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Jewelry-heist-Teen-tied-to-home-invasion-is--ninja--suspect)
Geoff Grammer | The New Mexican
Posted: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - 10/14/10

Santa Fe police believe they've unmasked the "ninja bandit" who may have used a hatchet to burglarize a downtown jewelry store last month.

And the 17-year-old boy they are seeking in the heist has a violent past.

Santa Fe Police Sgt. Louis Carlos confirmed Wednesday that Shalom Katz "is a suspect in the Sept. 20 armed burglary of the (Dell Fox) jewelry store," and a warrant for his arrest has been issued. Attempts to locate Katz through known friends and family had not yet led to his arrest as of Wednesday night, according to police.

Dell Fox, owner of the jewelry store, said Wednesday that she was "absolutely terrified" on Sept. 20 when a man dressed like a ninja — police reports indicate he wore dark clothing, black gloves, a hood and a dark mask with one opening for his eyes — walked into her store, made eye contact, walked to a display case and swung a hatchet over his head, shattering open the quarter-inch thick glass.

"He reached in — he had black biker-like gloves — and just started taking the jewelry," Fox said. "Then he ran out. It was just terrifying, is all I can say."

More than $4,000 worth of merchandise was reported stolen.

Two search warrant affidavits filed Wednesday in state District Court indicate that during the investigation, a Santa Fe police detective recalled a 2008 interview in which Katz "voluntarily stated he would hang out in the downtown area of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and referenced being a ninja or acting like a ninja."

The Katz interview referenced in the search warrant was connected with a home invasion in which Katz, then 14, and three men — all wearing ski masks and one wielding a baseball bat — broke into a home in the South Capitol neighborhood and attacked a group of people on Dec. 29, 2007.

Two victims of that burglary were left seriously injured but survived.

Katz pleaded no contest to aggravated burglary, two counts of armed robbery and conspiracy. He was given a two-year commitment to the state's Children, Youth and Families Department, but that sentence was suspended and Katz was allowed in June 2008 to enter the Sequoyah Adolescent Treatment Center in Albuquerque.

"You don't have any more options," state District Judge Michael Vigil told the 14-year-old at the 2008 sentencing. "If you don't get your act together, you will be locked up until your 21st birthday. ... I will lock you up so quick."

One victim's father, Bob Ortega, pleaded with the court that day to handle Katz's case as an adult and send him to prison.

When reached Wednesday night and told of the new allegations, Ortega said the news was disturbing but not surprising.

"I'll say again today what I said when he was sentenced," Ortega said Wednesday. "They need to sentence him as an adult. He should have been treated as an adult back then, and this community would be safer."

Katz's juvenile court records show at least two allegations from prosecutors of probation violations since February. The search warrant filed in the jewelry heist case states Katz "was arrested for shoplifting a hatchet and other items March 17, 2010, from the Sears store located at 4250 Cerrillos Road."

Court record show two homes — the Katz residence in the 500 block of Franklin Avenue and the home of a friend police believed Katz may have been staying with — show investigators retrieved two hatchets, a black hooded cloth, dark clothing, several pairs of shoes, two cellular telephones and other items.

No jewelry was found.

Police ask anyone with information on Katz's whereabouts to call Detective Robert Vasquez at 955-5038.

GeneChing

10-15-2010, 09:41 AM

Ninjas are hard to catch. They need to hire another ninja to track him down.

'Ninja' suspect linked to other crimes (http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/-Ninja--thief-sought-for-more-crimes)
Police link teen to auto burglary, investigate possible tie to Nike heist
Geoff Grammer | The New Mexican
Posted: Thursday, October 14, 2010 - 10/15/10

Shalom Katz, the teenager with a lengthy juvenile criminal record who police say dressed like a ninja and used a hatchet to rob a downtown jewelry store continues to evade authorities.

Now police are saying Katz, 17, is also responsible for at least one auto burglary six days after the jewelry store heist and are investigating whether he was involved in a pair of burglaries at the Nike factory outlet store in southwest Santa Fe, one of which also involved use of a hatchet.

Two warrants for his arrest — one for armed robbery and one for burglary — have been issued.

Santa Fe police Sgt. Louis Carlos said Katz is the suspect in a Sept. 26 auto burglary in the 200 block of East Palace Avenue in which a purse and a $95,000 diamond ring were stolen. On Sept. 27, according to police reports, a woman went to Cathedral Park to buy unspecified drugs and was told to ask for a boy named Shalom. The woman gave him $100 and he said he would go get the drugs. As collateral to ensure he would return, the teen gave the woman a ring with a stone missing.

Police say the teen never returned so the woman pawned the ring at Pawn City, 3668 Cerrillos Road. Santa Fe police Sgt. Peter Neal recovered the ring and confirmed it was the one stolen on Sept. 26, but was missing a three-carat diamond.

At age 14, Katz pleaded no contest to aggravated burglary, two counts of armed robbery and conspiracy in connection with a December 2007 home invasion that left two victims severely injured after being beaten with a baseball bat.

Since being released from a treatment facility in Albuquerque where he was sentenced in 2008, police say Katz has violated his probation several times and was caught in March trying to shoplift a hatchet from Sears, 4250 Cerrillos Road.

Katz has been back in front of a state district judge at least four times since February and in each instance, his father, Asher Katz, has been by his son's side trying to work with him and law enforcement.

While Asher Katz said by telephone Thursday he had no comment on his son's current cases, Santa Fe police Sgt. Louis Carlos said the father has been helpful in the investigation.

Police have confirmed that Asher Katz has said he would like for his son to live in Israel, but they have no reason to believe the teen has left Santa Fe.

In the Sept. 20 jewelry store heist at Dell Fox, witnesses say a man dressed in dark clothing and a ninja-like black mask with an eye slit used a hatchet to shatter a display case and stole $4,000 of jewelry.

Based on that crime, police are also investigating whether Katz had any involvement in a pair of recent burglaries of the Nike Factory Store, 8380 Cerrillos Road.

In the Aug. 21 burglary, video surveillance shows a man using what appears to be a hatchet to break open the glass front door of the business before he and another man run inside, grab apparel and flee. The store was also hit Oct. 3 in a similar fashion.

Search warrants on two homes this week in connection with the Dell Fox robbery have netted cell phones, dark clothing, two hatchets and a black-hooded cloth, according to court documents. No jewelry has been recovered.

Police ask anyone with information on Katz's whereabouts to call 428-3710 or contact Det. Robert Vasquez directly at 955-5038.

GeneChing

10-18-2010, 09:53 AM

Obviously not a real ninja. :rolleyes:

Sunday, October 17, 2010
'Ninja' Robbery Suspect Captured in Los Alamos (http://www.abqjournal.com/north/17233443north10-17-10.htm)
Journal Staff Report

Santa Fe's most-wanted "ninja" was captured Saturday — in Los Alamos.
Los Alamos Police arrested Shalom Katz, 17, about 2:30 p.m. after an anonymous tip led them to a house where they encountered Katz in the front yard, according to a news release.
Katz, who is the main suspect in a broad-daylight jewelry store heist in Santa Fe last month, gave police a false name at first. But officers "were able to confirm his true identity and arrested him," the news release said.
Katz was booked on concealing identity charges and turned over to Santa Fe police. He is being held in Santa Fe County juvenile detention facility on robbery and burglary charges.
Santa Fe Police Capt. Gerald Rivera declined to comment Saturday on the circumstances of Katz's arrest in Los Alamos or on what Katz might have been doing there. "That's something the detectives will want to look into," Rivera said.
Santa Fe police issued a warrant for Katz's arrest in the Sept. 20 jewelry store robbery on Wednesday. But Katz, who was visiting a state Juvenile Probation and Parole office that day, managed to leave before police arrived.
Katz apparently went back to his parents' home in Santa Fe early Thursday morning. The parents called police, but Katz ran before the cops arrived.
Also on Thursday, police issued another warrant for Katz's arrest, this time for his alleged involvement in the theft of an expensive ring during a vehicle break-in.
During the September robbery at Dell Fox Jewelry in Sanbusco Center, Katz was dressed in black clothing and wore a black hood. He also wielded an axe, which he used to shatter a large glass display case.
Katz fled the store with about $3,800 in jewelry. But a week earlier, police said, Katz also was involved in a vehicle break-in, where he allegedly stole purses and jewelry, including a diamond ring worth about $96,000.
Katz was also involved in a home invasion in late 2007 in which several people were beaten severely. Katz and three others forced their way into the home and some of the invaders, armed with baseball bats, beat and robbed two people.
Detectives in that case recalled that Katz had talked about "being a ninja or acting like a ninja."
Prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that there was no evidence that Katz was armed with a bat or that he beat anyone during the incident. He pleaded no contest to armed robbery, burglary and conspiracy charges and was sent to a secure mental health facility in Albuquerque in mid-2008.
He was later released on probation. Katz was at the juvenile probation office Wednesday in connection with several probation violations, including the Dell Fox robbery and a shoplifting incident in March, where he allegedly stole the axe used in the jewelry store theft.
Police also believe he was responsible for a residential jewelry theft in June 2008, shortly before he was sentenced in connection with the home invasion incident.

GeneChing

10-19-2010, 09:34 AM

I suppose this could go in the media forum (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=15), but we're plugging ninjas this month in honor of ninjastar (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=922).

Fantastic Review: Norwegian Ninja (http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/reviews/fantastic-review-norwegian-ninja.php)
Fantastic Fest By Adam Charles on October 15, 2010

http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/images/norwegianninja_ff-e1287158968746.jpg

In the midst of the Cold War a Norwegian diplomat, Arne Treholt, was convicted of treason against his country for selling secrets to the Soviet Union in the early ’80s. This is true. Not necessarily that he sold secrets as his conviction and twenty year prison term suggests, but just that he was convicted.

In 1992, after serving 8 years of his prison term, Treholt was released and to this day continues to plead his innocence regarding any treasonous activity. This is true.

In 2010, Norwegian filmmaker Thomas Malling made a film depicting the events precisely as they played out back in the 1980s in which Treholt was in fact the leader of a professionally trained black-ops group of ultra-human ninjas. This is true. Not necessarily that Treholt was a ninja mastermind, just that Malling made a film about Treholt being one.

‘Ninja’ is about as entertaining as you could imagine a Cold War film about a secret task force of supreme blond-haired ninjas being. Treholt isn’t just a ninja in the sense that he’s trained in stealth and assassination techniques. No, he’s a ninja in the sense that he can appear out of thin air and fully clothe a naked man simply by throwing them on him. Ninjas don’t have to conform to the rules of one leg at a time like the rest of us.

Much of the success of the film comes in the exaggerations of ninja ability and it uses almost every single fantastic element of the pop culture perception of what ninjas were actually able to do back in the 1980s when Sho Kosugi was killing ninjas. Because only a ninja can kill a ninja.

The storyline gets convoluted with a lot of names flying around all over the place with difficulty in stamping them onto a face (after all, all white people look alike), but, not intending to defend this shortcoming, when the film wants to be fun it is despite our losing track of who’s who and what they mean, if anything, to the story as a whole. It’s too forgiving to just say “who cares what he means to the story? He just knocked a guy over by rearranging furniture!” But it really does just about reach that point of accepting its confusing plot because it’s just fun to watch what components of ninjitsu mythology they’ll amplify next.

Norwegian Ninja is, in ways, the film that The Men Who Stare at Goats attempted to be; primary difference being that the events in ‘Goats’, though outlandish, aren’t as far from the truth as one would think whereas Norwegian Ninja has its self-awareness and parody stapled to its sleeve. The men aren’t just ninjas, they’re the fantasy versions that can transport elsewhere instantaneously in a cloud of smoke, repel unwanted forces away from their camp via the secret art of out-of-balance feng shui and even have a glowing light of enlightenment accompany their achievement of enlightenment as if they were Bruce Leroy realizing he is the one and only master. Simply put, none of the events depicted as fantastic actually happened nor are they anywhere near the truth; despite not actually knowing what the truth is this certainly is not it. Though, what’s the harm in taking a particularly ridiculous situation and making it more so for the sake of entertainment?

GeneChing

10-26-2010, 10:46 AM

The bad ninja was really bad - I posted that on the Busted Martial Artists thread (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1052681#post1052681).

The good ninja, well, we all remember that famous nipple shuriken during the wardrobe malfunction. Shurikens (http://www.martialartsmart.com/16-13.html) never got so much attention before.

Janet Jackson looks like a ninja-style air hostess at For Colored Girls premiere (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1323856/Janet-Jackson-sports-ninja-air-hostess-combo-film-premi-handsome-nephew.html?ito=feeds-newsxml)
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 5:25 PM on 26th October 2010

Janet Jackson is certainly known for one infamous wardrobe malfunction in particular, but it seems she's still partial to the occasional fashion mishap.

Attending the New York premiere for her new film For Coloured Girls, fans didn't know whether the pop superstar should be showing them the exits or branding a samurai sword in her quirky Haider Ackermann outfit.

The sister of musical icon Michael Jackson looked beautiful as ever though, as she was accompanied by her nephew Austin Brown - who looks the spitting image of her late brother in his younger years.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/10/26/article-1323856-0BC5557D000005DC-89_468x808.jpg

NinjaStar. Enter now. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=922)

GeneChing

10-27-2010, 09:41 AM

Wait...so this guy's name is Ninja Hassan?

Carver Heights murder suspect arrested in California (http://savannahnow.com/crime/2010-10-27/carver-heights-murder-suspect-arrested-california)
Posted: October 27, 2010 - 12:18am | Updated: October 27, 2010 - 12:10pm
By Savannah Morning News

A man sought for nearly a year as a suspect in a Nov. 7 Carver Heights homicide was brought into custody Tuesday in Los Angeles, according to Savannah-Chatham police.

Ninja Hassan Wheeler was announced as a suspect three days after 44-year-old Steven Green was found fatally shot in a rental property he managed on the 1000 block of Stokes Street. Metro police detectives believe Green, who manages the property, was showing the bright yellow bungalow to Lakeya Jenkins. Wheeler lurked in a back bedroom of the home as Jenkins convinced Green she was interested in renting. And when Wheeler got the chance, he emerged with a gun in his hand and a bandana over his face, said Gena Moore, metro police spokeswoman.

Jenkins told investigators Wheeler fired two rounds at Green - once shortly after he came out of the bedroom and another as he fell to the ground. Jenkins also told investigators she and Wheeler rifled through Green's pockets and ran from the home. A red bandana remained at the scene, Moore said.

Last month, a Chatham County grand jury indicted Jenkins on charges that include murder and armed robbery. Wheeler was thought to have fled to family in his hometown of Trenton, N.J., but later was located in Los Angeles.

News of Green's death rocked his close-knit family and the area's community of recovering addicts. He had achieved 13 years of sobriety from cocaine and was a role model to others looking to get clean, family members had said.

Green walked with a cane after he was shot during a soured business deal in 2003 near the intersection of Duffy Street and Atlantic Avenue. The cane also was found resting next to his lifeless body in the Carver Heights home, Moore said.

GeneChing

11-03-2010, 09:47 AM

One more week to enter NINJASTAR 2010! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=922)

Ninja Sex Party Shakes Up Toronto SketchFest (http://www.shalomlife.com/eng/14084/Ninja_Sex_Party_Shakes_Up_Toronto_SketchFest/)
By: MIRIAM CROSS
Published: November 3rd 2010 in Culture » Stage

Ninja Sex Party
Pic: courtesy of Ninja Sex Party

Danny Sexbang is handsome, musical and the self-proclaimed great Jewish lover of the 21st century. Ninja Brian is a mute, masked pianist whose religious status is “murky at best.” Together they make the New Jersey-based sketch comedy duo Ninja Sex Party, whose musical videos have amassed a following on websites such as CollegeHumor, Funny or Die and Dailymotion.

The pair is visiting Toronto this week to perform in the sixth annual Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival. Shalom Life caught up with Dan Avidan and Brian Wecht, the brains behind the troupe, to talk ninjas, music videos and why they can’t wait to sell out.

How did Ninja Sex Party get started?

Brian Wecht (BW): It was basically a random connection through friends of friends. Dan had the idea for the name.

Dan Avidan (DA): I was looking for a piano player who wouldn’t mind dressing up like a ninja and Brian was the first person who tried out, and it was just kind of perfect.

BW: I think ‘tried out’ is a little…I showed up. I showed up, and he was like ‘cool.’

DA: And then we just started writing songs together.

Why focus on music videos instead of a more ‘traditional’ form of sketch comedy?

BW: Because we’re both musicians and both comedians, and we wanted to do something that was musical comedy.

DA: It’s important to stand out, and we figured these are two things that we can do well, so why not combine them instead of fighting to just do one? And a lot of the comedy we love, like Flight of the Conchords and Tenacious D, is musical comedy, so we’ve always been inspired by those guys.

How would you sum up the philosophy behind Ninja Sex Party?

BW: Oh my God. So much more thought than what’s ever been put into this before.

DA: I think we entertain the body and soul. Through the art of magical songery.

BW: Yeah, I’d say we’re two guys in Spandex who hop around for your amusement.

DA: That too.

Why ninjas?

BW: Why not ninjas? Just one of the coolest things we could think of.

DA: Yeah, the genesis of the name was just – we thought – what are everyone’s three favourite things? Ninjas, sex and parties. The concept actually grew from that.

You often bring Jewish references into your videos. How important is Jewish humour to your act?

DA: It’s part of who we are, you know. My dad’s from Tel Aviv and it’s so much funnier when you write what you know. We don’t want to overdo it, because we don’t want people to get the wrong idea that we’re making fun of Judaism or it’s something that we joke about. But we like to incorporate who we are as people into the humour, just because it feels more natural.

BW: And there are so many great things associated with Judaism – great words, great concepts or whatever – that I think we find a natural place for them in our comedy.

What is it that makes Jews so funny?

BW: [Laughs hard] Why don’t we just ask why the sky is blue? It’s one of those cosmic mysteries which we may never truly understand, but we can only enjoy. I actually got a little teary-eyed. I wish you could see that over the phone.

DA: I think it’s because we’ve had a long time to practice. I mean, we’ve been around a lot longer than Christians. They haven’t had as much time to hone their comedy skills.

BW: And I guess when you go through bad times – not that Jews have ever gone through difficult times – laughter is a big part of that. I’m sure cultures that deal with a lot of difficulty find comfort in humour. [Pauses] That’s probably the heavier answer.

What can audiences look forward to for your performances at SketchFest in Toronto?

BW: They can look forward to the most intense musical comedy experience of their entire lives.

DA: They will come out of a Ninja Sex Party show changed in fundamental ways that they might not like, but we hope they will.

What’s next after the Sketch Festival?

BW: We’re going to keep shooting a bunch of videos. And we’re looking forward to releasing some shorter, non-music videos as well.

DA: And down the line, working on a TV pilot and a movie script, just seeing where we can take this.

So in addition to the music, do you want to do more straightforward sketch comedy?

BW: I don’t think we want to do just straightforward sketch comedy. I think the music will always be important to what we do. But we’re not going to shy away from doing non-musical stuff. Whatever makes us the most money, frankly. [Laughs]

DA: We can’t wait to sell out.

How do you make money off sketch comedy?

BW: That’s a great question. If we knew the answer to that, we would be doing it already.

DA: I think the answer is probably in television. We recently acquired management, and that’s where they’ve been guiding us. At this point we’re still concentrating on the artistic side of it, and the money will come. You have to believe that. There’s a Willy Nelson quote that goes ‘Do your work and the world will beat a path to your door.’ And you sort of just have to believe that as an artist, you’ll be rewarded for loving what you do and trying your best.

BW: Of course, Willy Nelson is notoriously terrible at managing his money.

DA: But taking that quote out of context, yeah.

The Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival runs until Nov. 6 at various downtown locations. Ninja Sex Party performs Nov. 5 and Nov. 6 at the Comedy Bar. For more information about the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, visit www.torontosketchfest.com. For more information about Ninja Sex Party, visit www.ninjasexparty.com.

GeneChing

11-05-2010, 11:13 AM

click the link to reference the vids.

* 11/4/10 at 5:00 PM
An Ode to Softhearted Matt Lauer’s Secret Ninja Side
http://images.nymag.com/images/2/daily/2010/11/04_lauerninja_250x375.jpg
Photo: iStockphoto, Larry Marano/Getty Images

Oh, Matt Lauer. How you've grown from the man who visibly gulped and forced yourself to press on when you had to ask Hillary Clinton about Monica Lewinsky for the first time back in 1998. Now you are truly one of the most entertaining interviewers of our era. Most of the time, you have a soft touch, which is why someone like Sandra Bullock rushes to you when they have to face the press after their husband cheated on them by having sex with a human tattoo on a dirty garage floor. Or why someone like Elizabeth Edwards selected you when she wanted to promote her book about how her husband cheated on her with a human helium balloon while she had cancer.

This is all well and good, and plays to the interests of the Today show's largely female morning audience. But Matt Lauer has another side, a far more wickedly fun aspect to his interviewing style, that only comes out every so often — like when he reportedly pinned down George Bush earlier this week. And this, his secret ninja side, is why we truly love Matt Lauer. Remember not long ago when he took on former gubernatorial candidate and current ****phobic moron Carl Paladino? From minute one of the interview, he called the mumbling and nonsensical Paladino out for his statement that ****sexuality wasn't a "valid or successful option," and accused him of fostering discrimination with his comments. Shadow kick!

And then, who could forget the time not long ago when Lauer went toe-to-toe with momager Dina Lohan? The woman couldn't even answer one of the simple questions he asked in a straightforward manner. She didn't even know how many times her own daughter has been in rehab, for instance. She even boasted about how Lindsay had become friends with "alleged murderers"! But the money moment came when Matt asked, "You don't think [Lindsay] deserves time in jail?" And Dina replied: "Well, not for this particular offense." Hadouken!

Oh, plus there was that time that he nailed Karl Rove repeatedly for glossing over inconsistencies in the reporting of WMDs in Iraq in the buildup to the war, reading account after account of how top experts thought there was no such thing, and how Bush had made up his mind to go to war anyway. Dragon Punch!

And perhaps best of all was the time when Lauer called Tom Cruise to the mat (oy) over his comments that Brooke Shields was "misguided" for taking Paxil to overcome postpartum depression. Cruise was weirdly, demonically chipper (as his semi-dazed new wife, Katie Holmes, looked on) as he talked about the plague of public attention in his life, and then the interview descended into the truly weird. (The whole video is uncomfortable-making, but for the real fight scroll ahead to eight minutes in.) When Lauer tries to nail Cruise down on whether postpartum depression is "psychological gobbledygook," the actor goes into full-on Scientology crazy mode, lashing out and calling Lauer glib and saying that vitamins and exercise can cure everything. "Why is taking anti-depressants wrong if it worked for Brooke Shields?" asked the doe-eyed anchor. Snappeth Tom, "Because I disagree with it!" Ice Freeze!

Now, Matt has caught flack at times for not using these ninja styles frequently enough, like when he apologetically softballed Larry Craig and let sister-network stars the Salahis off the hook. But if news reports are to believed, we are going to see another such sneak attack from Lauer on George W. Bush on Monday when he appears in an NBC interview special with the anchor. In the interview, Lauer asks Bush about a statement in his book Decision Points in which he says that Kanye West saying "George Bush doesn't care about black people" was the worst moment of his presidency. Though the former president tries to cut him off, Lauer manages to ask: "You're not saying that the worst moment in your presidency was watching the misery in Louisiana. You're saying it was when someone insulted you because of that??" Fatalityyyyy!
NINJASTAR (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=922)closes this Wednesday (11/10/2010) ;)

GeneChing

11-10-2010, 10:54 AM

You must click the link.

Wheelchair ninja takes out would-be store robber (http://www.inquisitr.com/89882/wheelchair-ninja-takes-out-would-be-store-robber/)

http://turbo.inquisitr.com/wp-content/2010/11/wheelchair.png
A word to the wise, or rather the stupid people who think robbing convenience store is a great way to pass the time – don’t slough off that dude in a wheelchair, it may be the biggest mistake you could make.

Such is the case of some doofus who decided to rob a store in Vancouver after they turned down his suspicious looking $50 bill. This is where Epic Wheelchair Man – Larry Skopnik – comes in, literally and takes the robber down.
BTW, Today is the last day to enter NINJASTAR (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=922).

GeneChing

11-10-2010, 10:56 AM

...cuz we could have got the whole community in on it.

Danny Pudi 'wants ninja-themed Community' (http://www.digitalspy.com/ustv/news/a287133/danny-pudi-wants-ninja-themed-community.html)
Wednesday, November 10 2010, 11:36am EST
By Catriona Wightman, TV Reporter
http://i2.cdnds.net/10/44/M/us_television_main_danny_pudi.jpg

Danny Pudi has joked that he wants Community to feature an episode based on ninjas.

Speaking to The AV Club, Pudi explained that the show has already had "wonderful" themes.

"I've always been, as a little kid, just a huge fan of ninja movies, like karate and stuff," he said. "American Ninja would be great. Anything with a Bruce Lee-type thing. I'd love to play Bruce Lee. I think that'd be kind of fun, if we were all ninjas."

Pudi also revealed that he would love an episode of the show to pay tribute to Westerns.

"That'd be really dope," he said. "I was a huge fan of Deadwood, and I'm always a fan of period pieces, especially, I think, maybe I'm a fan even more as a minority actor or someone of color. It's like, 'Oh, Rome. Eh, you're not going to see me on that series'. Or Deadwood. You're probably not going to see me on that series, you know?

"But within the context of Greendale, that could happen. So that'd be kind of cool. I don't know, Greendale goes to some old mining town in South Dakota? We all strike it rich?"

However, Pudi admitted that he doesn't like to know "too much" about the show, saying: "I like to keep things surprising because in many ways, it's kind of like life. You can prepare all you want, but once the moment comes, I think it's a lot more fun when you're not really prepared for it and you just have to deal with it."

Community continues on Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC.

GeneChing

11-19-2010, 10:21 AM

A ninja sword (http://www.martialartsmart.com/16-30.html) is more stylish.

Man accused of attack with ninja sword (http://www.fdlreporter.com/article/20101117/FON0101/101117091/Man-accused-of-attack-with-ninja-sword)
The Reporter Staff • November 17, 2010

A 24-year-old man is being held in a health care facility after he allegedly chased a man with a ninja sword.

At 12:03 a.m. today, police responded to the 100-block of Marquette Street for a complaint of a man with a sword.

“The 22-year-old victim had gone over to a friend’s house. A roommate of the friend’s apparently came in with a sword and began yelling at the roommate and victim,” said Fond du Lac Police Department Capt. Steve Klein. “He told the friend of the roommate to get out of the house and began chasing him with the sword.”

The weapon is described as a three-foot ninja-style sword, Klein said.

“At one point, the suspect pointed the sword at the victim and jabbed at him, causing a small indentation in the shoulder and a small cut to his left pinky finger,” Klein said.

The suspect made suicidal comments and barricaded himself in a closet, he said.

When the man is released from a medical facility, he is expected to be charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree recklessly endangering safety, said Klein.

GeneChing

11-19-2010, 10:32 AM

NINJA GIRLS VOL. 4 (ADVANCE REVIEW) (http://www.activeanime.com/html/content/view/7185/57/)
Friday, 19 November 2010
http://www.activeanime.com/html/images/Manga/NINJAGIRLSGN4.jpg
▪ RELEASED BY: DEL REY
▪ AUTHOR / ART: HOSANA TANAKA
▪ FORMAT: JAPANESE / B&W
▪ PAGES: 200
▪ RATING: M
▪ RELEASE DATE: 11/23/2010
▪ REVIEW DATE: 11/19/2010
▪ REVIEWED BY: DAVEY C. JONES

Raizo gets parted from his ninja babes to help a girl about to be sacrificed to a tree of all things. It leads to some more news about his dearly departed mom but is only the start of the adventure in this volume of Ninja Girls!

Azami, a girl with glasses (thus rounding off almost every stereotype of gal a harem story can have) shows up wanting to join. She doesn’t seem to have a speck of talent...or does she? Katana spies a tattoo on the girl but the bathing time, though revealing, doesn’t show as much as Katana would like. It puts her in a bad light with Raizo and she ditches him! That’s right, the babe goes off on her own thinking she’s failed the wimpy dude. This of course makes it a perfect time for Seigan to make Katana several offers. Seigan is a seriously creepy guy and a fantastic villain. Luckily Katana has her head in the right place and refuses him, but he may have more than one ace up his sleeve to snare her in his web.

While looking for her, Raizo gets framed for murder and sentenced to death! Seigan steps in offering to save Raizo’s life in exchange for Katana to serve Seigan completely. She refuses, a fight breaks out, and its serious ninja action time! One of the ninja girls will die this volume!

Plus the manga has translation notes and comic panels.

IN SUMMARY:
More luscious action in the thrilling and titillating Ninja Girls!
Because when it comes right down to it, it's all about my ninjettes (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59037).

GeneChing

11-23-2010, 04:12 PM

This was just brought to my attention: Scottish Ninjas (http://www.scottishninjas.com/)

NINJASTAR closes tomorrow (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59037). Have you voted yet?

GeneChing

12-02-2010, 10:19 AM

"Have you seen him?," photographed in Minneapolis, MN, and contributed to the Boing Boing Flickr Pool (http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/24/have-you-seen-him-bo.html) by BB reader Phil Jones (website).

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/24/haveyouseen.jpg

Lucas

12-02-2010, 10:40 AM

http://www.motifake.com/image/demotivational-poster/0804/ninja-demotivational-poster-1208008853.jpg

GeneChing

12-06-2010, 10:40 AM

VIDEO: It’s Ninja Day; here’s how to find your Ninja name (http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/12/05/video-its-ninja-day-heres-how-to-find-your-ninja-name/)
Dec. 05, 2010 | 1:58 p.m.

It’s time to sharpen your shurikens and polish up those nunchucks! Yes, Sunday, Dec. 5, is the International Day of the Ninja – a sort of silent-and-deadly counterpart to September’s bleary-sounding Talk Like a Pirate Day. Don’t know how to slow your heart rate? Not ready to punch through steel? Can’t find a high-quality katana? No problem. The first step in tapping your inner ninja is a simple one: You must find your ninja name.

YouTube-famous Ask a Ninja, the brainchild of Los Angeles-based improv comedians Kent Nichols and Douglas Sarine, is here to help you determine your ninja name with tips in an exclusive instructional video made just for you Hero Complex readers.

According to Ask a Ninja, creating a ninja name has one rule: You must keep your initials. Other than that, it’s flexible — just like a ninja! You have to look for the ninja who is already hiding within your civilian name. Need some help getting started? Below is Ask a Ninja’s list of Awesome Ninja Words, approved by the International Order of Ninjas. Take a stab at it (ouch!), and then share your new ninja name in the comment section.

– Noiseless Cobra (formerly known as Noelene Clark)

A
Absolute, Annihilate
Ambush, Arrow, Art, Asp, Assassin
Attack, Awesome

B
Beautiful, Black
Blood, Blowdart, Bo

C
Cane,Cap Chop,Close
Cloud,Cool Covert, Creep, Cut

D
Dagger,Dead
Death, Die
Dispatch, Double, Dragon

E
End, Erase, Espionage
Evade, Eviscerate
Exterminate
Extreme, Eye

F
Fatal, Fast
Ferocious, Fighting
Finish,Fire, Fist, Flip
Flying, Foot

G
Glide. Gouge
Great, Grip
Gore

H
Hand, Hard
Head, Hide
Hit, Hiya, Hurt
Hush

I
Ideal, Iron
Immolate
Imposing, Impressive
Infiltration

J
Ja, Jab
Jump(y)
Just

K
Kick
Kill(y)
Knee, Knife

L
Lethal,
Light, Little
Lurk

M
Majestic, Master,
Mind-Blowing Move

N
Night, Nin, Ninja
Noiseless, Nunchuck

O
Octagon
Omni, Op

P
Peerless
Perfect, Power
Prowl, Punch, Pure

Q
Quick, Quiet
Quill

R
Raven
Real, Red
Rip, Rope

S
Shadow
Shhhh, Silent
Skill, Slay, Slice
Smack,Snake, Sneak
Spy, Stab
Supreme

T
Tear, Ten, Tuck
Twist, Triple

U
Unknown

V
Veil, Veracious
Very,Vicious
Vigor
Vim

W
Walking, Warrior
Water, Weapon Whack, Whip
Whist, Wonderful
Wooden

X
X-Out

Y
Ya, Yank,
Yauld
Ye, Young

Z
Zing
Zip, Zap
Zop
I'm going with Gore Cloud. ;)

GeneChing

12-07-2010, 10:41 AM

I love the line "black op blackbelts (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ranking-belts.html)". I imagine I could make a tidy fortune selling those.

Tehran conscripts Ninja masters to crush democracy (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/07/iran_ninja/)
Men in black want black-clad black ops blackbelts
By Joe Fay • Get more from this author
Posted in Government, 7th December 2010 12:57 GMT

The Iranian government has been attempting to co-opt the country's Ninjas and other martial artists to help out with some light repression duties, US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks claim.

Authorities in the country have been attempting to outsource some of the grunt work involved in political repression to martial arts enthusiasts, as well as getting them to the train their own security forces, the cable claims.

The cable, sent from the US's Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan, last year, bears the subject line: Ninja Black Belt Master Details Use of Martial Arts Clubs for Repression.

It reports that the Ninja master told the Baku Iran watcher "that private martial arts clubs and their managers are under intense pressure to cooperate with Iranian intelligence and Revolutionary Guard organizations, both in training members and in working as 'enforcers' in repression of protests and politically motivated killings."

At the same time, authorities are suspicious of the clubs' potential to offer similar skills to pro-democracy supporters. A fair enough guess, possibly, particularly as the cable notes the Shah's regime used the country's martial arts clubs in the same way.

The cable also recounts how an acquaintance of the source has carried out assassinations of intellectuals and young pro-democracy activists for the authorities, only to be "suicided" by the authorities himself.

The Wikileaks version of the cable is careful to redact the name of the Ninja master, and apparently, his location, except insofar as he does not appear to be based in Tehran.

Which is all well and good, assuming there are enough black belts in this most esoteric of martial arts in Iran to afford the said Ninja master some plausible deniability.

Otherwise, the Ninja master will likely need to employ every trick of his craft in the very near future just to survive.

GeneChing

12-23-2010, 05:25 PM

Best ninjas so far!

Noble ninjas: Four stealthy Lansing-area people on mission to support good deeds (http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20101222/NEWS01/12220312/Noble-ninjas-Four-stealthy-Lansing-area-people-on-mission-to-support-good-deeds)
Alisha Green • agreen3@lsj.com • December 22, 2010

http://cmsimg.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A3&Date=20101222&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=12220312&Ref=AR&MaxW=318&Border=0
Giving thanks: One of the Lansing Ninjas left a gift tied to the fence outside the Capitol. The ninjas each have a doll that they use to pose in photos with the gifts they leave around town.

Chat with the Lansing Ninjas

• Join the Lansing Ninjas and the Lansing State Journal for a Live Chat Thursday at noon and learn more about what the Samaritans hope to achieve with their mission.

Find, follow ninjas online:

• @lansingninjas on Twitter

• Twitter bio: We are ninjas who #lovelansing and like spreading kindness.

• http://lansingninjas.wordpress. com

http://cmsimg.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A3&Date=20101222&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=12220312&Ref=H3&MaxW=318&Border=0
Ninja dolls: The Lansing Ninjas use these dolls to pose in pictures with gifts that they leave around Lansing. Each of the four ninjas has their own doll that they use, and the pictures are posted in their blog when they write about their latest mission.

When a Lansing woman went to Letts Community Center to vote on Nov. 2, someone noticed she had made the effort even though she had a young child to bring along.

They waited while she strapped the child into a stroller and went inside, then they left a pinwheel and a card saying "Thank you for voting today! Democracy rocks!" on her windshield. They left as quietly as they came, but that was the point: the ninja who left the gift of thanks wanted to remain anonymous.

Inspired in part by the mission of Secret Agent L, a woman who started a national movement to do random acts of kindness, four Lansing-area people have teamed up to create a cause focused on supporting positive efforts and growth in Lansing.

These four ninjas sneaking around Lansing have been leaving gifts around the city since October to show how much they love Lansing, and they are using social media to spread the word.

Their work has inspired other people around the city, including the communications manager at Potter Park Zoo, to start their own missions and random acts of kindness.

Known as the @LansingNinjas on Twitter, the four people who play the role do it anonymously. They agreed to be interviewed via lansingninjas@gmail.com without revealing their identities.

• What is the history and mission of the Lansing Ninjas?

• "A couple of us noticed a number of do-good blogs and projects cropping up around the country and saw the positive impact they were having in other cities. Being part of a larger, national mission is great too, but we thought the whole #lovelansing concept naturally lent itself to a project specific to loving Lansing. The more two of us talked about it, the more we realized it would realistically take four people to carry out the missions. We recruited two more friends and cut the city into quadrants so we could divide and conquer. We try to promote things we love about Lansing through our missions - such as thanking business owners for giving us shop-local options or leaving a $5 Biggby gift card for an unsuspecting person - but we balance that with general feel-good missions."

• Have you heard buzz about the Lansing Ninjas?

• "We're starting to hear buzz when we're out and about, and we're getting good feedback through social media - particularly Twitter. Some of the ninjas have gotten messages from friends wondering who the ninjas could be and saying that it's cool because they'd thought of doing similar things. It's fun to know people are being motivated to do random acts of kindness around the region. There can never be too much kindness in the world."

• What's the future for the Lansing Ninjas?

• "Nothing short of world domination (or at least Greater Lansing domination) in the name of cheer."

The kindness of the Lansing Ninjas inspired Jake Pechtel, director of communications at Potter Park Zoo, to think about alternative ways of promoting the zoo that would reward its supporters. He has been leaving items from the zoo's gift shop and passes to the Wonderland of Lights around town.

"It's kind of a general thank you to the community," he said.

The ninjas also inspired Valerie Borg, a 28-year-old who lives in Bath and works in Lansing, to start her own mission of kindness. Throughout the past three months she has been leaving gift cards around town.

"It doesn't have to be something big and extravagant," she said. "Something small can lift your spirits and make your day."

GeneChing

02-24-2011, 05:28 PM

Ninjago (http://ninjago.lego.com/en-us/Default.aspx) = Lego ninjas. Wonder how they would do against Kung Zhu battle hamsters (http://kung-zhu.com/index.php?/About-Hamsters/kung-zhu-battle-hamsters.html)?

Lucas

02-25-2011, 11:35 AM

http://punditkitchen.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/political-pictures-ninjas-dont-mess-with-them.jpg

GeneChing

08-19-2011, 10:08 AM

This story just reminded me of NinjaStar, even though it's a horrid story. Some fool giving ninjas a bad name.

RIVERSIDE: Court upholds 'Ninja Prowler's' 1998 death sentence (http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_scott18.16a915e.html)
10:13 PM PDT on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
BY RICHARD K. DE ATLEY
STAFF WRITER
rdeatley@pe.com

The California Supreme Court has upheld the 1998 death sentence of a man nicknamed the "Ninja Prowler" who terrorized Moreno Valley and a Riverside neighborhood nearly 20 years ago with a series of sexual assaults.

David Lynn Scott III, 40 , formerly of Moreno Valley, was sentenced to death for the 1992 murder of Riverside librarian Brenda Gail Kenny, 38, whom he also raped during a burglary of her apartment.

In all, Scott was convicted of 15 counts involving six attacks in Riverside's Canyon Crest neighborhood and in Moreno Valley from September 1992 until his arrest in January 1993.

Survivors described a masked intruder dressed in dark clothing like a ninja who carried a pistol and two swords.

He would break into houses or apartments at night and confront the occupants. Two of his rape victims testified the masked intruder remained with them for more than two hours, and engaged them in lengthy, personal conversations.

The victims said their attacker advised them to get better home security.

One rape victim's boyfriend arrived home, had a sword held to his throat, then was hogtied and forced into a closet before the prowler resumed his sexual assault on the woman.

In January 1993, a man dressed in black tried for 20 minutes to talk his way into a woman's Canyon Crest apartment. About an hour later at the same complex, a man dressed in black martial arts clothing and ski mask attacked a couple arriving at their apartment.

The attacker, holding a gun, grabbed the woman from behind. The woman's boyfriend rushed him and was stabbed in the back during the struggle for the gun. A neighbor heard the commotion, got his own gun and aimed at the assailant, ordering him to freeze. The prowler fired a shot at that man, then fled.

The wounded boyfriend survived but was hospitalized for two weeks.

Scott's convictions included two separate rape attacks on women in Riverside and Moreno Valley, and the attempted murders of both the boyfriend and of the man Scott fired a shot at during the same incident.

A search warrant investigation of a garage used by Scott produced ninja paraphernalia reported by one or more of the victims, including split-toed booties, darts and black gloves with gray duct tape on the fingers, the court noted in its opinion. Police also recovered a sword and a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol.

Co-workers at the Moreno Valley theater complex where Scott worked said he liked to dress up like a ninja and had even discussed whether he was, in fact, the "ninja rapist."

The state high court upheld Scott's death penalty in a 7-0 decision issued Aug. 11.

Among the arguments the panel rejected was Scott's assertion that his right to remain silent was violated while being interviewed by Riverside police.

The court concluded after reviewing a recording of the interview that after Scott repeatedly refused to discuss one of the rapes, he answered a question about his age.

Lucas

08-19-2011, 10:58 AM

I am touched sir...fortunately not in the way of that ninja. At least he is getting executed, bravo. I make sure to castrate and then slay all the ninja rapists in my city via roof top ninja chase fights!

GeneChing

09-30-2011, 09:29 AM

This is the perfect news item for today (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61986). ;)

Fruit Ninja hoping to slice into China (http://news.techworld.com/applications/3306980/fruit-ninja-hoping-to-slice-into-china/)
Halfbrick Studio aiming for Fruit Ninja to get 70 million downloads in China over the next six months
By Michael Kan | Published: 10:19, 29 September 2011

Fruit Ninja makers Halfbrick Studios have big hopes for China and are aiming for the hit game to reach an additional 70 million downloads in the country over the next six months.

Australia-based Halfbrick Studios released Fruit Ninja in 2010, first on Apple's App Store, then to other mobile OSes as well as Microsoft's Xbox 360. The game has since gone on to attract 600,000 downloads per day, according to Halfbrick Studios CEO Shainiel Deo.

But while most downloads for Fruit Ninja come from the US, China has become the game's second largest market. Already, 30% of the game's total downloads, or 20 million, come from China, Deo said.

"The Chinese market is our number one market going forward," he said at the mobiTalk event in Beijing.

However, Fruit Ninja's downloads in China could be higher if not for the rampant piracy in the nation. Deo estimates that about 50% of the Fruit Ninja games played in the country are pirated versions.

Halfbrick is working to change that. The company has partnered with a Chinese mobile gaming company called iDreamSky to help Halfbrick spread official versions of the game through channels like websites and app stores in China.

Halfbrick is also partnering with iDreamSky to develop localised versions of the game for the Chinese market. At least five upcoming versions of the game will be centred on Chinese content, Deo said. At least two of those will be released by the end of the year.

"When you see the rate of downloads per day and the rate its increasing, I don't think its going to be a big deal to hit that target" of 70 million, he said, adding that the new versions of the game will help Halfbrick exceed that goal.

To make money off the game in China, Halfbrick is releasing free versions of Fruit Ninja that will feature ads and in-app purchases for virtual goods. The company also wants to licence pre-loaded versions of the game for mobile devices.

Halfbrick is just the latest foreign gaming firm to target the Chinese market, which has more than 900 million mobile phone users. The maker of Angry Birds, Rovio, is also working to localise its games for China and aims for Angry Birds to reach 100 million downloads in China by the end of this year.

Like Rovio Angry Birds, Halfbrick wants to turn Fruit Ninja into a major franchise. "I think we are really following in the footsteps of Rovio," Deo said, noting that the company plans to sell merchandise in China and already has acquired an animation studio to produce short films.

While Fruit Ninja has been a hit in China, the game has not performed as well in Japan, Deo said. "I think a lot of that stems from localisation issues," he said, adding that Japan is another market the company wants to focus on. "English is not that widespread in Japan. And that market is very different too. Apps seem to come and go all the time."

As for why Fruit Ninja took off in China, Deo said he didn't know. "We built the game to be accessible to a wide audience," he said. "I'm just grateful Chinese fans love it so much."

enoajnin

09-30-2011, 11:58 AM

Why aren't we talking about the Ninja Kitchen!!!

Lucas

09-30-2011, 01:09 PM

Fruit ninja is on kinect!

GeneChing

10-04-2011, 09:34 AM

Why aren't we talking about the Ninja Kitchen!!!Feel free to do so... :rolleyes:

Criminally Stupid
Nunchuck Ninja Update: Guards Stood By and Watched Inmate Escape (http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2011/09/lorenzo_pollard_nunchuck_ninja_workhouse.php)
By Sarah Fenske Tue., Sep. 20 2011 at 10:46 AM

Turns out Lorenzo Pollard -- the so-called Nunchuck Ninja who escaped from the City Workhouse Friday -- might not need that Hollywood agent after all.

As embarrassed-sounding city officials admitted today in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Pollard, an inmate at the City Workhouse, did not exactly fend off "more than a dozen" jailors while flashing a set of hand-made nunchucks, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle-style.

Instead, the man once portrayed as having the powers of a superhero merely "chiseled" through a glass block window, working away for minutes on end -- the P-D suggested optimistically that it was "less than four minutes" -- while a dozen or so guards stood by watching.

We can now see why Mayor Francis Slay's initial reaction Friday to the jailbreak was to declare that the "barest minimum requirement" for the jails is to keep prisoners "inside" them. Apparently that's a novel thought that bears noting these days in St. Louis.

Really, as we initially posited in our blog post yesterday, the story of Pollard's escape has been absurd from the get-go. Somehow, Pollard -- a petty criminal in the slam awaiting trial on charges of theft, trespassing, property damage and (of course) resisting arrest -- managed to fashion a pair of nunchucks out of a bedsheet and the furniture in his cell. (We were initially told it was a chair; today we're told it was made from the metal parts of a desk.)

Then he apparently managed to use the crude instrument to evade the jailors leading him to the shower. Then he climbed a wall. And chiseled a hole into it (apparently with the same nunchucks). And propelled himself through the hole. Only then did Pollard somehow climb not one but two fences laden with razors and barbed wire -- and sprint off to (temporary) freedom.

And throughout this whole process, no one was able to catch him?

It made no sense initially, when city officials suggested Pollard "fought off" more than a dozen officers. And it makes no sense now, when those same officials seem to be sheepishly admitting that, OK, so the dozen or so officers merely stood by watching while Pollard went at the jail's glassblock with his nunchucks/chisel.

Now they're claiming Pollard was "in a fit of a rage." Now they're suggesting the guards had no choice but to stand down while he made his elaborate path to freedom. "Sometimes the strategy is to let people's adrenaline come down," Police Capt. Sam Dotson told the P-D.

Pardon our armchair quarterbacking, but that sounds like a really ****ty strategy to us. Isn't the whole point of having guards to stop prisoners from painstakingly chiseling man-sized holes into the jailhouse walls? Isn't the whole point of having a dozen or so guards on duty is that, if an inmate starts making a break for it, someone can call for backup, while someone else get on the other side of the ****ed man-sized hole? And someone else can get out the pepper spray already?

Really, isn't the whole point of jails to, yes, keep inmates confined -- nunchucks or no nunchucks?

Not so incidentally, Alderman Greg Carter is ****ed. He's scheduled a hearing. And we guarantee at that point, we won't be the only ones asking these very basic questions.

And somehow, at that point, we imagine that the argument that Lorenzo Pollard has superhuman ninja powers simply isn't going to cut it. A "fit of rage" might not be so great either. What about, simply, "we screwed up"?

NINJASTAR 2011 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=998)

GeneChing

10-05-2011, 09:22 AM

Ninja Man's case put off (http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20111005/news/news1.html)

http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20111005/news/images/NinjaManatCourtA20111004RM.jpg
Dancehall artiste Ninja Man entering the Half-Way Tree Courthouse after exiting a police vehicle yesterday. - Ricardo Makyn

The case involving veteran dancehall deejay Ninja Man and a fellow inmate was put off until October 19 when it was mentioned in court yesterday.

On the previous occasion, the accused, Kevin Maitland, had pleaded not guilty to the charge of unlawful wounding.

In a shocking twist of events, the deejay, whose real name is Desmond Ballentine, told the court that he did not wish to continue with the case.

However, Senior Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey then told him "unfortunately that is not your decision to make I have to see the medical first."

Previously, it was reported that Ninja Man was "knocked unconscious" by the accused at the Horizon Adult Remand Centre in Kingston.

Allegations are that on August 3, the deejay was walking to his cell when he was attacked.

It was reported that he was hit in the head with a stone that the accused had concealed in a sock.

On the last occasion, Ninja Man told the court that he was sure the accused was the person that knocked him unconscious. "Mi see him when him buss mi head, your Honour," he said.

At that time Maitland denied the allegations saying, "Your Honour, is a section with 48 man, an altercation was on the block, war between the whole block. Ninja Man dem throw water ina the TV and that cause the whole war."

Ninja Man, 45, has been in custody since 2009, and is awaiting trial for murder.
buss mi head. ya mon.

GeneChing

10-06-2011, 12:40 PM

Ninja (http://vimeo.com/29413609)
by Olivier Trudeau

NINJASTAR 2011 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=998)

GeneChing

10-10-2011, 09:49 AM

This is excellent. It gives me an excuse to review Puss. As a former fencer and a cat owner, I'm all about Puss. Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots - Debut Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG6Zd_htZv0)

Puss In Boots-Themed Fruit Ninja Sequel Out on October 20 (http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/223795/puss-in-boots-themed-fruit-ninja-sequel-out-on-october-20/)

Enjoy slicing fruit but craving a little more from the experience? Check out Halfbrick's movie tie-in sequel, due out later this month.

Pete Davison
by Pete Davison
October 10, 2011 04:40 AM PT

Movie tie-in games are usually, for one reason or another, terrible. Ironically, the best ones tend to be those which have very little to do with their source material since, as we have learned over the years, movies and games are two fundamentally different genres, whatever David Cage might think.

Here's a version of Fruit Ninja based on Puss in Boots.

Yes, that's right, Australian developer Halfbrick has created a new version of Fruit Ninja themed after "one of the most popular animated cats of all time" (DreamWorks' words) and will be unleashing it on the world on October 20, some eight days prior to said cat hitting the silver screen for his own movie.

The game features two new modes, known as Desperado and Bandito. Desperado is similar to the original game's Classic mode, but features "new magic beans and enhanced waves and scoring," according to Halfbrick. Bandito, meanwhile, is a brand new mode where players must work through four tiers of specific fruit-chopping based challenges. There'll also be a variety of unlockable items themed after the movie.

"The fun and adventure of the Puss in Boots world lends itself perfectly to the core gameplay of Fruit Ninja," said Phil Larsen, chief marketing officer at Halfbrick, and a man who obviously thinks Puss in Boots is a movie about chopping fruit while avoiding bombs. "We wanted to create something new and different for our fans while keeping the magic of Fruit Ninja intact, and we think Bandito Mode will keep even the most practiced players on their toes. It's totally rad!"

Someone willing to voluntarily use the words "it's totally rad" in public is surely someone who is confident in his product. Watch out for said product on October 20 -- it'll cost $.99 for iPhone and $1.99 for a shiny HD iPad version

Nice one, dcrjradmonish. I especially appreciate that you posted the ASL version. My submission for ninja theme song is Die Antwoord (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58359)'s Enter the Ninja.

NINJASTAR 2011 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=998)

Lucas

10-11-2011, 04:31 PM

my votes for die antwoord too!!

im trying to find a photographer...this year i want my shots to be of me scaling this old fort wall up on this volcano...something legit that could get my bones broken if i mess up!

GeneChing

10-12-2011, 09:07 AM

A Ninja "Trick or Treat" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTz3F90Cy3A)

GeneChing

10-12-2011, 02:56 PM

Ninjas vs Kittens at London Comic Con (http://blogs.coventrytelegraph.net/thegeekfiles/2011/10/ninjas-vs-kittens-at-london-co.html)
By David Bentley on Oct 12, 11 11:33 AM

http://blogs.coventrytelegraph.net/thegeekfiles/Ninjas%20vs%20Kittens%20T-shirt%20design.jpg
THE MYSTERIOUS assassins of the Far East take on the tiny teeth and claws of some ferocious furry foes in their latest battle.

Geek chic gurus at Genki Gear have unveiled a Ninjas vs Kittens design as the official T-shirt of next month's MCM Expo London Comic Con.

Created exclusively for the event, the limited edition garment will only be available on pre-order until October 20 at GenkiGear.com.

Available on both men's and women's T-shirts, the design can be collected either direct from the Genki Gear stall at the show itself or posted on to you following the October 28 official launch date.

MCM Expo London Comic Con is at Excel London, Royal Victoria Dock, from October 28 to 30. Tickets from the online store.

With all the potential graphics that could be used for Comic Con, ninjas vs. kittens? WTF? Oh well, it allows me to ttt our ninja thread here for NINJASTAR (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=998).

GeneChing

10-13-2011, 10:41 AM

Read The Chinese Origin of the Ninja - Just Where Did the Ninja Come From? (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1004) by Antony Cummins.

sanjuro_ronin

10-13-2011, 11:13 AM

Read The Chinese Origin of the Ninja - Just Where Did the Ninja Come From? (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1004) by Antony Cummins.

Interesting article but I would add two things:
On a serious note, the oldest recorded formalized "shinobi-n-jutsu" teachings belong to the Tenshin Shoden katori shinto ryu, one of the oldest bujutsu schools in Japan.
On a non-serious note:
Everyone knows that the ninja came from the Tanjian !!

GeneChing

10-19-2011, 02:09 PM

MONDAY, OCTOBER 11
Secret Invisible Ninjas Vandalize Playground Slide (http://oaklawn.patch.com/articles/police-blotter-secret-invisible-ninjas-vandalize-slide-earring-snatched-on-bus)

Police said gang graffiti was found scrawled on a slide at Covington Elementary School at 9130 S. 52nd Ave. around 8:50 a.m. The report said someone used black marker to write “3N3 Club” and “Secret Ninja Club Members are Secret and Invisible.” A five-point crown with the initials “LK” and a picture of a Playboy Bunny head were also found. A custodian cleaned off the slide.

"Secret Ninja Club Members are Secret and Invisible"?? Seriously???

NINJASTAR 2011 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=998)

GeneChing

10-24-2011, 09:45 AM

If they submitted this and could prove they were in Tiger Claw ninja gear, they'd totally get my vote for NINJASTAR 2011 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1004).

Ninja standing in front of sign that says ''Fight Me'' leads to unexpected situation (http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/217008/58/Ninja-standing-in-front-of-sign-that-says-Fight-Me)
11:37 AM, Oct 24, 2011

http://www.wtsp.com/images/640/360/2/assetpool/images/111024113633_ninja-fight-me.jpg
(CBS) - If a ninja is standing in front of a sign that says "Fight Me" and holding up a sword for you to take, you might want to take a moment and think it over before grabbing said sword. I'm sure some of these people wished they had.

The amusing video entitled "DARE TO FIGHT!?" was posted by YouTube user ImprovInToronto and, luckily for those who took the challenge, the ninja hoard that burst out to attack didn't appear to be deadly... this time.

DARE TO FIGHT!? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0t71cexWzvM)

Lucas

10-24-2011, 10:05 AM

more cool than cool!!

Punch.HeadButt

10-25-2011, 03:11 PM

This tickled me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t71cexWzvM

I don't have sound, but I enjoyed the beginning.

Punch.HeadButt

10-25-2011, 04:44 PM

I'm too slow. That is not ninja-like.

I must train.

GeneChing

10-26-2011, 11:22 AM

Mon, Oct 24 - 3:48 pm ET
prev Previous Post | Next Post next
Halloween Costume Guaranteed To Get You Laid: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (http://thegloss.com/fashion/halloween-costume-guaranteed-to-get-you-laid-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtle-975/)

http://cdn.thegloss.com/files/2011/10/michaelangelo.jpg

Do you know what’s absolutely universally beloved? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Do you know what’s a good plan for Halloween? Taking something universally beloved and sexifying it. No. Really. We’re letting you keep your integrity here! Sure, you’re out to get laid, but you’re also Michelangelo, the most creative and interesting of all of the turtles. Or, if you prefer, you can get a group of friends and stick them with the lame turtle costumes. But I think we all know that everyone will want to sleep with Michelangelo.

All available for $50!

You can reach this post's author, Jennifer Wright, on twitter or via e-mail at jennifer@thegloss.com.

Just add some Tiger Claw gear (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ninja-styles.html) and she's good to go for NinjaStar 2011 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=998).

GeneChing

10-31-2011, 09:29 AM

Wow. The Iga Ninja Festival. Maybe NINJASTAR (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=998) should be run in April...

Small-fry super spies (http://www.smh.com.au/travel/holiday-type/family/smallfry-super-spies-20111027-1mlpw.html)
October 30, 2011
http://images.smh.com.au/2011/10/28/2736433/ASwideJapan_20111028130037320432-420x0.jpg
Armed and curious ... children in their costumes. Photo: Reuters

Although his fellow enthusiasts are half his size, Stephen Phelan finds his inner warrior at the Iga Ninja Festival.

TO ARRIVE in Iga Ueno on the first Sunday in April is to feel like a stranger in ninjatown. This small city in the mountains, about two hours by train from Osaka, is supposedly the ancestral home of those fearsome feudal super-sneaks and master killers, whose name and reputation have spread across the world through movies, comic books and video games.

Here in Japan, ninjas are now something of a national myth, a slightly cartoonish composite of old folk tales and modern pop culture.
Advertisement: Story continues below
A boy and dog dressed as ninjas pose at a ninja festival in Iga,

http://images.smh.com.au/2011/10/28/2736413/AS353japan_20111028130151562499-200x0.jpg
Canine dress-ups. Photo: Reuters

This morning in Iga Ueno, however, it would be discourteous to dispute their existence. It's the opening day of the annual ninja festival and travel on public transport is free to anyone in costume. Connecting to the local loop line, I step on to a train brightly painted with ninja murals (designed by the famous Japanese manga artist Leiji Matsumoto) and find my carriage filled with muffled, hooded figures, all armed with swords and throwing stars.

Admittedly, their weapons appear to be made of soft foam or folded paper, and their outfits come in a range of colours - not just classic ninja black but purple, red, canary yellow, baby blue and a distinctly unthreatening shade of pink.

Also, very few of these mysterious commuters stand much over 120 centimetres tall. Apparently, only children take this occasion seriously enough to dress for it. The centre of town is overrun with excitable little death merchants, mostly around the 16th-century castle, where the moat and stone walls provide an ideal backdrop for springing mock assassinations on their parents.

As it happens, this sunny weekend also marks the beginning of cherry blossom season and the castle grounds are shaded by sakura trees, with families picnicking under the petals. Some have brought their dogs and these, too, are kitted out with hoods and swords.

Other festival activities include combat demonstrations at the Iga-ryu Ninja Museum (iganinja.jp/en). And life-size ninja mannequins have been positioned around town, staring blankly from the rooftops, peeking from behind telephone poles and lying under benches, more like modern drunks than mediaeval spies.

I spent much of my own childhood dreaming of this and resenting my parents for their failure to train me from birth in the lethal arts of the shadow warrior.

They permitted me to rent such silly yet illicit videos as Pray for Death and Revenge of the Ninja but drew the line at buying me the wicked-looking tools of the trade. "A ninja wouldn't whine like that," my father told me, twisting the knife. "The ninja is always adaptable."

Eventually, I accepted I would never be much more physically adroit than Winnie the Pooh but

I have never forgotten my early masters and have travelled the length and breadth of Japan to honour them.

Near Nagano, in the wooded alpine village of Togakushi, there is the Shinobi Karakuri Fushigi Yashiki (tinyurl.com/6hzamcf), or "ninja gimmickry wonder house". A maze of false floors, secret chambers and hidden passageways, it seemed kitsch and juvenile to me until

I got frantically lost inside for more than two hours and had to be rescued by an elderly attendant.

To the north, in Kanazawa, there is the so-called Ninjadera, a house and shrine that once belonged to the powerful local Maeda clan, who were not actually ninjas at all but devised such crafty and deadly defences that their home was recently renamed. Just adding the word "ninja" has proved a sure-fire way to bring in the tourists.

The word is, I am told by scholars, relatively new, "a product of the modern age and the entertainment industry". A guide at the museum in Iga Ueno, Kanako Murata, says the original clandestine operatives went by many different names and performed any number of functions. "Their chief role was to gather information," Murata says.

"Never to assassinate. In movies they are always killing people and viewers have come to believe these violent images. Our mission here is to tell them the truth."

This is the busiest time of the year at the museum, with long lines of visitors filing past their displays of old scrolls and rusty artefacts. The bulk of this material dates from the "warring states" period between the 15th and 17th centuries, when the rough terrain around Iga was rife with bandits, dissidents, ascetic mystics and rogue samurai, who all made their own contributions to ninja legend.

The exhibits make the case that the real shadow warriors were highly trained intelligence agents in the employ of rival warlords, rather than kung fu wizards who could vanish into mirrors and run across moonbeams on their tippy-toes.

If anyone is disappointed to hear this, they are soon distracted by the hourly combat show, by a troupe called the Ashuka. I have already suffered a fit of the giggles from reading this group's promotional poster, which proclaims in unfortunate English that their ninja forebears developed these skills while "living hidden on the backside of history". The show itself is a combination of martial arts, acrobatics, special effects and slapstick, with audience members invited to try their hand with a shuriken, or throwing star.

My first attempt goes into the dust, my second into netting at the back of the stage. My third strikes the edge of the target - not a killing blow, perhaps, but nasty enough to delight my childhood self and satisfy my inner ninja.

The streets of Iga Ueno are literally paved with ninjas, recast as friendly faced mascots and imprinted on manhole covers, bridges, buses and even fire engines. And local businesses are fairly upfront about the true purpose of the festival, having capitalised on this event since it started in 1964.

The Aikan-Tei noodle restaurant offers "ninja" udon and soba, and a ninja costume rental service on the side. The Miyazaki pickle shop sells "ninja" preserves.

I have no great hopes for the authenticity of the Murai Banko-en ninja cafe but owner Motoharu Murai claims a bona fide bloodline.

His grandfather was a ninja, he says, serving me brown tea and black sesame ice-cream in his courtyard garden. Then he disappears into a back room and bursts back out wearing a wig and firing a cap gun.

My shriek of fright is certainly un-ninja-like, and Muraimoto-san smiles to show he has taught me a valuable lesson. Further surprises follow, as he emerges in different disguises with more antique weapons from his arsenal - a pistol, a pike and a heavy iron rifle with ornate carvings on the barrel.

At last, out comes his grandfather's old katana.

"Dangerous," he warns, letting me heft the sword and telling me it has killed three people. As with most ninja stories, this is probably not true. But the blade feels very real.

The Iga Ninja Festival runs for five weeks from the first weekend in April, with events centred on the Iga-ryu Ninja Museum in Ueno Park, iganinja.jp/en. Jetstar flies to Osaka from Sydney, jetstar.com. Trains to Iga Ueno leave from Osaka Kansai airport.

GeneChing

11-01-2011, 09:28 AM

There's been a dearth of ninja news this year. I think they're all busy doing occupy protests.

01.11.2011
‘Ninja’ returns to court to appeal (http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2011/november/article/ninja-returns-to-court-to-appeal/)
By: WERNER MENGES

Paulus Shimweefeleni
THE man known as ‘Ninja’ was back in the High Court in Windhoek yesterday – more than twelve and a half years after he left the same court to start serving a life term of imprisonment.

He has become a changed man over the years that he has spent in prison, life termer Paulus Shimweefeleni told Judge Alfred Siboleka during his latest court appearance.
“I know and I regret what I’ve done, because I know what I’ve done was wrong,” he said. This is something he has come to learn over the years that he has been in prison, he added.
Under the name ‘Ninja’, Shimweefeleni was a notorious and feared armed robber in the mid to late 1990s. That was until his criminal career was brought to an end on February 23 1999, when he was sentenced in the High Court to life imprisonment for murder and a 22-year jail term for robbery with aggravating circumstances and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Yesterday, Shimweefeleni was back in the court where he was sentenced all those years ago. He now wants to appeal against the term of life imprisonment which he received from the then Judge President Johan Strydom.
Shimweefeleni, then 25 years old, and two co-accused were sentenced for robbing and murdering a young taxi driver in Windhoek in June 1997.
In November 1998, Shimweefeleni had also been sentenced to an effective 17 years’ imprisonment on other armed robbery charges.
“After being in prison I now understand,” Shimweefeleni told Judge Siboleka.
He said he was not asking the court to feel sorry for him, but a life term of imprisonment was just too long.
“Where I am now it’s just dark,” Shimweefeleni said. “I don’t know when I will be released, when I’ll get pardon from the president.”
He also told the judge: “For me to be in prison with a life sentence is like a death penalty.”
Shimweefeleni said he has been seriously ill since his sentencing, but is now receiving mediation which is treating his illness.
He added that it was also because of his state of health that he has taken so long to launch an appeal against his sentence.
Deputy Prosecutor General Antonia Verhoef told the court that the mere fact that someone is ill would not entitle the person to escape imprisonment. Shimweefeleni has not pointed out any irregularity that was committed when he was sentenced, or why the sentence should be considered inappropriate, she remarked.
Shimweefeleni’s complaint that he does not know when a term of life imprisonment would come to an end is something about which he should approach the Ombudsman for assistance, she advised. Life imprisonment is an administrative matter which the prison authorities have to deal with, she said.
Verhoef argued that Shimweefeleni does not have reasonable prospects of success with an appeal against his sentence.
Judge Siboleka reserved his judgement on the matter, after he had told Shimweefeleni that if he wants to apply to the court to condone the late filing of his appeal he should properly motivate such an application and might want to apply for legal aid first.

Taixuquan99

11-02-2011, 11:13 PM

There's been a dearth of ninja news this year. I think they're all busy doing occupy protests.

I think it may be that the last of the Michael Dudikoff wearing white ninja outfits in a grassy field ninjas must be retired by now, so it's mostly goth black wearing ninjas hanging out in dark places now. Much harder to spot. The eighties ninja was all about volume.

GeneChing

11-03-2011, 10:05 AM

White ninja suits rocked. Those were the days.

DEADLINE for entry in NINJASTAR 2011 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=998) is WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 9th, 2011, 6PM PST. That's next week.

Meanwhile in today's newsfeed...

Woman on edge after a man dressed as a ninja breaks into her home
Ninja sneaked into home (http://www.abc57.com/news/local/Woman-on-edge-after-man-in-Ninja-costume-breaks-into-home-133126418.html)
By Jaclyn Kelley - jkelley@abc57.com
Story Created: Nov 2, 2011 at 10:44 PM EDT
Story Updated: Nov 3, 2011 at 12:49 PM EDT

WALKERTON, Ind. – The Marshall County Police Department wants to find a man who broke into a woman's house wearing a ninja costume Tuesday morning.

The woman was at her home in the 1900 block of 4B Rd. in Walkerton, Ind.

The victim, who did not want to be identified, said it was so quiet at the time. She could hear the corn blowing in the wind, but that would soon change.

"I heard a loud noise on my metal roof and I thought it was just kids playing a prank or firecrackers,” said the victim.

The 57-year-old woman said what she heard next made her pick up the phone and call 9-1-1.

"I just heard the noise of glass breaking," said the victim.

A man somehow broke into the woman's closed porch. Then he broke a window leading into her dining room. He reached through the window, opened the latch and climbed in.

When she heard the burglar she quickly grabbed her phone and locked herself in her room, but that didn’t stop this thief. The woman told police the burglar actually picked the lock and barged through her bedroom door.

"I was screaming when he opened the door and I saw this man. A black ninja. He didn't say anything to me. He just stared. That was the longest stare I have ever had to encounter,” said the victim.

Seconds later she heard the dispatcher in her ear saying police were there. She says she yelled, "police are here!" Then she says that is when the ninja turned around and ran out of the house.

Now she is left wondering what could have happened if police had not arrived when they did.

"I had no idea what his intentions were. Was he there to scare me, kill me, steal stuff...what," said the victim.

The woman says she hopes her story will urge other women to be more careful when they are home alone. In the meantime, the woman says she is taking extra steps to keep her home from ninjas and anyone else who comes inside uninvited. The woman says she plans on installing an alarm system, getting a guard dog and getting a permit to carry a gun.

@PLUGO

11-16-2011, 06:39 PM

Dynamite Entertainment just announced their newest comic series 'The Ninjettes'

Ninjettes (http://www.craveonline.com/comics/previews/178197-dynamite-spins-off-qninjettesq)will be written by Al Ewing with artwork by Eman Casallos, and covers by Admira Wijaya and Johnny Desjardins.

Now all they need is the Nacho variant cover.

GeneChing

11-16-2011, 06:53 PM

I feel like I've been plagiarized. :mad:

OK, in all honesty, I plagiarized that idea from Sho Kosugi. :o

wiz cool c

11-20-2011, 12:00 AM

Oi, so what style do you do then? some **** like mega fist? chinese ninja boxing is an ancient style and i could waste you any day.

As for karate vs. ninja, who would win?

"There is no style more powerful than chinese ninja boxing, except that of the soul. The spirit of the samurai is indomitable"

karate vs ninja has been done ufc 3 steve jenum vs howard hareld. ninja won

GeneChing

01-12-2012, 11:32 AM

must... post... here...

January 12, 2012
The single greatest Amazon product review ever written (http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/03/the-single-greatest-amazon-product-review-ever-written/)
By Josh Peterson - The Daily Caller Published: 1:40 PM 01/03/2012 | Updated: 5:04 PM 01/03/2012

Lucas

01-12-2012, 11:45 AM

I
am
so
buying
one
of
those
!!!!!

GeneChing

03-05-2012, 10:41 AM

I guess that's not any weirder than the Iranian ninjettes (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63027)...:confused:

Mysterious ninjas attacking martial arts students (http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/03/05/mysterious-ninjas-attacking-martial-arts-students)
By Contributed
The Jakarta Post
Mon, 03/05/2012 - 9:37am

Police are in the process of gathering information linked to the attack by an unidentified group in ninja-like attire on teenage members of the Kera Sakti Indonesia silat (traditional martial art) school in Ngawi, East Java, Indonesia on Sunday morning.

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- The police are in the process of gathering information linked to the attack by an unidentified group in ninja-like attire on teenage members of the Kera Sakti Indonesia silat (traditional martial art) school in Ngawi, East Java, Indonesia on Sunday morning.

Ngawi Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Eddy Djunaedi said that police detectives were investigating the crime scene in search of evidence and questioning witnesses.

"We are investigating the motive of the attack," Eddy said as quoted by tempo.co on Sunday.

At least 10 members of the Kera Sakti School sustained injuries in the attack, four of whom were severely injured during the assaults that took place in two separate locations in the region; Kedungprahu village in Padas and Sekarputih village in Widodaren.

The pesilat were training when dozens of people wearing ninja attire assaulted them with sticks, bottles and stones.

GeneChing

04-24-2012, 09:55 AM

I would rock this if 1. the watch band was black (whoever heard of a blue ninja?) and 2. if it had a hidden garrote in it like Robert Shaw had in From Russia with Love.

This Watch Goes Ninja (http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/04/this-watch-goes-ninja/)
By Pradeep Chandrasekaran on 04/23/2012 12:24 PDT

http://cdn2.ubergizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ninja_02.jpg

As we know, everybody loves a ninja and this brand new watch goes by the name of Ninja Time. You will be happy to know however that unlike ninjas this watch will not go missing. The ninja that sits on your wrist might cause you to break out in laughter as it either tells you the time or shows you how cross-eyed it is. The ‘eye’ on the left indicates the hour while the one of the right indicates the minute. Besides that, the watch is as minimalistic as; you guessed it, a ninja.

With only the folds on the mask as well as the strap, the entire phone is made of molded plastic. The dials at the side of the device serving as not only the ninja’s ears but also time-setting buttons proffer a cute little extra on this essentials-only watch. The watch that was designed by Andy Kurovets comes in a variety of colors and is in the final stages before its release for sale to the public and for now there has been no official word on its pricing or availability yet.

GeneChing

06-14-2012, 08:58 AM

We would have to secure ninjastar (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61986).ninja.

Internet adding many domains, ICANN says (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/06/14/BU9E1P1AL7.DTL)
Casey Newton
Thursday, June 14, 2012

The most famous domains on the Web are getting some dot-competition.

The URLs we have typed into our browsers since we first connected to the Internet - .com, .net, .org - could soon be joined by .google, .amazon and even .porn.

It's part of a significant expansion in what are known as top-level domains initiated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, a nonprofit group that oversees domain names. ICANN released a list Wednesday of the 1,930 applications it received for new top-level domains after soliciting proposals in January.

ICANN says the move will unleash new creative potential on the Web and benefit consumers. But the expansion has met with stiff criticism from some business leaders and the U.S. government, which assert that adding hundreds of top-level domains will result in confusion for Web surfers and agony for holders of trademarks and copyrights. Others suggest the move will effectively privatize the Internet.

"It is our fundamental obligation to increase competition and consumer choice, and to foster innovation, and this program delivers on that," said Rod Beckstrom, ICANN CEO, at a news conference in London.

But trademark attorneys have been counseling clients on how to respond to the profusion of new domains, which could create confusion in the marketplace. Cyber-squatting - the practice of purchasing domain names of popular terms in hopes of reselling them at a premium - is expected to increase.

"You've got over 1,900 new (domains) that are being applied for," said Scott Bain, litigation counsel for the Software & Information Industry Association, a trade group that has expressed concern over the domain expansion.

"They could take registrations on unlimited variations of trademarked names. Or they could have websites selling content without the authorization of the content owner. It just multiplies exponentially the cyber-squatting that already occurs with dot-com."

Other trademark attorneys said that the list of released names appears to show less potential for dispute than had been predicted. There were no examples of third parties attempting to register domains for brands they were not associated with - a .coke or .pepsi, for example. (Neither soft-drink company sought to register a domain for itself.)

"To the extent brand-name owners have filed for their brand names, it looks to me like they don't have any competition for their own brands," said Katherine Basile, a trademark attorney with Novak Druce + Quigg.

But many companies, including some in the Bay Area, are seeking to lock up the rights to what could become lucrative channels for marketing, customer service and more whimsical endeavors.

Google applied for 101 domains, including many referring to its products (.android, .youtube, .plus) and some that the company said had "creative potential" (.dog, .wow, .lol). Apple took a more conservative approach, applying for only .apple.

Safeway in Pleasanton was one of two applicants for .grocery, along with Walmart. In cases where multiple parties have attempted to register a domain - and there are 230 such cases on the list ICANN released - the domain will likely be sold to the highest bidder.

There are now 21 generic top-level domains, led by .com, and 280 country-code domains such as .uk for the United Kingdom. ICANN has introduced generic suffixes such as .jobs and .mobi in previous years, with none of them achieving registrations comparable with .com.

Becoming the registrar of a top-level domain isn't cheap. Each proposal cost the applicant $185,000, and maintaining the service will cost $25,000 annually.

It remains to be seen whether companies will be able to profit from their investments. The expansion of domains comes at a time when Web surfing is on the decline, as people spend more time using social networks and smart-phone applications.

But advocates of the changes say the domains could be lucrative. Neustar, an Internet services company that managed more than 350 applications for the domains, says successful applicants will profit by selling registrations on the domain along with consulting and marketing services around the purchase.

"It really is a once-in-a-generation opportunity," said Alex Berry, vice president and general manager enterprise services for Neustar.

Critics, including the Association of National Advertisers, say companies that have no interest in domain names face pressure to apply to prevent their brands from falling into the wrong hands.

ICANN will allow trademark owners and others to file objections to the proposed domain names, and will begin evaluating applicants next month based on technical and other requirements, according to the group's website. The first approved domains may be ready early next year, while others may take longer.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission in December said a proliferation of suffixes may create opportunities for fraud. ICANN should introduce the expansion as a pilot program and reduce the number of domains created, the FTC said.

"What ICANN is doing seems to us to have very little competitive benefit and a lot of cost to consumers in terms of easier ways for malefactors to engage in fraud," FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said this month.

Bloomberg News contributed to this report.

Internet domains

Besides .com, there are already 20 other top-level domains in use. But about half of Internet traffic goes through .com sites.

In the new list of desired domains released Wednesday, Google applied for 101 Web suffixes. Microsoft applied for 11. Apple for just one - .apple. Facebook, Groupon, Twitter and Zynga made no applications.

Among the domains requested are:

-- .beer

-- .bingo

-- .catholic

-- .christmas

-- .coffee

-- .gay

-- .gripe

-- .guru

-- .hiv

-- .ketchup

-- .lol

-- .ninja

-- .party

-- .pizza

-- .porn

-- .rich

-- .rip

-- .sex

-- .shiksa

-- .yoga

Casey Newton is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: cnewton@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @CaseyNewton

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/06/13/BU9E1P1AL7.DTL&ao=2#ixzz1xmeFJHqR

Lucas

06-14-2012, 09:11 AM

I would rock this if 1. the watch band was black (whoever heard of a blue ninja?) and 2. if it had a hidden garrote in it like Robert Shaw had in From Russia with Love.

in the second paragraph they refer to it as a phone. is it also a phone or did they just royally mess that up?

GeneChing

09-17-2012, 09:36 AM

Two new kid ninja TV shows premiering this fall:
9th Grade Ninja (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1188134) on Disney XD
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1187455#post1187455) (4th TMNT TV series) on Nick

Also, for UK ninjas looking for employment, see below:

Cinema ninjas dispatch yapping, phone-using movie goers (http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57514156-1/cinema-ninjas-dispatch-yapping-phone-using-movie-goers/)

Obnoxious movie patrons versus ninjas? My money is on the ninjas. A London cinema has raised an army of them to quiet rude customers.
by Amanda Kooser
September 17, 2012 9:13 AM PDT

http://asset0.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/09/17/ninja_610x359.jpg
Beware the cinema ninja.
(Credit: Prince Charles Cinema)

When I'm in a theater in the midst of a gripping, dramatic film and I see the telltale glow of someone's cell phone, I feel like rising up out of my seat, tiptoeing silently through the aisles, and using my mad ninja skills to silence the offender.

The Prince Charles Cinema in London is way ahead of me. Movie patrons who can't shut up or can't resist the temptation of a text message will get a visit from a black body suit-wearing volunteer ninja.

There are no nunchucks or ninja stars, but the face-hiding suits should strike enough terror in the violators' hearts to get them back in line.

The suits are provided by Morphsuits. The Lycra creations hug the body and hide the face and head completely, simultaneously leaving both little and all to the imagination.

If the ninjas work out well, perhaps movie theaters could also experiment with zombies, vampires, and werewolves. Then we'll get the inevitable epic film adaptation: "Ninjas vs. Zombies vs. Vampires vs. Werewolves vs. Frank, the Jerk who Answers his Cell Phone During a Movie."

GeneChing

10-12-2012, 10:29 AM

This had to be posted here for the term 'Booty-Call Ninjas' alone.

Woman charged, man sought in ‘Booty-Call Ninja’ attack (http://www.suntimes.com/news/6020161-418/woman-charged-man-sought-in-booty-call-ninja-attack.html)
By Brian Stanley Sun-Times Media bstanley@stmedianetwork.com June 17, 2011 5:44PM
Updated: June 18, 2011 5:29PM

Call it the case of the “Booty-Call Ninjas.”

A Joliet man told police he was attacked by two people weilding nunchuks and throwing stars after he showed up for what he thought would be a sexual rendezvous with his ex-girlfriend.

The 44-year-old man called police after getting jumped around 1:15 a.m. in the alley off the 300 block of Youngs Avenue. He said he had called his ex-girlfriend and asked her to come over for sex, and she agreed.

A short time later, Katherine M. Casarez, 29, texted the victim that she was in a nearby alley, police said.

As the man walked to Casarez’s car, a masked man jumped out and hit him in the head with nunchuks, police said. Casarez then grabbed nunchuks of her own and hit the man on the head with them as well.

While investigating the crime scene, police found two throwing stars, including one stuck into a telephone poll.

Casarez, of Joliet, was charged with aggravated domestic battery, aggravated battery, unlawful use of a weapon and armed violence. Police were also seeking a 34-year-old Joliet man for questioning.

Sadly, we will not be running our NINJASTAR contest this year. We had a good initial two-year run (2009 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55662), 2010 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59037)), but the dearth of entries last year will make the third year (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62375) the final one. :(

GeneChing

10-18-2012, 09:58 AM

I love that the center pig on the cover has the yellow w/black racing stripes (http://www.martialartsmart.com/95-034.html).

‘Three Ninja Pigs’: one cute story (http://www.nj.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2012/10/three_ninja_pigs_one_cute_stor.html)
Jacqueline Cutler By Jacqueline Cutler
on October 18, 2012 at 12:12 PM, updated October 18, 2012 at 12:21 PM
http://media.nj.com/entertainment_impact_arts/photo/11723824-large.jpgr

One of the fallacies of publishing is that anyone can write a children’s book because they are so easy to do.

In many ways, they are easier than books for adults.

But I would still argue that just because someone has read “Goodnight Moon” about a few million times – or so it seems by the time the kids are ready to finally say good night to the old lady in the chair – that does not translate to writing a good children’s book.

The other fallacy is that all one need do is borrow a chestnut of a story; one that is in the public domain, and put a spin on it.

That’s what Corey Rosen Schwartz of Warren does in “The Three Ninja Pigs.” Yet this picture book, illustrated by Dan Santat, works because it is really sweet and cute.

It’s the same old big bad wolf story, and he’s going around huffing and puffing, as big bad wolves are wont to do. But three siblings have quite enough of his behavior thank you, and decide to stop him by studying martial arts. The two brothers aren’t keen on practice, but the sister is highly dedicated.

Eventually, it comes down to a fight between the sister and the wolf:

“The chase carried on to their sister’s
“Pig Three was outside in her gi
“’I’m a certified weapon,
“so watch where you’re steppin’.
“You don’t want to start up with me!”

The Penguin Young Readers book, aimed at 5-to-8-year-olds and selling for $16.99, is a fun read for children and parents, and could even help get that reluctant karate kid back to the studio.

GeneChing

12-26-2012, 04:28 PM

SJSU is my alma mater...:o

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Steven Hayward in Green Weenie Award
Green Weenie of the Week: The Green Ninja (http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/12/green-weenie-of-the-week-the-green-ninja.php)

First there was Captain Planet. Then there was EcoKat from Kansas State University. Remember her? Well now there’s the Green Ninja from San Jose State University. You’ll be pleased to know that this project was supported by . . . taxpayers. Naturally.

The project has received a $390,000 grant from NASA to support professional development for teachers, and $20,000 from PG&E to pilot an energy reduction contest for Santa Clara County middle schoolers.

Green Ninja channel on YouTube. (http://www.youtube.com/user/GreenNinjaTV?feature=watch)

GeneChing

01-11-2013, 02:36 PM

Wait, couldn't you always rent ninjas? They are assassins for hire, right? ;)

You Can Now Rent Ninja in Japan. They’re Not Deadly. (http://kotaku.com/5975103/you-can-now-rent-ninja-in-japan-theyre-not-deadly)
Brian Ashcraft
Well, it's about friggin' time! Starting this month, a new service will deliver ninja on the time and to the place of your choosing. The name of this new service? Why, Ninja Delivery. So clever.

Don't expect these on-demand ninja to climb walls and assassinate enemies. But who cares when ninja are only a phone call away?

There are, of course, the historical ninja (the real ninja) and the ninja of popular imagination. This service caters to the latter.

Currently, there are only three types of ninja available for hire, reports IT Media. Prices depend on what you have in mind for these folks in black pajamas.

Ninja Delivery makes it very clear that you cannot order ninja to commit criminal acts (larceny, destruction, or violence). Also, the service does not cover ninjutsu for hire. Instead, Ninja Delivery says things like corporate events or parties are more up its alley as well as surprises for children or a loved one. What better way to say I love you than with a ninja?

You Can Now Rent Ninja in Japan. They're Not Deadly.
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18b5q0z1unokijpg/xlarge.jpg

Don't think of this as only getting people in outfits and not deadly ninja. You are getting party ninja.
Ninja Delivery (http://www.ninja-deli.com/)

@PLUGO

02-06-2013, 05:59 PM

In order to prevent having explosives manufacturing technology stolen by enemies, this typical ninja house (http://iganinja.jp/en/) had protections such as set traps and fake hallways. The ninja house is a simple farm dwelling, but has surprises, escape routes, hidden doors, places to hide swords, and the above traps and trickery.

GeneChing

06-10-2013, 10:46 AM

I was hoping for a lot more from a con with this title.

There's a vid, but that's also a let-down.

This needs a real ninja flash mob to raid them. ;)

Los Angeles' Ninja-Con convention brings surprises (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_23420714/los-angeles-ninja-con-convention-brings-surprises)
By Zen Vuong, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/08/2013 07:34:36 PM PDT
Updated: 06/08/2013 07:43:12 PM PDT

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site206/2013/0608/20130608__PSN-L-NINJACON~p2.jpg
Photos by Keith Birmingham â staff photographer (Keith Birmingham)
Gallery Ninja-con At The Japanese American Cultural & Community Center

LOS ANGELES - Rather than crowding Toys R Us stores, many kids who "don't wanna grow up" have become fanboys of Japanese animation, comics and video games, said the sponsor of a small, new convention in Little Tokyo.

About 200 people attended Ninja-Con, a three-venue event at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, Anime Jungle and the Miyako Hotel. While some wore T-shirts and jeans, others were dressed in full "cosplay" attire, meaning they
Ninja-con goers play video games during Ninja-con featuring anime, cosplay, video games and fashion at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center on Saturday, June 8, 2013 in Los Angeles. (Keith Birmingham/Pasadena Star-News) (Keith Birmingham)
were outfitted as anime, comic book, movie or video game characters.

"I notice a very close-knit community," said Stefanie Warner, the CEO of Creative Chimera, the nonprofit who helped host the convention. "A lot of kids that would normally not be social have a way to be social, and I notice that the cosplay is a way to get out of their shell. They don't feel so shy, so scared."

Many in this community recognize the stereotypic perception people have of them. Oscar Andrade, a 22-year-old Bell resident, said people who are big fans of anime, cosplay or comic books have a tendency to live a "vampire lifestyle" and are "shut-ins," but he said not everyone in this subculture is introverted.

"We're regular people that just like to have fun in a safe, comfortable environment," he said, an appropriate statement for a man wearing a "Ghostbusters" T-shirt. "We're just little kids. We get along with other people just fine."

Japanese, Chinese, Hispanics, whites and blacks played video games such as Mortal Kombat 9 and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Others played card games like Tentacle Bento, whose objective is to "capture" girls before the school year ends. Girls in this stack of cards come in four types: sexy, cute, sporty and smart.

At the convention, the people in cosplay -- Pokemon, Edward Scissorhands, Link from "Zelda," and characters from popular anime series -- turned heads and were often stopped for photos.

Ana Menjivar, who lives in Los Angeles, wore a bright pink wig and a maid costume from "High School of the Dead," an anime.

"Some outfits can be sexual and people that don't get anime might get it as the girls are being ****s or guys are being ****s," said Menjivar, 20. "But for 'otakus' (zealous fans of anime and manga), it's you look great. Your
Homemade jars were among items for sale at Ninja-con at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center on Saturday. (Keith Birmingham)
costume is amazing! Nothing sexual."

Danny "D-Boy" Gonzales, the 29-year-old founder of Ninja-con, said the inaugural convention sets up a storytelling platform for artists who are usually forced into the peripheral at large conventions such as Anime Los Angeles and Comic-Con International: San Diego. He partnered with Stefanie Warner, 28, to create a welcoming community for youngsters and people on a budget because while Comic-Con tickets are more than $100 each, Ninja-Con tickets cost $25.

Conventions "are just getting pricier and pricier," said Warner, who lives in Tujunga. "A lot of the fans have voiced that. They just can't pay for the airfare or the travel or the hotel."

As a theater director and someone who was an otaku in her teens, Warner said the anime, manga, comic book and cosplay subculture provides young folks with an avenue in which to develop their natural talents.

"I notice the elements of that creativity being applied at such a young age, and it leads to better careers," she said. "A lot of kids start with drawing fan art, and then they move to actually doing fine arts. So it's a great thing."

The eclectic event included Japanese songs, English-Japanese voice-over, a cosplay fashion show, and rap music. Though this crowd of self-proclaimed otakus might be seen as underground, some aspects of their lifestyle have transitioned into the mainstream: Gwen Stefani's "Harajuku Girls," tokidoki, Uglydoll and Munnyworld, to name a few.

Cosplay is a misunderstood lifestyle, said Ryan Almaro, 21. He has been doing it for two years, and on Saturday, he dressed as Avatar, a headstrong female protagonist, from Nickelodeon's "The Legend of Korra." He wanted to exercise his acting skills by playing a female character, he said.

Even though he was in full gear, he said he toned down the acting because he didn't want to be "obnoxious."

"A lot of fans take their costume out to the mall," said Almaro, who drove from San Diego to perform at one of the convention's dubbed shows. People "will look at you funny. Depending on how you act -- jumping on tables and acting as your character -- it can give a negative impression of cosplay as a whole."

Cosplay can be perceived as cross-dressing: Boys become female characters and girls don masculine costumes. But Jocelyn Alcazar said cosplay has no relation to LA PRIDE, which takes place in West Hollywood this weekend.

"It transcends genders," said Alcazar, who has spent as much as three hours to look perfect in her costumes. "It's about expressing your fandom. You have to love your characters to wear leggings, to bind your chest. It's harder than it looks."

GeneChing

06-19-2013, 10:10 AM

I totally want to go.

Japan: Ninja Village offers activities for all ages (http://www.stripes.com/military-life/japan-ninja-village-offers-activities-for-all-ages-1.225723)
By Matthew M. Burke
Stars and Stripes

Published: June 14, 2013
http://www.stripes.com/polopoly_fs/1.225724.1371148732!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_240/image.jpg
A ninja at Hizen Yume Kaido, also known as ninja village, in Ureshino, Japan, strikes a pose after luring another ninja into a trap house where he was defeated.

Hizen Yume Kaido, also known as Ninja Village, is nirvana for a kid — or any adult who is still a kid at heart.

The ninja-themed park, located about 45 minutes east of Sasebo Naval Base by car in Ureshino, is a marvel where visitors can toss throwing stars, shoot wooden arrows and get lost in tunnels and maze houses, all under the watchful eye of a handful of stealthy assassins who roam the park.

The village is one of the more interesting theme parks one might find. It doesn’t even matter that the park is in slight disrepair after many years of use; that only adds to its charm. The park overlooks green tea fields and offers traditional Japanese architecture and quiet seclusion.

The park opened in 1990 as a Japanese garden for customers of a nearby ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel). The garden was a sprawling re-creation of an Edo-era road from Nagasaki to Kitakyushu and had various attractions for the hotel guests, from museum displays of period dress and artifacts to pottery kilns.

But the park changed hands and was eventually picked up 11 years ago by a shadowy group whose aim was to keep the traditions and spirit of the ninja alive. They left the park mostly as it was then, which can be kind of creepy but also really cool, and took over a few buildings where children can rent ninja outfits, get their fortune told and attend a ninja show where ninjas battle in a trap house (once per day on weekends at 1 p.m.).

The park’s main attraction is Chibikko Ninja Academy for children, a two-hour class where children ages 4-7 dress up and learn what it takes to become a ninja. They watch ninja performances and learn how to throw shuriken (ninja throwing stars) and shoot blow darts. At the end, the children receive a ninja certificate.

The academy is held Saturdays, Sundays, on Japanese national holidays and during school holidays. It costs 3,000 yen to participate, and the price includes entrance to the park. Advance reservations via the park’s website or phone are necessary.

The park also features free street performances, which are popular among adult visitors, pottery making and painting, traditional Japanese festival games and even a Japanese haunted house for kids age 4 and older.

The fee for entry varies based on what you want to do but can start as low as 1,000 yen for adults, 800 yen for junior high school students and 500 yen for children age 4 and older; pets enter for free. You can pay for individual things as you prefer — throwing ninja stars costs 300 yen per game. All-inclusive passes are also available for an additional fee.

If you are lucky, you might bump into an apple-slicing ninja named Tsurugi Genzo. Genzo is the leader of the park’s ninjas. In July 2012, during his fifth attempt, he sliced through 28 apples in a minute, having to toss them in the air himself, take his samurai sword out of its sheath while it was in the air, cut the apple in two, and sheath his sword before picking up another. He holds the Guinness World Record for the feat.

The ninjas were kind and very welcoming. Throwing the ninja stars was the highlight for me. I even purchased a few to practice on my own. The park’s only drawback is that some of it is in disrepair. But that made it special. It isn’t so much a ninja park, but a park with ninjas in it.

In July, the park is adding horses and will offer riding lessons. Visitors can also feed the animals.

Who needs to patch an outer wall or replace a fraying carpet when throwing stars and horses await?

To see Genzo take the world record, visit tinyurl.com/qg69pkq.

burke.matt@stripes.com

Stars and Stripes reporter Hana Kusumoto contributed to this report.

Directions
From Sasebo, take the Nishi Kyushu expressway toward Nagasaki expressway. At Takeo Junction, go right towards Ureshino and Nagasaki city. Get off at the Ureshino Interchange exit. Then turn left onto Route 1. Turn right at Miyuki Koen (park) intersection and follow Route 1 for about 300 meters, then you should see Ninja Village.

Times
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily

Costs
The entrance fee for Ninja Village varies depending on the course. The Ashigaru course, which just includes the entrance fee, is 1,000 yen for adults, 800 yen for junior high and high school students and 500 yen for children four years of age and older (pets can enter for free).

The Tonosama course, which includes the entrance fee and a free pass that can be used for the majority of attractions, costs 2,500 yen for adults, 2,200 yen for junior high and high school students and 1,800 yen for children four years of age and older. Ninja costumes that visitors can rent in the park are free on weekdays (excluding holidays and Japanese Golden Week) with this course.

Visitors have many other options for activities, shows, costume rentals and games. Prices vary.

There are also various mazes that visitors can experience for free.

Food
A small store on site sells beverages and snacks.

Information
Web: www.hizenyumekaidou.info (in Japanese)

GeneChing

06-19-2013, 10:14 AM

Tell me this isn't trending. And we killed NinjaStar last year (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61986)? :o

Toei Kyoto Studio Park turns to ninja, samurai to save the day (http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/fun_spots/AJ201306150040)
June 15, 2013
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

KYOTO--Just like in the movies, with the Toei Kyoto Studio Park on the ropes, it turned to some familiar forces to turn the tide of battle: ninja and samurai.

Home to replicas of traditional buildings used for period films and dramas, the movie theme park had been suffering from declining attendance after one large amusement park after another opened. The 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake also dealt the park a severe blow.

But the park is now attracting children and foreign tourists, thanks to its focus on its favorite attractions.

At the park on a recent day, stealthy ninjas on a mission to infiltrate a samurai residence crawled on hands and knees. Suddenly an alarm sounded.

"No!" the chagrined children in ninja costumed exclaimed as wooden bird clappers made clanging sounds. The kids were playing the roles of covert agents of the feudal time on a mission to infiltrate a samurai residence. But the alarm was set off when they touched the ropes running around the house--meaning that they were detected by the "enemy."

The facility is the Ninja Shugyo Dojo (ninja training center), which opened in March. It offers visitors a chance to experience some ninja skills such as castle wall climbing and log crossing. It has become so popular that during the recent spring Golden Week holiday season, that long lines meant waits of up to 80 minutes.

"I became a ninja, which was something I wanted to do. I want to come again," said Hayate Konishi, a 12-year-old first-year junior high school student from Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture.

It was in or around 2009 when Toei Co. president Yusuke Okada called for a need to initiate discussions to revamp the Toei Kyoto Studio Park, which was suffering from low visitor numbers. The film studio is the parent company of a subsidiary that operates the park.

What they kept in mind was how to promote the park and draw the interest of children and foreign tourists. As they conducted extensive market research, they found out that Japanese comics and animation featuring young ninja had become widely popular at home and abroad. "Sasuke," a Japanese sports entertainment show in which competitors take on obstacle courses, had also been gaining popularity outside Japan as "Ninja Warrior."

In the end, they learned how competitive ninja could be.

In 2011, the park operator started removing three studio buildings open for public viewing of on-location shootings of samurai dramas. With about 3 billion yen ($29.9 million)--one of the largest expenditures in its history--the company built new attractions in a vacant lot measuring about 10,000 square meters, including the Karakuri Ninja Yashiki (ninja trick house), where visitors must find secret routes to escape; the Dojo (training center), where they can learn how to throw ninja stars; and the Kashidashi-dokoro costume rental house, where they can suit up as ninja.

"What we aimed for was a premise where visitors can act like ninja, not one that offers virtual reality experience like movies and video games," said Norihiro Yamaguchi, 52, head of the planning and production department of Toei Kyoto Studio Co.

The official website is also promoting the park in multiple languages including English and Chinese, saying that visitors can enjoy the old Japan with ninja shows, and that they can have their pictures taken in ninja costumes.

"I was impressed by how ninja from a movie I saw a long time ago placed importance on integrity," said a 23-year-old visitor from Switzerland. "I want to know more about ninja and Japan."

But ninja is not the only attraction the park operator introduced. The company also holds live samurai shows on a daily basis, with actors dressed as feudal warriors showing visitors how to perform sword-fighting tricks. It also increased the number of staff members dressed as young girls in kimono and samurai who will pose for photo shoots with visitors.

The park operator was hoping that the revamp would make visitors feel like they had traveled back in time to the Edo Period (1603-1867) and were not simply visiting location sites.

Its efforts gradually started to show positive results. The number of visitors stood at about 700,000 in business year 2010, but it reached 790,000 in 2011 and 830,000 in 2012.

The Toei Kyoto Studio Park opened in 1975. It was the year when Toei started producing the period drama series "Toyama no Kin-san" starring Ryotaro Sugi at Toei Studios Kyoto, which stood next to the theme park.

At the time, period dramas were in their heyday. Visitors to the park could observe productions of "Mito Komon," "Abarenbo Shogun" and other popular shows on outdoor sets. About 2 million people visited the theme park every year.

But the number of visitors started to drop after the peak year of 1982, when it drew 2.6 million people.

Then Tokyo Disneyland opened in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, in 1983. And a new law concerning the development of resort areas in 1987 accelerated moves to build theme parks across Japan. People were drawn to thrill rides and interactive attractions.

Many students on school trips, who made up a majority of the visitors, shunned the Keihanshin region in the aftermath of the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995.

Then came Universal Studios Japan, which opened in Osaka in 2001. The number of annual visitors fell below 1 million within a few years.

"What the renovated facilities have in common is that they are set to rediscover their original charms and present them in new forms," said Nobuo Ide, a head researcher at Yoka Sangyo Kenkyujo, a private research institute specializing in the recreational industry.

He also mentioned that Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise suffered from low attendance after it stepped up efforts to implement thrill rides. But the seaside aquatic park attracted public attention this spring when it opened the Umi Farm interactive aquarium, where visitors can enjoy various activities in the sea and learn about the ocean.

"The fact that it went back to its origin, 'sea,' won popularity. It can be said that the movie park took a page out of its playbook when it came to working out its strategy to focus on ninja to redefine the charm of period dramas," the researcher said.

(This article was written by Masaomi Ogawa and Ami Nomura.)

GeneChing

07-02-2013, 05:24 PM

Paris to welcome ninja performers at Japan Expo 2013 (http://japandailypress.com/paris-to-welcome-ninja-performers-at-japan-expo-2013-0231581)
Posted on July 2, 2013 by Faith Aquino in Entertainment

http://cdn.japandailypress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Ninja_to_take_the_stage_in_Paris_-_AJW_by_The_Asahi_Shimbun-280x175.jpg

Not the typical venue for action-driven ninjas, but Paris will be expecting a number of ninjas to perform at the Japan Expo this year. The Ashura Ninja Clan, based from the city of Iga in Mie Prefecture, will have five members to demonstrate ninja skills at the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center from July 4 to 7.

Ashura, named after the god of war, is a well-known group of ninjas in Japan, as well as in other countries. The members have already performed in other countries like China, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States. Their show in Washington D.C. back in April last year was a success and gained them popularity. The five members’ appearance in Paris will be their first time to perform together.

The Japan Expo has been an annual even in the romantic capital since 2000, and featured Samurai culture in 2012. Buke-Bunka Kenkyukai, a Nagoya-based study group, was responsible for bringing Samurai performers and craftsmen during the expo. With the reception received last year, the organizer of the convention has requested them to also “send ninja.”

Ninja culture will also be featured in this year’s Japan Expo. The five members of Ashura will have three main performances in the main venue, where as many as 15,000 people can attend. The group will also have four small performances in a venue where about 400 people can watch. Those who want to attend the Japan Expo this year can expect the ninja perform using ninja weapons like kama (sickle), kumade (ninja-rakes), and shuriken (throwing knives). “We want to show how skillful ninja are by performing shows no one has ever seen,” promised Kazuki Ukita, a 53-year old representative of the Ashura Ninja Clan.
"performing shows no one has ever seen"? Shouldn't ninjas, by definition, be invisible? :rolleyes:

GeneChing

07-02-2013, 05:30 PM

...a ninja musical....wait...what? :confused:

Ninja Katie Wilbert (Photos) (http://www.examiner.com/article/ninja-katie-wilbert)

Performing Arts
June 30, 2013
By: Andrea Kittelson
http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/9c/44/9c44b79437ae23d2cd3e668f9b76d977.jpg?itok=kgyBneeN
Katie Wilbert's one-woman play "This Life Chose Me: A Ninja Musical" plays July 14 at iO West and August 5-17 in Edinburgh.Katie Wilbert's one-woman play "This Life Chose Me: A Ninja Musical" plays July 14 at iO West and August 5-17 in Edinburgh.

Every so often you meet a real-life ninja -- one who boasts multiple talents and is completely fearless. Katie Wilbert is one such ninja. Wilbert is presenting the ninja musical she wrote as part of the Solo Performance class at iO West Sunday, July 14 on the iO West Main Stage, and again August 5-17 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland where ninjas especially reign.

Here is Ninja Katie in action, artfully handling an amass of questions, some of them kooky:

AK: When did you first know you wanted to perform for a living?

NK: You know, I really grew up knowing from a young age that I loved performing and I guess I never really considered anything else as a real alternative. I wondered if perhaps I couldn't be a baker or party planner or psychologist, but anytime I tried to switch my energy over to some other field, I'd find myself procrastinating by writing songs, or making youtube videos or creating comedic characters. I think it's a desire that was just built into my DNA, because no matter what I try, my heart always brings me back to performing, whatever the avenue.

AK: What is your favorite word to sing?

NK: You know, no one has ever asked me what my favorite WORD to sing is. LOL -- I like that. I really like singing longer more syllabic words. I like the challenge of having to bend them into my songs to make them sound right melodic. In my ninja musical I do that a lot. I'm really picky about the words I use, and if I land on something that explains what I'm thinking or feeling perfectly, even if it doesn't initially rhythmically flow, I'm determined to make it work. In my song "Hero's Life" I sing words like "all sorts of corrupt politicians." It's wordy -- that one sentence alone, but I like the challenge of making things work. Because to me the lyrics are the meat of a song. That's where all the good stuff is.

AK: Which of your family members is the most theatrical?

NK: Aside from myself I'd have to say that my Father, Tom, is the most theatrical in our family. However, his theatrics involve danger and adventure sporting. He's participated in an Iron Man Triathlon; he convinced my whole family to skydive; and he's now a professional motorcycle racer. [Motorcycle racing] was always his dream, and at 50 he will be racing with the big boys this summer at Laguna Seca Moto GP in the AMA division. I'm sure my father would deny he's theatrical at all, but he likes entertaining people through sports, and I've got to say, he's secretly one goofy dude.

AK: From where/whom to you get your confidence?

NK: I definitely get my confidence from my parents. My mother is this total super human who can do anything and everything. She's tried her hand at every profession, and she's legitimately good at all of them. I think this is due to her confidence. She can complete any given task. I've watched her multi-task and say "yes" to so many things over the years, so surely I get my confidence for trying new things from her. My father, as I've mentioned, is a real dare-devil-go-getter. He's just not afraid to try anything! For as long as I can remember he's told me that if I want something bad enough and I work hard, I can truly achieve anything. He's right. I never would have imagined that at 22 I'd have written my own one-woman musical and be taking it to the biggest arts festival in the world. I attribute to my parents the self confidence to believe that I could ever do something as crazy as this.

AK: What do you hope/expect the Edinburgh Festival to be like?

NK: Ha! To be honest I'm still not even sure what I've gotten myself into. Bringing my solo show to Fringe means that I am doing all the marketing, publicity, tech, etc on my own. Something I've never done before. It's been a wild ride and I've learned so much already. For me going to Edinburgh is primarily about the experience and opportunity of taking something I've created and showcasing it to other people who love theater. Would I love to sell out all the shows? Absolutely, yes. But for me, it's more about hearing people laugh and enjoy themselves. That's why I perform at the end of the day, to share an experience with people. Plus, I'm stoked to see the other shows and meet new people from all around the world! I feel so blessed to have this opportunity.

continued next post

GeneChing

07-02-2013, 05:33 PM

There are more pix if you follow the link in the previous post.

AK: Which real-life ninjas do you most admire?

NK: I'm obsessed with the whole Chuck Norris phenomenon. I know more Chuck Norris jokes than is probably appropriate. I also LOVE the Bill Bill movies, probably because she's a woman assassin and that really expanded my ideas of just how bad-ass women can be. A woman with a katana is a sexy and frightening thing.

AK: What made you decide to do a ninja musical?

NK: It was sort of by accident honestly. I was working with my solo performance teacher (you) and you were asking me what kind of characters I have opinions about, and I replied "Ninjas." I'm not sure I even realized at the time that I had real opinions about ninjas, but apparently I did. It makes sense now that I think of it. My favorite movie growing up was "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles;" I dated a Power Ranger at one point; and my favorite book series is all about, wouldn't you guess it, ninja assassins. I explained that "It must be a hard life being a ninja; you have to be invisible, you can't ever fall in love, all because you're job is to kill people. That's rough." And that was essentially the birth of my musical. Me sympathizing with the hard-knock life of Ninjas.

AK: Are you still afraid of all the ways you might die at any given moment?

NK: I won't lie, I definitely have a tsunami/earthquake survival kit in my house, because I live 1 mile away from the beach in Huntington. I watched too many news reports after Hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami in Japan. I'm not fearing for my life at every moment, but I like the comfort of knowing I'm somewhat prepared for a disaster should it strike. And yes...I do plot out how to thwart of the inevitable robbers and rapists who might break into my house. I have this elaborate escape plan mapped out in my mind which involves turning on my curling iron and using it as a flaming nunchuck. I think that's ingenuity, not insanity. Others, however, might disagree.

AK: You took the solo performance class where you created the ninja musical; you just performed original folk music at a Music Festival in New Zealand; you take classes at Second City and The Groundlings; you record music; and you regularly perform improv around town. Where do you get all the energy, and which vehicle of expression do you most love?

NK: It's going to sound so cheese-ball of me, but I find the energy from my passion to create and perform. AND from coffee. I'm hungry to learn and grow and create new and better things every day. I do wear a lot of hats, it's true, but I'm just determined to do it all, and I don't want to have to put down one thing to do another, so I just make it work. It means that my schedule can be a little crazy sometimes, but I thrive when I'm busy and creative. I think my soul withers a little when I'm resting on my laurels and doing nothing. I also firmly believe that everything I do separately ends up contributing to my overall collective goal. Everyone always asks me, though, 'If you had to choose one thing, what would it be?' and truthfully, gun to my head and everything, I'd pick singing/songwriting. I LOVE comedy, but when I am procrastinating and alone in my room, I'm writing songs. Even when I'm in Los Angeles traffic. I'm always writing songs. That's just, I think, wear my heart defaults.

AK: What is your ultimate writer-performer goal?

NK: It's a two-pronged thesis really: I want to be a professional, world touring singer/songwriter- who's also an an actor on Saturday Night Live. It's not a ridiculous goal at all...Ha! Realistically, I might be able to pull off being a professional recording artist who guest stars on SNL, but until then, I'm gonna keep dreaming of pulling off both. Why not, right? Who's to say I couldn't be the first Singer/Songwriter-SNL hybrid? In fact, that's who I'd like to be.

AK: If you could do a two-person musical, whom would you like that other person to be? It could be ANYONE who is currently living.

NK: Aw crap. There are SO many people who just popped into my head. Will Ferrell is taking the lead on this one, though. Could you imagine how ridiculously fabulous that would be, to be in a two person musical with Will Ferrell? Um, yes. Final answer. Will Ferrell. I forgot all the other names in comparison to him. He's my favorite.

AK: If you could choose someone no longer living, who would it be?

NK: Jesus, obviously. That's because my version of Jesus is this super hot surfer dude who's like "Chill everybody, let's listen to some Bob Marley, take a little stroll on some water, and then I'll turn that business into wine." Jesus would be the ultimate. Jesus Christ and Will Ferrell. No man could dream of topping that mystical combination. Heck, take me out of the mix, I'd like to see a musical with those two. It'd be wild!

AK: What is your greatest fear?

NK: That I'll die before I get the chance to either burn or edit the diaries I've had since I was 12. I feel like I only write in them when I need to vent or have a good cry, so people would find it and be like "Wow, Katie, really?" You know, that or Alzheimer's. I don't want to lose myself. Of course, if I continue to keep a diary, I can probably remedy that. I'll still need to do some editing and burning though...haha.

See Katie Wilbert's "This Life Chose Me: A Ninja Musical" Sunday, July 14 at 10:30pm at iO West and August 5-17 in Edinburgh, Scotland as part of the Edinburgh Fringe.

It's what Jesus, Will Ferrell and Katie's parents would do.
http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_full_width_scaled/hash/b6/d4/b6d41d3eccf8ad1a2c2178965c0494da.jpg?itok=O_FTCkHA

GeneChing

08-12-2013, 08:47 AM

I would totally do this.

Japan: Ninja camp trains tourist novices (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/japan/10230153/Japan-Ninja-camp-trains-tourist-novices.html)
A town in Japan is encouraging tourists to sign up to its ninja-training school and learn the art of warfare.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02638/ninja-rope_2638711b.jpg
Iga, where the camp is located, has a proud ninja history stretching back to the 15th century

By Natalie Paris
11:46AM BST 08 Aug 2013

Ever fantasised about throwing a ninja star? No? Perhaps silent stealth is a more useful skill for the 21st century.

In Japanese folklore, ninjas were some of the country’s most legendary assassins but now tourists can heed the call of the black robes too.

Anyone fascinated by ninja culture and in possession of a warrior spirit can learn what it takes to become a modern-day fighter spy at a camp in Iga, east of Osaka.

Hopefuls are told they will be schooled in skills essential to ninjitsu warfare, such as the arts of espionage, sabotage and infiltration.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02638/ninja-robe_2638683c.jpg

To begin with, novices are invited to select robes which come in a range of colours, reports the EPA news agency.

Then they are tested with various training exercises. Some, you might imagine, are intrinsic to life as a ninja, such as star-throwing target practice and scaling vertical walls.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02638/ninja-wall_2638687c.jpg

Others, including crawling along a rope and hauling yourself across a river, would not look out of place at a fitness bootcamp or a children’s adventure weekend.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02638/ninja-tyres_2638685c.jpg

There may be no better place to train however. Iga, where the camp is located, has a proud ninja history stretching back to the 15th century.

It was here, on plains protected by mountains, that many ninjas – a more working class warrior than the samurai – rose to become the Iga-ryu, a force of clans to be reckoned with in feudal Japan.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02638/ninja-star_2638684c.jpg

There is a museum in town (iganinja.jp/en/) containing centuries-old ninja texts and shows are put on for tourists to demonstrate traditional assassination methods used by the ninja. There is also a shop where the whole family can deck themselves out in ninja dress.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02638/ninja-outfit_2638698c.jpg

The White Phoenix Castle, also known as Iga Ueno Castle and Hakuho, is nearby. Built in 1585 it has the highest walls of any castle in Japan in order to prevent them being scaled by enemies.

Iga also holds an annual ninja celebration called the Iga-Ueno Festival.

The hour-and-a-half training course that shines a light on ninjitsu’s “world of shadows” costs around £10.

GeneChing

08-30-2013, 03:55 PM

Honestly now, how safe would you feel biting into one of these?

Ninja Cupcakes (http://www.ninjacupcakes.com/index.html)
http://www.ninjacupcakes.com/uploads/7/4/5/2/7452560/5003915_orig.jpg

GeneChing

12-19-2013, 02:45 PM

Ridic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4JzOHzPdZ0

GeneChing

01-02-2014, 10:02 AM

OMG. Next time I'm in KY.... :eek:

Ninjas - Kentucky's First Indoor Throwing Star Range (http://ninjasindoorthrowingstarrange.com/)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEb-zMQMwXo

GeneChing

01-21-2014, 10:51 AM

...nevertheless, Onoda's story was remarkable and his passing deserves some acknowledgement here.

Hiroo Onoda, World’s ‘Last Ninja’, Dead at 91 (http://world.time.com/2014/01/17/hiroo-onoda-worlds-last-ninja-dead-at-91/)
Author Jon Man describes the Japanese intelligence officer, who passed away Thursday, as the end of a 1,000-year tradition
By Noah Rayman Jan. 17, 2014

The world may have lost its last ninja Friday.

Hiroo Onoda, the World War II Japanese intelligence officer who died Thursday at age 91, drew from ninja-like military training to survive nearly thirty years fighting a long terminated war, according to ninja historian John Man.

“Other people would dispute this, but I’d say he’s the last of the ninja,” Man told TIME last year. Man devoted a chapter of his book Ninja: 1,000 Years of the Shadow Warrior to Onoda.

The intelligence officer was a graduate of the elite Nakano Spy School, which Man described as something of a modern ninja training ground. The school taught officers stealth tactics and values like integrity and — above all — completing the mission, which aligned with the basic tenets of the centuries-old traditional ninja practice.

Man wrote:

“The man who claims to be the inheritor of the ninja tradition, Masaaki Hatsumi, lists eighteen fundamental areas of expertise, eleven of which were echoed in Nakano’s training: spiritual refinement, unarmed combat, swordsmanship, fire and explosives, disguise and impersonation, stealth and entering methods, strategy, espionage, escape and concealment, meteorology and geography … There was enough in common between traditional ninja training and Nakano’s to call these men modern ninjas. The two shared loyalty, secrecy, a sense of duty, a sense of integrity.”
Onoda was deployed toward the end of the war to an island in the Philippines under orders to sabotage harbor and airport installations ahead of an expected U.S. invasion. There he remained for 29 years, hiding from search teams, stealing food and sometimes clashing with local civilians he thought to be the enemy. He refused to believe the war had ended until the retired Major who had given him his initial orders returned in 1974 to relieve him of his duty.

“Ninjutsu seems to have found its final and most extraordinary expression” in Onoda, Man wrote. “In his commitment to survive, in the techniques he used to do so, and in his humanity, Onoda … is in many ways the real last of the ninjas.”

GeneChing

01-22-2014, 09:48 AM

I just watched the Batman episode with Kato in it again, just to prove to my kid that I wasn't making that up.

3 larger-than-life ninja tales (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/01/22/3-larger-than-life-ninja-tales/)
Scott R DixonScott R Dixon 20 hours ago

http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/2014-01-20-ninja.jpg?w=580&h=408

More than likely, you’ve heard of the legend of the ninja, the stealthy hired hands and spies for regional warlords in feudal Japan. But considering how popular ninjas are in the modern world, from video games to ninja-themed American bars, it can be pretty hard to separate historical fact from fiction. And today we have three stories for you about this secretive bunch that may help to give a little more light to the mythos surrounding ninja and the truth behind some of these larger-than-life tales. Click below to read three anecdotes (of varying veracity) about what made ninjas into the legend they are today!

The legend of “Flying Kato”

First up is the ninja master Kato Danzo who was known as “Flying Kato” for his supposed ability to fly. Danzo lived during the Sengoku or Warring States period in Japanese history and had a reputation for being able to perform unbelievable feats.

One such feat was when he swallowed a bull in front of a very surprised crowd. According to legend, a man who had been watching out of a nearby tree loudly claimed that Danzo was a fraud. The man told the crowd to look closely because Danzo had used sleight of hand to make it seem like he swallowed the bull, but had actually just covered it up with a cloth.

Danzo didn’t say anything directly to the man, instead he proceeded with his next trick to wow the crowd. He pulled out a gourd he was carrying that was full of seeds. He threw a handful of the seeds onto the ground and flowers started sprouting immediately where each seed fell. Danzo then kneeled down, took his knife out and cut one of the flowers off at the stem. As soon as the flower was cut, the freshly severed head of the man who publicly shamed Danzo came rolling out from the direction of the tree where the man was sitting.

Word of Danzo’s magical abilities reached the ears of powerful warlords who courted the ninja master to join their side as a skilled mercenary. He served several different warlords where his stealth skills were highly valued. He met his demise when the warlord Takeda Shingen ordered Danzo’s execution after suspecting the ninja of being a double agent. Now, Flying Kato has come to be the perfect example of a real-life historical ninja spliced with a healthy dose of unbelievable legend.

The shameful race of Ninokuruwa Isuke

Ninokuruma Isuke was a ninja who was a part of the Odawara Hojo clan and served underneath the ninja leader Fuma Kotaro. His fellow ninjas called him “bony” for his lean frame, which made him a swift and agile ninja.

During the Seige of Kawagoe where the Hojo clan was vastly outnumbered, Isuke was able to inconspicuously sneak around to inform his side about the enemy’s position. But one day, Isuke was recognized by the enemy who sent their own ninja, Ota Inunosuke, to pursue him.

Isuke ran about 20 km without stopping, but Inunosuke was a quick runner and caught up to him. Isuke was close to being caught when he noticed a horse at a farm off in the distance. Isuke stole the horse and made a clean getaway.

But using a horse to outrun a fellow ninja was considered very shameful and Isuke began to pay the price. The enemy’s camp began making satirical poems about the “cowardly” Isuke who couldn’t truly outrun his opponent. The songs came to be quite popular and pretty soon every knew about the ninja who had used a horse instead of his own legs.

Isuke was embarassed by all of this and felt so much shame that he asked Hojo clan leaders to accept his resignation. He would then ask his former racing partner Inunosuke for a rematch where they could test their ninja skills since ninjas did not duel. From Kawagoe in what is now Saitama Prefecture, they would run west over the flat Kanto plains. But about 40 km into the race, Inunosuke dropped dead, meaning that Isuke had truly outrun his opponent.

Although he won the race, Isuke still felt a huge amount of shame and later went to the ninja capital of Iga to teach others about the values and skills of being a ninja. He hoped that this would ease his guilt.

A ninja aboard Commodore Perry’s ship

One of the last ninjas to receive official orders was when U.S. naval commodore Matthew Perry famously forced Japan to open up to the outside world in 1853 by showing up with four massive and technologically advanced ships. As the Japanese government evaluated Perry’s “suggestion” to start trading with the rest of the world, the ninja Sawamura Jinzaburo was ordered to board Perry’s ships and search for anything that showed the true intentions of the Americans.

The leaders of the Japanese government wanted the very best ninja to search the ships, so they went to local leaders in Iga, a place that was famous for its skilled ninjas. Sawamura was chosen to disguise himself as an ordinary Japanese government worker to get on board the ship where he would infiltrate and look for anything that hinted at what the Americans were really thinking.

Sawamura was specifically ordered to look for a document that could crack the Americans’ secret code. He ended up finding and bringing back the document, some bread, tobacco and some candles. But when they translated the document, it ended up just being some sailor talk about what they thought of women around the world. That was enough to prove to the government that the Americans weren’t keeping any big secrets from them. Even though the stolen document turned out to be a dud, there is still historical record of one warlord eating the bread stolen from the ship!

Now that you’ve had a triple dose of ninja legend, folklore and history, we would love to know what you think! Let us know in the comments below if you have any other equally fantastic ninja tales!

GeneChing

02-05-2014, 10:11 AM

wonder if they come in nacho flavored....

Maker of new “Ninja Snack” promises chips that “move like a ninja”, vanish without a trace (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/02/05/maker-of-new-ninja-snack-promises-chips-that-move-like-a-ninja-vanish-without-a-trace/)
Philip Kendall yesterday
http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/screen-shot-2014-02-04-at-5-16-00-pm.png?w=580&h=370

2014-02-04 at 5.16.00 PM

Heads up, snack fans! Japan’s Tohato foods has just announced a new brand that will hit shelves later this month. Called “Ninja Snack Fuwamaru“, they’re purported to melt away like a ninja into the night. Hmmm…

The corn chips’ makers claim that their shuriken-shaped snacks are so amazingly light that they will vanish as if into thin air when placed on the tongue. Apparently aimed at those who eat on-the-go, the chips weigh almost nothing and won’t leave their consumer feeling uncomfortably full or spoil their later meals, so these might be a good choice for people who are trying to go easy on the treats more than anyone looking to satisfy a real hunger.

To be fair, most of the chips we eat tend to “vanish” like ninjas, too, since we stuff them into our faces like there’s no tomorrow, so we’re withholding judgement on this one until we can grab a few bags for one of our taste tests. Even so, we’re looking forward to this one.

Ninja Snack Fuwamaru go sale in Japan from February 17 for 126 yen (US$1.24), and will come in two flavours, lightly salted and menkaiko, the latter being a kind of marinated pollock roe which often has a slightly spicy kick to it and is far tastier than it may sound.

GeneChing

02-24-2014, 10:02 AM

.ninja domain name dominance!

Enter the .NINJA (http://dotninja.co/about/)

Software. Cooking. Dancing. That thing you do better than anyone else, that’s your ninja. Release your ninja with a .NINJA web and email address.

The .NINJA Top Level Domain is giving experts everywhere a new way of presenting themselves online. Professionals will appreciate the casual, yet authoritative way of expressing their expertise. Gamers will enjoy the instant recognition a .NINJA domain name brings. All will be the envy of their peers because, let’s face it, being a .NINJA is just plain cool.

With nearly 200,000 ninja references in Twitter profiles, and roughly 20,000 references in LinkedIn profiles, the term “ninja” has never been more popular. Act like a ninja now to ensure you get your domain name before it’s gone!

Be the grandmaster of your domain. Get a .NINJA web domain.

GeneChing

03-03-2014, 10:06 AM

I am not a videogamer. But this does look amusing...

Cheeky TV ads for ninja booby video game get full marks for honesty and humor【Video】 (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/03/01/cheeky-tv-ads-for-ninja-booby-video-game-get-full-marks-for-honesty-and-humor%E3%80%90video%E3%80%91/)
Casey Baseel 3 days ago

Even though it was first released way back in 2012 in Japan, the rest of the world is only now getting its first taste of video game Senran Kagura Burst. The Nintendo 3DS game saw a North American release last November, and was finally made available to European gamers just days ago.

But for an 18-month-old title to attract buyers who could be playing with their shiny new PlayStation 4s and Xbox Ones, Senrann Kagura Burst’s European publishers have to be very clear about what the game excels at, which is just what they’ve done with their tongue-in-cheek ads that make no bones about the game’s most distinguishing feature: gigantic bouncing boobs.

To be fair, the Senran Kagura franchise isn’t outright pornographic, nor are its ninja protagonists’ physical assets the only thing the series has to offer. There’s fast-paced ninja action and sharp anime character designs with bold colors. Still, you could drop the last of title Senran Kagura Burst’s three Rs without fear of misrepresenting what the series is really about.

▼ Believe it or not, they’re ninjas, and not strippers.
http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/sk-11.png?w=580&h=697

Seeing as how the first game in the series was released in 2011, everyone already knows what the score is with Senran Kagura. With that in mind, the game’s European commercials don’t try to hide the newest title’s titillating content, even while acknowledging that gamers might want to hide the game itself from their family

As the ad opens, we see a mother tidying up her son’s room.

As she cleans under his bed (a brave thing for the mother of any young man to do), she comes across an apple core, as well as a few less wholesome items.

Mom apparently understands, and has made peace with, the psyche of a young male, though, as she barely bats an eye when she comes across a….”gentlemen’s publication” and used tissues. But how will she react to the scandalous discovery that her son has purchased a copy of Senran Kagura Burst?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyyMKGBLa9c

continued next post

GeneChing

03-03-2014, 10:06 AM

As another ad shows, even just buying the game in the first place can be a bit dicey. Between Senran Kagura Burst’s foreign name, and the unspoken understanding of how many fans are likely to use the game, our gamer is reduced to a stuttering mess while asking the clerk for a copy.

Can he man up and enunciate, or is he doomed to winding up empty handed?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRqVXLlLQpc

Considering how many boring, dishonest commercials there are on TV, we’re happy to see such a nice pair, combining honesty with a few laughs. Remember, Senran Kagura Burst purchasers, what you do with your 3DS in the privacy of your own room is no one’s business but your own. Just remember to clean said room up yourself, instead of leaving your mom with the chore (plus an unwanted insight into the exact nature of your sexual fetishes).
The forum didn't let me post two vids in on post. :o

TaichiMantis

03-03-2014, 11:19 AM

http://www.vg247.com/2014/02/26/senran-kagura-and-the-great-sexual-culture-clash/

Senran Kagura Burst is the titillating Japanese brawler coming to Nintendo 3DS in Europe this week. Dave Cook discusses the culture of sexualisation in Japan with Kenichirō Takaki, and looks at key examples of exploitation with the industry...

...It stars the girls of Hanzō Academy; a band of trainee ninjas charged with battling rival clans. The more damage they take during fights, the more their clothes rip off. Special moves trigger cut-scenes complete with close-up shots of their exposed, jiggling bodies. The girls look ashamed as they become stripped, and their most-private parts are concealed beneath chibi faces. Some of these girls are supposed to be between 15-18 years...

...After seeing the art I felt that with all of the debate surrounding the treatment of women – not just within titles, but those working on games across the globe – that Senran Kagura is coming to our shores at a most unfortunate time. We’ve seen great discussion on the role of female protagonists from writers such as Tomb Raider scribe Rhianna Pratchett, along with the rising prominence of developers such as 343′s Kiki Wolfkill, the VR tinkering of former Valve employee Jeri Ellsworth and the continuing work of Jade Raymond, to name just a few...

...It’s all too easy to look at this and say, ‘Well it’s a Japanese game; they have a different culture to ours,’ or to pass Senran Kagura off as a bit of laddish fun. Do we ignore such exploitation because it’s intended as a joke, or is this another case of Eastern studios importing a slice of ingrained sexism to our shores? For this critic, it’s counter-productive, and that’s not a comment I’m solely aiming at Senran Kagura either. It’s a wider issue...

...I wanted to hear what Senran Kagura’s game producer Kenichiro Takaki had to say regarding the game’s depiction of woman and how the attitude towards females differs between Japanese and Western culture. I arranged to speak with him over email, via publisher MarvelousAQL. I explained that throughout 2013 western game development saw great advancement in the treatment of women characters, and asked if he could see the same happening in Japan any time soon.

“It’s important to note that a high amount of sexualisation is not the primary way of depicting female characters in Japan. What are considered positive traits stem from each region’s own cultural values, so direct comparisons between the two will probably remain difficult.”

Takaki replied, “I think it’s important to note that a high amount of sexualisation is not the primary way of depicting female characters in Japan, either. That said, though what we feel contributes to a character’s ‘depth’ may differ between cultures, I think there are many positively portrayed female characters in Japanese entertainment, and new ones continue to be created every day. What are considered positive traits, however, stem from each region’s own cultural values, so direct comparisons between the two will probably remain difficult.”

I explained that from the outside looking in, it’s not hard to see why people believe that over-sexualisation is just the culture in Japan, and something that won’t be going away any time soon. Takaki countered, “If we look into the past we can see a lot of change throughout Japan’s history, with the influence of Western culture being a major recent contributor.

“And while I don’t know what the future holds, cultures that refuse to change with time simply disappear, so I’m sure Japan will continue to evolve. But I do hope the fun that the small community of fans of games like Senran Kagura enjoy doesn’t have to be sacrificed along the way.”

Takaki’s response felt counter to Goichi Suda’s view on Killer is Dead’s Gigolo scenes, which saw players wooing busty females and staring at their body to fill up their ‘guts’ meter. Once full, protagonist Mondo propositions his target before triggering a sex scene. The women giggle, act ashamed when they catch you ogling them and talk about submitting themselves to you entirely. I found it disgusting and I penned a blog to that effect here.

Suda responded to the issue by saying, “Any kind of artistic value, anything you create, there’s always some kind of criticism behind it. Which means we’re making an impression and an impact. So I think we’ll stay with what we’re thinking and just keep going with that way of thinking … And when I say that, sexuality is a touchy subject. We don’t want to make people offended, but we’re trying to create something that makes people laugh a bit because we’re [dealing with] that topic.”

I’d reply to that by asking how, exactly, presenting women as dullards that can be won over with flowers and perfume – before having the hero bed them repeatedly – deals with the issue of over-sexualisation. Short answer; it doesn’t. At all.

I suggested to Takaki that Western gamers might not respond the same way to that sub-set of Japanese culture, given the vast differences and views on gender between both territories. Takaki agreed, and added, “Sometimes when I travel abroad I do get the sense that Japan’s attitudes may seem unusual when viewed from other countries. However, such attitudes are not limited to portrayals of females – there is entertainment for women that focuses on male sexuality, too.

“But the goal of such entertainment isn’t to degrade the opposite sex; it’s simply about men and women enjoying each other’s sexuality. The reality may seem less equal than it is because the forms of entertainment made for women aren’t as well known. But I don’t want to generalize about all of Japan with my answer, and I don’t mean to claim that no objectionable content exists at all, either.”

To Takaki’s credit he was both balanced, reasonable and open about what Senran Kagura entails throughout our exchange, even going so far as welcoming opinions post-launch so he could learn from them. He never once pretended that the game was anything else. “Negative reactions aren’t unique to games like Senran Kagura,” he stressed, “you’re bound to get them for anything you do.

“For creators like myself, the most frightening scenario would be to release a work and receive absolutely no reaction to it at all.”

“But we’re already receiving a lot of positive reactions, too, and I’m going to keep making my games for the people who want to play them. I won’t try to change the minds of those who don’t. And for creators like myself, the most frightening scenario would be to release a work and receive absolutely no reaction to it at all.”

On the game’s outfit-shredding damage mechanic, Takaki explained, “The characters lose clothing as they take damage. So it works as an interesting representation of something that’s otherwise just a numerical value, while playing with the suspense you get from revealing something a little bit at a time.

“That’s important because it speaks directly to instinct. Sexual desire is an innate part of human nature, and much like with common themes of violence, video games provide us with a safe environment to explore that part of ourselves. These may be things that we would never consider expressing in real life, but escapism is something that games excel at, right?”

In the end Takaki feels he is making a game for a minority that we all know still exists, rather than trying to push taboos or controversial subjects on to the widespread gaming audience. To that end, it could be argued that his games are specialist or ‘to-hand’ should you be inclined to seek them out. “Senran Kagura is essentially a niche title,” he stressed, “in an industry where the available products have been gradually consolidating around a smaller number of major AAA titles. My intentions for this game were never to create a huge worldwide hit.

“I just wanted to make a game starring attractive girl characters, for the small but dedicated audience that enjoys that type of game here in Japan – so I was completely focused on making what I wanted, and what those fans would want, from such a game. At the time, Western perceptions were not something I was considering at all. Now, it’s easy to imagine that in the West there may be many people who feel the game is inappropriate. But that is true in Japan as well.

“When I first announced Senran Kagura, I wrote the following comment on my production blog: ‘There’s room for this type of game, too!’ My feeling is that just as there are many different opinions throughout the world, there ought to be many forms of entertainment as well.”

It’s clear that Senran Kagura has not been designed to directly inflame or court controversy, and if you feel you’d like to play those games for a laugh then that is entirely at your discretion. I cannot and will not try to stop you, because I respect the opinions of our readership and gamers everywhere. However, I for one simply can’t overlook the game’s flagrant depiction of females given the culture of positive change I see during my work every day.

I want women to be respected individuals in the games industry. I will never know how it feels to be discriminated against for being a woman. That’s simply impossible, so I won’t even begin to try or pretend and understand how it feels. To do that would be an insult to women, so it’s not something I’ll do here.

What I will say is that there are probably plenty of men and women out there who see no problem with what Senran Kagura is doing, and that – again – is their decision. But to outwardly deny that the game indirectly conflicts with the positive advancements we’ve seen through 2013 in the way women are depicted and written into games, as well as the healthy conversations taking place regarding women in the workplace, is to lose sight of everything we’ve achieved in this area so far.

I sincerely hope I’m not alone in this.

GeneChing

03-20-2014, 09:14 AM

Castle is one of my guilty tv pleasures. The ninja episode was amusing, but I was hoping Beckett would get into a swordfight. ;)

‘Castle’: Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting (http://screenrant.com/castle-season-6-episode-18-way-ninja-review/)
Published 2 days ago by Heather Donmoyer

http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/Castle_Season_6_Episode_18_Castle_Ninja.jpg

[This is a review of Castle Season 6, Episode 18. There will be SPOILERS.]

-

Coming off of last week’s nail-biter, ‘The Way of the Ninja’ is fairly tame and even a little on the kitschy side, but that’s not a bad thing. In fact, given all of the stress the characters have been put through this season, more of a lighthearted Castle seems well-timed.

Right off the bat, this episode is full of theatrics both onscreen as well as on the orchestral side. Asian costumes, sets, and music set the mood with big, broad strokes that never make you feel mortal peril is imminent. This plays right to the motif of Castle (Nathan Fillion) as little more than a tall boy. From the first puff of smoke to the last gag with the throwing star, Castle is all in and enjoying every second of it.

Of course this gives the writers great excuses to play up the more serious-minded Kate (Stana Katic). She’s definitely still the one who keeps his feet – and their investigations – anchored to solid ground, but it’s still fun to watch the interplay. While she might worry what marriage might do to the pair of them, viewers – and Castle – know that their lives will be far from boring.

The case details play out on the grand theatrical side as well. A lone girl with a mysterious past turns out to have survived a family massacre only to die in an alley by the same blade that killed the rest of her family. But wait, there’s an evil, Asian Bane chasing our heroes and making ominous threats! And there’s a second, secret sister who also survived and is now on-hand to avenge them all! And the Green Dragon is really a white dude who killed his son’s girlfriend!

http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/Castle_Season_6_Episode_18_Beckett.jpg

Again, nothing wrong with this kind of a romp after the level of stress the writers have been apt to cause this season. And they do a great job here mixing things up without going completely overboard. There’s just the right touch to make it feel like any other Castle episode, while allowing for some laughs and fun too. The geisha night-club scene with the boys is a textbook example.

If last week highlighted the star’s brilliance, than this week’s belongs to the stunt crew and the fight coordinators. They open with some smooth moves and a cool puff of smoke. Then graduate to give us a great ‘cop vs. ninja’ scene in the alley. The climax of the final fight between Jade’s sister and the Green Dragon is spectacular and just plain fun to watch.

What did you think?

GeneChing

03-31-2014, 02:36 PM

26 March 2014| last updated at 12:41AM
Burger King goes Ninja! (http://www.nst.com.my/streets/central/burger-king-goes-ninja-1.531984)
By Farhana Syed Nokman

PETALING JAYA: Good news for burger lovers -- Burger King is now offering its Ninja! promotion with black charcoal bun burgers and jumbo franks.

The Ninja! burgers are sandwiched between four-inch charcoal buns sprinkled with crisp sesame seeds.

Between the buns lie mouthwatering layers of taste and texture of grilled beef or chicken patties topped with signature teriyaki sauce and heaped with fresh lettuce and grilled onions.

Customers will be able to choose from four scrumptious choices; regular patties in chicken or beef, and deluxe, which packs in flame-grilled whopper patty or the popular tender grilled patty.

The Ninja! burger meals come with a refreshing grape star drink and medium fries.

Burger King also introduced the new Burger King Ninja! Jumbo Frank. Nestled between two pieces of smoked chicken slices, the jumbo chicken sausage is drizzled with tasty teriyaki sauce and loaded with crispy lettuce and juicy grilled onions tucked in warm soft bun.

The new offers start from RM5.95.

http://w1.nst.com.my/polopoly_fs/1.532706.1395765656!/image/image.JPG_gen/derivatives/landscape_454/image.JPG
Burger King chief operating officer Ahmad Fariz Hassan (left) with Burger King director of marketing Keith Loh (Right) during the launch of the new Ninja! promotion at One Utama recently. Pic by Asman Ibrahim

I would NOT eat one of these. I'd be too scared that I would choke on a shuriken (http://www.martialartsmart.com/16-12pak.html).

GeneChing

05-06-2014, 07:58 AM

"Never been attacked by a tree." Mr. Miyagi
"Boards don't hit back." Bruce Lee

He’s Back: ‘The Brighton Tree Ninja is Escalating’ (http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2014/05/02/brighton-tree-ninja-back-on-the-streets/)
Last year a man allegedly went on a tree-cutting rampage. Now, he’s returned in full-force, according to officials.

By Steve Annear | Boston Daily | May 2, 2014 10:10 am

http://cdn1.bostonmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Tree-Ninja.jpg

Described by locals as a “master of evasion,” lurking in the Brighton-area and blistering trees—often fatally—with blows to their trunks using his weapon of choice, the alleged “Tree Ninja” has returned once again, and police want residents to be on the lookout.

According to Universal Hub, police officers from District-14 updated locals on a problem that has plagued the neighborhood for years during a Brighton Allston Improvement Association meeting Thursday night. A man described as “mentally unstable,” who goes around in costume and hacks at the city’s trees with a blade, has resumed the attacks after a brief hiatus, they said.

An ominous notice posted prior to Thursday night’s meeting that alerted residents of the continued attacks on shrubbery and even saplings, said:

Thousands of dollars has been spent by homeowners for tree removal. A few winters ago, a damaged tree came down in a storm, narrowly missing people, power lines, and cars. Two years ago, nearly every newly planted tree along Winship Street was destroyed. We now live in a barren neighborhood with any remaining tree on public or private property at risk of being destroyed.

Police confirmed as much as they detailed recent attacks on trees in Brighton. Officers also said that the city has refused to plant new trees in certain areas because the risk of them being destroyed is too high.

Last year, Greg Mosman, the city’s chief arborist in charge of making sure all of the trees that line the streets are in tip-top condition, told Boston that in his entire career—he’s been around for nearly a decade—he’s had the same issues crop up with the alleged “Tree Ninja” for eight of them. “He is known to police—he has been caught in the act and has been charged for it and locked up for it,” says Mosman. “Every few years [the issue] seems to pop up … tree vandalism is unusual. And for one person to be known and caught and to keep doing it is kind of unique,” he says. “We sort of just took away public trees. Once we figured out [what was going on], and when we met with police, they asked us not to put them back.”

As for handling the vandalism this time around, officers are asking residents to pick up the phone and dial 911, and urging them not to approach the alleged assailant.

TaichiMantis

07-16-2014, 07:48 AM

Watch the men cheer for this 5 ft. 100 lb machine!
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/07/american-ninja-warrior-kacy-catanzaro

8861

GeneChing

07-17-2014, 08:36 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHFr1_md3Ok

GeneChing

08-25-2014, 09:01 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUytLBKi7FU

GeneChing

08-27-2014, 08:38 AM

Ninjas Vote To Change Outfit Colour (http://www.thepoke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Ninja1-e1408555380588.jpg)

Black Outfits News: Members of the highly secret and barely visible Council of Ninjas have voted to change the colour of their trademark all-black outfit, following concerns that they could be mistaken for members of Islamic State.

http://www.thepoke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Ninja1-e1408555380588.jpg

“No one is happy about this,” said one ninja, who asked not to be named. Or seen.

“Ninjas have been wearing black for centuries. It’s a very practical colour for an assassin. You never know when you’re next going to be near a washing machine with 45 minutes to spare.”

“But since Isis turned up – I mean who wants to look like one of those sick ****s?”

Sources say the vote to change from black was unanimous, but the decision about what colour to change to has been riven by in-fighting. Including in-fighting with nunchuks.

“Khaki’s gay,” said another ninja.

“Black’s the only thing that suits every occasion, everyone knows that. Basically now we’re going to have to change outfit every time we go out. It’s like being Lady-****ing-Gaga.”
Y'all know what 'colour' (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?35945-We-Demand-The-Pink-Ninjas!!) we'd vote for, right? :p

GeneChing

01-06-2015, 10:49 AM

Random ninja-ish news

The ninja’s daughter: Child star of Kill Bill will play Steve Jobs’ kid (http://www.cultofmac.com/308091/ninjas-daughter-child-star-kill-bill-will-play-steve-jobs-kid/)
Luke Dormehl (5:00 am PDT, Jan 6th)

http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/004KBT_David_Carradine_017.jpg
“And today I took out the head of Samsung with the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique.” Photo: Miramax

The role of Steve Jobs’ eldest daughter Lisa Jobs in the upcoming Universal movie biopic was previously described by screenwriter Aaron Sorkin as the story’s “heroine.”

Given some of the A-list names that have been associated with the project, it’s therefore something of a surprise to hear that the role has apparently been awarded to 17-year-old actress Perla Haney-Jardine.

If your reaction to that news is “who?,” you’re most likely not alone. Up until she won this part, the Brazilian-born American actress is best known for playing the four-year-old daughter of Beatrix “The Bride” Kiddo and Bill in 2004’s Kill Bill Vol. 2.

Not exactly bad training for playing the daughter of the often steely tech-ninja Steve Jobs, perhaps!

Steve Jobs famously denied being Lisa’a father for years, despite naming a pre-Macintosh computer after her at Apple. He finally admitted paternity when Lisa was in her teens. She didn’t participate in Walter Isaacson’s gazillion-copy-selling 2011 biography because her father was alive at the time, but agreed to talk with Aaron Sorkin when he was working on the screenplay.

Comparing the upcoming movie to his previous Silicon Valley movie, The Social Network, Sorkin previously told British newspaper The Independent that:

“Both films are much more about the people than the technology they invented. With The Social Network, I was interested in the psychology of the world’s most successful social networking system being invented by the world’s most anti-social guy. And in the case of Steve Jobs, it’s the relationships he had – particularly with his daughter, Lisa – that drew me to it.”

Other actors supposed to appear in the movie include Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak, Michael Stuhlbarg as Andy Hertzfeld, Jeff Daniels as John Sculley, and Kate Winslet.

Wait...Rogen as Woz? That so doesn't work for me.

GeneChing

01-09-2015, 11:12 AM

Wednesday Jan. 7th, 2015
Date Like a Ninja (http://volumeone.org/articles/2015/01/07/8478_date_like_a_ninja)
local author’s date ideas oughta spice things up
by Bailey Berg photos by Andrea Paulseth

http://d3gnjjq3mhphne.cloudfront.net/uploads/image/article/8/8478/header/story/8478_59294_522_DatelikeaNinja_ClaireW.jpg
SURPRISE COOKIE ATTACK! Eau Claire writer Claire Wilson and her husband, Glenn, demonstrate the “Formal Oreo Tasting” from her new book Date like a Ninja.

Ninjas might not be as debonair as Cary Grant or as suave as James Bond – although, like 007, they too are usually clad in black. Ninjas’ proclivity to wield fists of fury and samurai swords might negate any air of gallantry, but one Eau Claire author thinks they know a thing or two about spicing up your dating life.

Claire Wilson said her new book, titled Date like a Ninja: 75 Kick-Awesome Date Ideas, will help people get out of the dinner-and-a-movie dating rut.

Divided into four sections – cheap dates, last-minute dates, double dates, and out-of-the-ordinary dates – the book showcases 75 dates that span all seasons, work for any age group, and apply to both married and unmarried daters.

“I think it’s easy to get into a routine and get lazy about the relationship, but then you look around five or 10 years later and realize you’re just roommates. For a strong marriage, you need to pursue each other, intentionally, every day.” – Claire Wilson, author of Date Like a Ninja

“Although this is a book for people who aren’t married, I also wanted to stress to married couples how important it is to keep dating after marriage,” Wilson said. “I think it’s easy to get into a routine and get lazy about the relationship, but then you look around five or 10 years later and realize you’re just roommates. For a strong marriage, you need to pursue each other, intentionally, every day.”

What launched the book was a double date that Wilson planned for her husband and two friends. The date had each person buy objects that fit into the different categories: something that makes the other person laugh; something that reminds you of your childhood; something that reminds you of an inside joke you share; something that reminds you of the other person; and something that the other person will have to use as a utensil at dinner. At the end, they swapped with their sweethearts.

“Our friends thought it was hilarious and asked me where I got the idea from,” Wilson said. “They told me I should write a book of date ideas, and that’s what got me started.”

Some of the other date ideas include: a romantic evening of becoming Oreo savants and taste-testing myriad varieties of America’s Favorite Cookie; a competition in which you MacGyver whatever you have in your car to make the most romantic gift; a double date dubbed “Russian Roulette Date,” where daters put three good date ideas and one terrible date idea in separate envelopes, draw one and do whatever it is; and another double date where couples devise three categories to compete in – like board games, chugging root beer, trivia – and losers buy the other team dessert.

Wilson said her dating manual tends to follow a theory that is similar to a fitness principle called “muscle confusion.” “The idea is that if you do the same exercise over and over, your body acclimates to it, and it becomes ineffective,” Wilson said. “I think dating works the same way. If you’re constantly doing the same date routine, your relationship gets used to it, and it becomes ineffective.”

For now, the book is available on Amazon.com, though Wilson is working on getting it into bookstores in the near future.

http://d3gnjjq3mhphne.cloudfront.net/uploads/image/orig/2015/1/7/5/59295/59295_483_ninja_cover.jpg chugging root beer a ninja date? srsly? :rolleyes:

GeneChing

01-14-2015, 09:24 AM

I have no idea who this is.

This thread is getting so random. :D

14 January, 2015 11:42AM AEDT
Comedian is training to be a ninja (http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2015/01/14/4162040.htm)
By Simon Leo Brown He's done radio, television and stand-up. Now Dave Callan is becoming a ninja.

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/201501/r1377461_19483051.jpg
Dave Callan's current live show features pop songs and back-up dancers. (Publicity still - Supplied)

It may seem an unlikely fit, but comedian Dave Callan is training to be a ninja.
"I want to do this show, which is going to be called 'A Little More Action' which is going to be all fight choreography," he told 774 ABC Melbourne's George McEncroe.
The show will follow on from his dance-filled 'A Little Less Conversation', which he is performing at this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
The Melbourne-based comedian, known to ABC audiences from Triple J and ABC2's Good Game, said the training is letting him indulge in a long-held fantasy.
"I've always loved pirates and wizards and Vikings, and you can't actually be any of them anymore, but you can become a ninja," he said.
"If you seek them out, there are ninjas who will teach you to also be a ninja."
The 40-year-old comedian said it was a 'joy to discover a new passion' and he hoped to continue training beyond the show.
He said training with a short staff, called a hanbo, could come in particularly handy when he's older.
"When you're an elderly person... you can use those techniques with your walking stick if any young whippersnapper comes to attack you," he said.
Along with the hanbo, Mr Callan has been learning to use swords and shuriken, or ninja throwing stars.
"We just have rubber ones, because the spiky ones can be a bit dangerous," said Mr Callan.
He said he respects all martial arts, however ninjitsu has a cool-factor that other disciplines don't.
"With karate, at the end when you get a black belt, you're like 'I've got a black belt in karate', or if you're a kung fu person you go 'I've got a golden sash in kung fu'.
"When you get to the top of ninjitsu you can just go 'I'm a ninja'."

Ninja mind techniques

Dave Callan is interested in learning 'ninja mind techniques', where one learns to be aware of one's surroundings through 'a sensitivity to motion, sound, vibrations through the floor'.
"There's a black belt test later on where you sit down on your knees, and you close your eyes and you just sit there for ages, and then a senior-belt comes up behind you with a wooden sword and hits you on the head."
Being hit on the head, of course, means the candidate has failed the test, with the aim being to sense the attacker and roll out of the way before being struck.
It's an attractive skill for Mr Callan, who practises meditation.
"The more meditation I do, the more momentum I build up with it, the better I feel," he said.
"It opens up the flow of your conscious mind and you can think of things a lot easier, you feel more creative and vibrant."
He said it can be hard to be creative if your mind is filled with everyday worries.
"If you meditate and clear all that out you can focus on the creation of stuff," he said.

Ninjas are cats

With a history dating back to feudal Japan, Dave Callan describes ninjas as "a cross between amazing Bruce Lee style martial arts, and the mafia".
Also known as shinobi, ninjas were covert agents who carried out operations that samurai, with their strict rules, were forbidden to take part in.
"Samurais had this code of conduct, and ninjas had this code of sneakiness," said Mr Callan.
"Samurai are dogs, and ninjas are cats."
The large-statured comedian admits that ninjitsu is a hard martial art for 'a big lumbering man like myself' to learn.
"Ninjas are tiny and generally quite stealthy, I don't think I'd be able to run up walls very easily."

GeneChing

01-14-2015, 09:28 AM

A two-fer today!

Like I said, random.

You must follow the link to see the embedded vid, but the photo really says it all. :eek:

Video: Brazil's 'Ninja of Serpents' places four tarantulas in his mouth to save rainforests (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/weird-news/video-brazils-ninja-of-serpents-places-four-tarantulas-in-his-mouth-to-save-rainforests-9975200.html)

http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article9975234.ece/alternates/w620/Tarantula.jpg
Daredevil Arteval Duarte says he has been training poisonous animals for more than 15 years
JACK SIMPSON Tuesday 13 January 2015

If you are afraid of spiders, look away now.

A man in Brazil has released a video that shows him placing four tarantulas in his mouth in a bid to raise awareness of the deforestation of the Amazon.

Daredevil Arteval Duarte released the video on Monday. It shows him put four of the hairy arachnids in his mouth on a farm near Jacundá in the north of Brazil.

In what would be any arachnophobe's nightmare, Duarte then reopens his mouth to allow the spiders to gruesomely crawl out one by one.

According to Duarte, the spiders can cause irritation to the skin but are not lethal.

This is not the first stunt of its kind that Duarte has performed in recent times. Earlier this month, Duarte caught the attention of internet users when a video of him placing three tarantulas in his mouth went viral.

This followed a similar video in December that saw Duarte wrap a tarantula with a banded cat-eyed snake and place the two animals in his mouth.

Duarte, who is also known as the ‘Ninja of Serpents’, says the reasoning behind these bizarre videos is to bring attention to the harmful logging that occurs in the Amazon and the impact this is having on the Amazon’s wildlife and villages.

Duarte has said in the past that he has been training poisonous and exotic animals for over 15 years.

GeneChing

01-14-2015, 09:32 AM

PATRICIA ARQUETTE'S NINJA SKILLS (http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/patricia-arquettes-ninja-skills-28158953)
Jan 11, 2015, 10:18 PM ET
By The Associated Press

http://media.utsandiego.com/img/photos/2015/01/11/dd62cfeceefffa016a0f6a70670051b5_r620x349.JPEG?75d 51d0aea2efce5189afce216053cbc530c46a8
Patricia Arquette poses in the press room with the award for best supporting actress in a motion picture for “Boyhood” at the 72nd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) The Associated Press

Patricia Arquette isn't afraid to take on a challenge, whether it's spending 12 years making the film "Boyhood" or snatching an errant microphone that was headed straight for her head.

Arquette was in the backstage pressroom to talk about the Golden Globe for supporting actress in a motion picture that she had just won for "Boyhood" when a production staffer accidentally bumped her microphone's long pole. That sent it flying toward her face.

But no worries: Arquette reached out and grabbed it with her free hand.

"Did you see my ninja skills?" she exclaimed.

Make that a three-fer. A totally random three-fer. Friggin ninjas (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ninja-styles.html).

GeneChing

02-10-2015, 09:53 AM

Ninja 5k (https://runsignup.com/Race/TN/OakRidge/Ninja5k)
Friday June 19, 2015
Oak Ridge, TN US 37830

5k run
Start Time: 8:00pm EDT
Price: $30.00 Race Fee + $2.50 SignUp Fee +
Price increases to $35.00 after April 30, 2015 @ 11:59pm EDT.
Paper Registration Form
Place
Novus Dr.
Oak Ridge, TN US 37830
Description

The Ninja 5k is a timed fun run with designed to be purely about fun and exercise. You can jab-step, kick-walk, tiger-trot, or be fast as lightning if you choose. All ages ae invited to join us in this event and yes, you should dress for success. Ninja costumes are highly encouraged and almost required.

Our Tiger Claw East Coast office is in TN (https://www.tigerclaw.com/home.php).

GeneChing

02-10-2015, 05:40 PM

Igaryu Ninja Tourism Promotion Council? srsly? And all we have is a stupid Ninja Run in TN?

The World of Ninja Tourism (http://kotaku.com/the-world-of-ninja-tourism-1684167074)
Brian Ashcraft
Friday 5:30am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3zbB1CsVSg

This is from a ninja promotional video. That's right, a ninja promotional video from a ninja tourist association. No, really.

The video below is from the Igaryu Ninja Tourism Promotion Council. The group has a website and really wants you to visit its museum in Iga, Japan. Ninja tourism!

I've been to Iga—I have family in Mie Prefecture. The area has certainly embraced the shinobi, because of the history Iga has as a real ninja stronghold and because, today, the ninja mythos now drives the local tourist industry— even if it's not always one hundred percent accurate.

Those black suits. Those weapons. Martial arts. The image of the ninja is rooted more in fiction… Read more

To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft.

Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

GeneChing

02-19-2015, 03:19 PM

This deserves its own thread: February 22 is NINJA DAY! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68451-February-22-is-NINJA-DAY!)

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Japan...

http://jto.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/n-ninja-a-20150220-870x637.jpg
Tourists pose for a photo with JR Water Business Co. staff dressed in ninja and kimono outfits, in front of an Acure smart vending machine at JR Akihabara Station on Thursday. | YOSHIAKI MIURA

Ninja promote ‘cool’ vending machines (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/02/19/national/ninja-promote-cool-vending-machines/#.VOZgnS4bO_s)
by Shusuke Murai
Staff Writer
Feb 19, 2015

To lure foreign tourists, especially Chinese arriving in large numbers for the Lunar New Year holiday, JR East is promoting Japan’s cutting-edge vending machine technology at JR Akihabara Station in Tokyo, with staff dressed in ninja and kimono outfits.

JR East Water Business Co. has turned to its “next generation” Acure vending machines as a promotional tool, with staff ready to explain how to use the machines in Chinese and English.

“With our vending machine, I hope overseas tourists will find Japanese station facilities entertaining and convenient,” Takatoki Izumi, head of JR Water Business’s vending machine promotion, said Thursday.

Unlike traditional vending machines, the smart vending machine is equipped with a touch panel that provides details about the beverages. A face-recognition camera automatically identifies the sex and approximate age of the user and, taking into account the time of day and temperature, suggests a suitable beverage.

Some tourists took pictures with the ninjas while others received free Japanese folding fans with instructions on how to use the vending machines.

Asked about the ninja costumes, Izumi said he got a number of inquiries from foreign media about Japanese vending machines, and thought that the machines had the potential to become a sightseeing attraction for overseas tourists.

“When thinking about what characterizes our vending machine, I thought ninja would be the perfect match with its fast, cool image,” Izumi said.

Sophia So and Raul Han, Chinese tourists who were at Akihabara Station on Thursday, said the encounter with ninjas was a “very unique and interesting experience” that they have never had outside Japan.

Ninjas and women in kimono will be at the station until Friday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

GeneChing

02-20-2015, 10:14 AM

A University ninja course. These are the days of miracle and wonder...:eek:

University offers classes in ninja studies (http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-wp-yomiuri--bc-ninja-studies20-20150220-story.html)
By Moeko Yo****omi, Yomiuri Shimbun The Yomiuri Shimbun

TSU, Japan — Mie University in Tsu puts emphasis on the academic study of ninja, intending to explore their roles and lifestyles by dispelling their stereotypical combatant image created by films and manga.

"The most important role of ninja is to collect intelligence. They tried to avoid fighting as much as possible," said Prof. Yuji Yamada, 47, of the university while showing a ninja film to students during his "Ninja Study" class. "They were required to have good memories and communication skills first and foremost, rather than physical strength."

Yamada, an expert of Japanese medieval history, began studying ninja in early 2012 at the request of the university.

As there are few academic papers on ninja, he initially thought academically studying them would be difficult as ninja skills have mostly been handed down by word of mouth. However, once he began carefully researching books on ninja at the Ninja Museum of Igaryu, he gradually learned what ninja were really like. These books are not open to the public.

The Ninja Study class began at the university in the 2013 school year. In the last and current school year, 230 students took the class after winning a lottery. More than 400 students applied to join the class.

Jinichi Kawakami, 65, also teaches the class elements such as walking stealthily and a breathing method to prevent runners from tiring. Kawakami mastered the Koga-ryu ninja skills.

This school year, a similar ninja lecture was also given twice at Mie Terrace, a promotion base of the prefecture in Tokyo, to a packed audience of 70 people per lecture.

"Ninja insisted on having an existence like a shadow," Yamada said. "They accomplished their duties behind the scenes and through unofficial negotiations. They share those characteristics in common with Japanese today. I would like to introduce the good traits of Japanese to the global community through the ninja culture."

curenado

02-20-2015, 01:30 PM

That's funny.
I wonder who's recipe for the hallucinating poison will be presented?

GeneChing

04-30-2015, 10:06 AM

"Glow Ninja" 5K
Friday, June 19, 2015 (http://www.ninja5k.com/)

http://nebula.wsimg.com/3d85840531aa71a87c3be9f0c8914e75?AccessKeyId=B414F 44FDD76CC6179DE&disposition=0&alloworigin=1

Martial Arts Demonstrations & Activities: 7:00 pm
Race begins: 8:00 pm

EARLY-BIRD $30 by May 1st

- Register early to guarantee a free event t-shirt on race day.

In Oak Ridge, TN.

RACE FAQ (http://www.ninja5k.com/race-faq.html)

You have Ninja questions, we have Ninja answers.

What do I wear to the event?
You can wear ninja costumes, PJs, headbands, or whatever is comfortable to run/walk in. Absolutely NO real weapons will be allowed! Glow items, foam swords, headbands and rubber throwing stars will be available for purchase online and onsite to help you fit in.

Are Strollers/wheelchairs OK?
Yes! The race course is very flat and accessible.

Tshirt & Bib Pick-up
All tshirts and bibs will be ready for pick-up onsite starting at 6pm on raceday (June 19). See you at the Horizon Center!

Is the Ninja 5k a Timed Event?
Yes! The race will be timed, but you are encouraged to enjoy the event at your own pace. You can walk, run, kick, jump, or ninja-glide (for those with magical ninja powers).

Can I register on Race Day?
Yes, but the race might be sold out. Also, event t-shirts are only guaranteed to runners who register for the event by the early deadline. Why wait? Register today!

What items are prohibited?
Swords, knives, other real weapons, skateboards, roller blades, bikes, pets, etc.

What if the weather is bad?
We will run rain or shine. If there is lightning in the area, we will delay until it is safe. We may have to cancel the event, but it is highly unlikely (no refunds).

How do I Volunteer to help?
Help is needed on race day at the water stations, parking, registration, and more. Email ninjafivek@gmail.com and tell your non-running friends to volunteer to help!

Trying to wrap my head around 'glow ninjas' :confused:

GeneChing

05-06-2015, 09:02 AM

Ninjas rule.

Hilton Odawara Resort & Spa is offering special ninja training and recognition for your children! (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/05/06/hilton-odawara-resort-spa-is-offering-special-ninja-training-and-recognition-for-your-children/)
Krista Rogers

Hilton’s Odawara Resort & Spa, tucked away in Kanagawa Prefecture’s southwestern Odawara City, is offering something that you and your children simply can’t refuse: the opportunity for them to participate in special ninja training during your brief stay at the hotel!

The luxury hotel’s special ninja package is currently being promoted for families with children ages 4-12. Luckily, there’s no need to rush, since the campaign runs until March 31, 2016.

If you specify your child’s clothing size while filling out the comments section of your room reservation, hotel staff will prepare a special set of ninja robes for him or her to wear upon arrival. He or she must then follow the instructions on a special sheet of paper found in your room to collect more written tasks and ultimately complete a secret mission. Children who complete the mission will then officially be recognized as “Hilton Odawara Ninja” and receive commemorative goods.

You’re probably wondering what the connection is between the Hilton Odawara Resort & Spa and ninja. In fact, this current promotion is part of a larger campaign to recognize Odawara City’s historical connection with the Fuma, a ninja clan led by Fuma Kotaro who were active during feudal Japan’s Warring States period (circa 1467 – c. 1603). This clan was also in the service of the powerful Hojo warrior clan, for whom Odawara Castle served as home base.

Here are some promotional images taken from the hotel’s official website:

▼ He must be one of your ninja instructors!
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/150.jpg?w=580&h=580

▼ A sample of the lovely breakfast buffet spread, which is complimentary to your stay. Kids need energy to be good ninja!
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/236.jpg?w=580&h=580

▼ One of the hotel’s various pools. Hard for a ninja to hide here!
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/332.jpg?w=580&h=580

▼ One of the luxurious rooms in which you and your children could while away the evening, post ninja training.
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/424.jpg?w=580&h=580

The price per person for a two-person room (breakfast included) begins at 15,743 yen (US$130.97). Happy ninja training to all the kids out there!

Hotel Information
Hilton Odawara Resort & Spa
583-1 Nebukawa, Odawara-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture 250-0024

〒250-0024 神奈川県小田原市根府川583-1
ヒルトン小田原リゾート&スパ

TEL 0465-29-1000

Sources: Odawara-Hakone Keizai Shimbum, Wikipedia
Images: Hilton-Odawara Resort & Spa

GeneChing

06-03-2015, 09:15 AM

This is too cool.

Join ninja’s shuriken competition (http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002169462)

The Yomiuri Shimbun
A gold shuriken for the winner of the shuriken throwing competition
6:37 am, June 01, 2015
The Yomiuri Shimbun

IGA, Mie — Can you use shuriken throwing stars as well as a true ninja? If you can, prove it. The Ninja Museum of Igaryu in Iga, Mie Prefecture, is accepting applications for this year’s annual shuriken-throwing competition.

The seventh competition’s finals will be held on Nov. 8 at the museum’s ninja square.

Participants in the finals are required to wear ninja costumes.

Prior to the finals, preliminaries will be held at seven locations across the nation, including Osaka on June 7, Kyoto on July 5 and Iga on July 12.

Eligible participants must be of middle school age or older. Each preliminary will accept 50 contestants on a first-come, first-served basis. The contestants ranked first to 40th in all of the preliminaries will make it to the finals.

The winner in the finals will be awarded a gold shuriken. Those who finish in second and third place will receive a silver shuriken and a bronze shuriken.

The contestants will receive six shuriken to throw at a 30-centimeter-diameter target, but they are required to set the last shuriken aside, in keeping with tradition. Men will throw from a distance of six meters and women from five meters. Before throwing, they will chant a spell known as the Kuji Goshinho.

The participation fee is ¥1,000. The official rule book is on sale for ¥200. Call the museum at (0595) 23-0311 for more information and an application.
I can't cut&paste the Yomiburi shuriken image. It's worth clicking the link to see it.

GeneChing

06-05-2015, 09:33 AM

I need one of these.

Ninja Parka’s hidden pockets, special material let you battle bugs and UV rays like a shinobi (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/06/05/ninja-parkas-hidden-pockets-special-material-let-you-battle-bugs-and-uv-rays-like-a-shinobi/)
Casey Baseel
10 hours ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/np-0.png?w=580&h=402

Do you ever get the feeling you were born too late in history? I mean think about it, if you’d come into the world, say, five centuries sooner, you could have been a ninja, plying your trade by offering your shadow warrior skills to one of the warlords of Japan’s Sengoku period.

But hey, that doesn’t mean there are no fights left for would-be shinobi! It just means that instead of taking on enemy armies, your adversaries are instead harsh UV rays and annoying mosquitos, and what better way to gear up for such modern battles than with a Ninja Parka?

The Ninja Parka, like the ninja themselves, employs a number of clever techniques and hidden capabilities. With harsh, skin-damagingly intense sunlight and rampant mosquitos both being unpleasant realities of a Japanese summer, the parka, which can also be worn like an ordinary zip-up, features a masked hood that covers the checks and forehead, as well as hand coverings that can be adjusted to two different lengths.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/np-4.png?w=580&h=394
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/np-6.png?w=580&h=379

Lightweight and easy to move about in, the manufacturer nevertheless claims the polyester/urethane material blocks out 99 percent of UV rays. The fabric is also processed with natural bug-repelling components, which should be a blessing when the humidity is up and the mosquitos are out.

▼ The mask portion is made from a lightweight mesh, allowing you to breathe easily while obscuring your face from the sun’s rays/shogun’s guards.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/np-9.png?w=580&h=544

On the forearm, you’ll find a stitched shuriken. This is more than just a decorative touch, though. It’s also a UV indicator, which changes from silver to pink in the presence of stronger ultraviolet rays.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/np-10.png?w=580&h=155

Being outside in the summertime in Japan usually means being wet, either from the sweltering, sweat-producing humidity or one of the frequent squalls that come with it. In either case, you’ll be happy to know that the Ninja Parka is made with fast-drying material. Even better, it’s also got interior pockets next to the underarms and on the back where you can slip in an ice pack (purchased separately) to give yourself some allies in beating the heat.

▼ The parka can also be folded up into its own back pocket, as shown on the right.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/np-7.png?w=580&h=254

Finally, the designers point out that the garment is long enough to cover your backside, making it a viable choice for avoiding sunburns during a ninja day at the beach.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/np-8.png?w=580&h=278

The Ninja Parka is being sold through online retailers Cecile (here (http://www.cecile.co.jp/detail/YF-948/)) and Dinos (here (http://www.dinos.co.jp/p/1267600703/)), in sizes medium to extra-extra-large. Both sites have it priced at 4,212 yen (US$35), although only Dinos currently has the unstealthy, but cute, pink variant

Sources: Cecile, Dinos
Images: Cecile (edited by RocketNews24)

sanjuro_ronin

06-05-2015, 10:10 AM

Very cool, Tigerclaw gonna carry them?

GeneChing

06-05-2015, 10:35 AM

Tigerclaw gonna carry them?
It's unlikely as we don't have many Japanese suppliers.

GeneChing

07-27-2015, 07:54 AM

Enter to win KungFuMagazine.com's contest for SAMURAI AND NINJA Autographed by Antony Cummins (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/sweepstakes-samurai-ninja.php)!!! Contest ends 6:00 p.m. PST on 8/6/15.

GeneChing

08-31-2015, 02:26 PM

Sofia Vergara's "Tall, Dark, and Delicious Secret" Revealed: First Look Video (http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/sofia-vergara-tall-dark-and-delicious-secret-revealed-exclusive-2015278)
Celebrity News Aug. 27, 2015 AT 12:00PM By Esther Lee

http://assets-s3.usmagazine.com/uploads/assets/articles/91269-sofia-vergara-tall-dark-and-delicious-secret-revealed-exclusive/1440623932_sofia-ninja-coffee-bar-467.jpg

Sofia Vergara Ninja Coffee Bar Sofia Vergara reveals her "tall, dark, and delicious secret" exclusively to Us Weekly -- find out what it is here! Credit: Ninja Coffee Bar

Not her average cup of Joe. Modern Family star Sofia Vergara has revealed her "tall, dark, and delicious secret" exclusively to Us Weekly, but it's not exactly what people may have guessed.

The bombshell mogul, 43, has partnered with houseware company SharkNinja to launch its brand-new Coffee Bar. Joe Manganiello's fiancee, who's also a passionate coffee lover (she hails from global coffee mecca Colombia), was invited by the brand to help create and develop a coffee machine that would extract full-bodied flavors. It's inside the test kitchen where she became a key part of the development process for the caffeine device.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B513iuFMGg

"When [CEO] Mark [Rosen] told me about their plans to create the Ninja Coffee Bar, I knew I had to get involved from both a personal and business perspective," TV's highest-paid actress said about her latest business partnership, available at major retailers nationwide in Sept. She also revealed that the Ninja Coffee Bar serves iced coffee -- directly from the machine. "I never even thought it was possible to make a great iced coffee at home!" Vergara shared.

Vergara, who earned a total of $140 million from 2013 to 2014, is known for her business prowess and acumen. In an interview with Glam Belleza Latina magazine in 2013, Vergara flat-out spoke about her love for amassing a fortune. "I’m not ashamed to say I love making money," she dished. "I like business, and the truth is I save way more than I spend. I invest. I plan for the future... I have a special eye for opportunities and work harder than anyone might expect. It is fun to shock people with my business ideas."

The Emmy nominee said sometimes it's hard for people to separate her from Gloria, her beloved on-screen Modern Family character. "Most people just see me as Gloria," Vergara told the mag at the time. "Most people are more comfortable with the notion of 'sexy bimbo.' And I have to admit that I’ve capitalized on that to negotiate a couple of times."

Vergara also has multiple endorsement deals with high-profile brands, including Rooms2G, Head & Shoulders, and a jewelry collection with Kay Jewelers.

Watch the exclusive first look clip from her partnership with Ninja Coffee Bar above!

Sofia! When you need a ninja suit, call me (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ninja-styles.html).
http://img23.fansshare.com/media/content1/550x298_sofia-vergara-and-nick-loeb-getting-back-together--6762.jpg

GeneChing

09-17-2015, 01:45 PM

Finally! A reason to go to Legoland.

Hiyah! Legoland California ninja ride to use karate chop hand gestures (http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-ninjago-legoland-california-20150917-story.html)
Ninjago: The Ride

http://www.trbimg.com/img-55faf405/turbine/la-trb-ninjago-legoland-california-20150917-001/900/900x506
Concept art of the Ninjago dark ride coming to Legoland California in 2016. (Legoland)
By Brady MacDonald

A first-of-its-kind dark ride coming to Legoland California in 2016 will let riders use karate-chop hand gestures to shoot fireballs at ninja warriors on giant video screens.

The high-tech Ninjago: The Ride will feature sensors on the front of each ride vehicle that register the hand movements of riders who zap color-coded fireballs at digital screens populated with animated Lego figures.

Based on a line of ninja-inspired Lego toys and a spin-off television show, the dark ride will be the centerpiece of a new Asian-inspired Ninjago themed land featuring test-of-skill games, a restaurant and a retail store. Visitors will undergo “ninja training” before boarding the new ride to reinforce the new hand-gesture controls.

Legoland is teaming up on the project with Montreal-based Triotech, which previously worked on the Wonder Mountain Guardian hybrid coaster-dark ride at Canada’s Wonderland outside Toronto and the Voyage to the Iron Reef shoot-em-up dark ride at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park.

Digital-based rides with video-game-like features are attractive to theme park operators because the computer-generated imagery can be updated with the latest advances in technology and the back story can be changed with the flip of a switch.

Theme park attractions are increasingly adding more video game elements. While most play-at-home game consoles require players to hold a controller, some video games like “Disney’s Fantasia: Music Evolved” on the XBox One system put emphasis on gesture controls.

An identical version of Ninjago: The Ride is also expected to debut in 2016 at Denmark’s Legoland Billund.

Firehawk4

09-17-2015, 07:43 PM

Gene I am a Ninja i took it back in the 1990 s and 1980 s but i am no good at it they do a lot of rolling on the ground . The weapons they use could do alot of damage to a person .

GeneChing

09-30-2015, 09:06 AM

Tell me this isn't you.

A Man in a Ninja Costume Has Been Running Around Warsaw Swinging a (Fake) Sword (http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/warsaw-ninja-876)
September 24, 2015
by Melchior Sędzimir

https://vice-images.vice.com/images/content-images-crops/2015/09/24/warsaw-ninja-876-body-image-1443130381-size_1000.jpg
All photos by the author

This article was originally published by VICE Poland

For the past week or so, a man dressed in a ninja costume has been running around the streets of Warsaw swinging a [metal] sword. As expected, local authorities have spent the last few days trying to sort through the numerous formal complaints filed by residents of the Grochów district – where the ninja is mostly active. Whether the complainants were creeped out because they did not know the sword was fake or merely by the sight of a man in a black costume and balaclava, is unknown.

Either way, as soon as I heard about him, I set out to get in touch with the 'Grochów ninja' – as he is now locally known. It wasn't hard – the guy has actually set up a Facebook fanpage for himself. After a few back and forth messages between him, me and his dad, I found myself talking to a man dressed like a ninja on the corner of Terespolska and Grochowska.

VICE: Why are you doing this?

Grochów Ninja: When I was 15, I wanted to be faster than my friends so I started training in short and long distance running. Two years later, I was attacked by thieves. I realised I don't stand a chance in a fist fight, so I thought it'd be best to buy something that would help me defend myself.

I first bought a bokken, which is a wooden exercise sword. It was my mother who got me interested in Japanese culture in the first place. I got weird looks from passers-by, when I carried the sword on my back. Then, a buddy sold me a sword made of leaf spring for 15 zloties (about £3). Actually, I am not sure if the sword was really made of leaf spring but that's what my friend said. And then another couple of years later, I was attacked on the street again – but this time I managed to kick the *******s' asses. My new sword worked miracles.

https://vice-images.vice.com/images/content-images-crops/2015/09/24/warsaw-ninja-876-body-image-1443130344-size_1000.jpg

Do you have a sensei or are you self-taught?

I practice myself. I mostly work on my general endurance and reaction time. I've been a runner for six years now and I plan to do it for as long as I am physically able. At the beginning, I ran in a tracksuit and now I do it in a ninja warrior outfit.

What do you do in life – apart running around Warsaw dressed as a ninja?

I wear normal clothes, but I never go out without my sword. I carry it with me to the shops, running errands – basically everywhere. The only place where I take it off my back is work. As a security guard, I must wear a uniform. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to draw a line between work and fun.

Do you get more attention from girls since you became the Grochów Ninja?

A few cute girls liked my fan page, but I checked and they're mostly married or have boyfriends. I don't want to be a ******* stealing other guy's girls. I have values.

What have been the reactions of the people who see you on the street?

I've heard that quite a few complaints have been filed to the Grochów district council but the local councilman, Damian Paczkowski, had a meeting with the mayor of Warsaw and told him I'm harmless man. I have it in writing: I run around with an imitation sword. I do not wish harm on anyone.

When somebody gets at me, I ignore them and keep running. I don't understand why we are all so intent on limiting ourselves. Showing off your passion is cool! Let's not all be grey and samey-looking. We live in a free country after all.

Thanks for that.

Firehawk4

09-30-2015, 03:56 PM

It could be me .

GeneChing

09-30-2015, 04:10 PM

Because I was going to say that posting on the forum here that you are a ninja is akin to telling people you are a secret agent. The very stating of such a detail invalidates the statement. ;)

I reward your reply with news of the purple ninja radish. :D

Babé Farms launching new Purple Ninja radish (http://www.theproducenews.com/more-what-s-new/16899-babe-farms-launching-new-purple-ninja-radish)
by Christina DiMartino | September 29, 2015

http://www.theproducenews.com/images/stories/Article_Images/015/09/Purple-Ninja-Radish.jpg

It takes an innovative, broad-minded company to stay at the leading edge in the specialty produce arena, and Babé Farms Inc., a grower, packer and shipper of specialty vegetables, headquartered in Santa Maria, CA, is known for doing just that. The company continually adds new and unique products to its already vast line of colorful, flavorful and highly nutritious products.

Ande Manos, marketing and new business development director, said the company’s latest addition to its line is the Purple Ninja radish.

“This is a perfect fit with Babé Farms brilliant rainbow of gourmet radishes,” said Manos. “Torpedo in shape, and aptly named for its spicy kick of flavor, the Purple Ninja has a purple exterior with a light purple interior flesh. The beautiful color of this radish makes it the perfect edible garnish. Julienned it’s perfect for ceviche, or slice thinly and garnish seared scallops.”

She noted that the Purple Ninja radish will be featured at the Babé Farms booth, No. 3438, at the annual Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit in Atlanta on Oct. 23-25.

Early November, Manos noted, will mark the close of the local baby squash season in the Santa Maria Valley.

“But, starting in mid-November, Babé Farms will be offering baby squash from the Baja growing region for the late fall and winter season,” she explained. “The squash varieties will include baby green zucchini and baby yellow and green summer squash. These are packaged in cello perforated bags and will be available in two, five-pound bags to the case and one, five-pound bag to the case.”

She stressed that advance orders are required for these items and encourages those interested to contact Babé Farms Specialties sales for more information.

The creation of Babé Farms Specialties can be credited to its visionary founder, Will Souza, a third-generation farmer from a pioneer farm family in the Santa Maria Valley, CA.

With over 600 SKUs and growing, it is one of the busiest specialty vegetable farming operations on the West Coast.

“Babé Farms was one of the first companies to introduce packaged European salad mixes, or mesclun, hand-selected specialty greens and a colorful array of baby vegetables into the United States and Canada,” said Manos.

Today the company is owned by founding partner Judy Lundberg-Wafer and her son, Jeff Lundberg.

Jeff Lundberg is the president and chief executive officer, and he oversees all aspects of the farming operation and business. Judy Lundberg is the chairman of the board and remains actively involved in the day-to-day operations. The company has maintained its family style business culture over the years. Many of the employees from the field, administrative and sales staff have been with the company for well over 20 years.

“Babé Farms welcomes customers and chefs to come visit our colorful farm fields in the Santa Maria Valley,” said Manos. “We strongly believe in educating and engaging our customers and end-users in our unique farming program, to see firsthand how our over 70 varieties of specialty vegetables we grow from seed, to sale and to the plate.”

GeneChing

10-12-2015, 11:11 AM

Newly established Japan Ninja Council promises to be your one-stop website for all things ninja (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/10/12/newly-established-japan-ninja-council-promises-to-be-your-one-stop-website-for-all-things-ninja/)
Master Blaster
16 hours ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/top6.jpg?w=580&h=296

When you think of “cool Japan,” it’s hard to overlook ninjas, those stealthy spies and assassins with more tricks up their sleeve than a magician in a parka. And yet it seems these timeless icons of Japanese culture have largely been overlooked by the national government’s Cool Japan in favor of AKB48 spin-offs and abacuses.

So instead, a band of 11 Japanese governors and mayors have assembled to create the Japan Ninja Council (JNC) with the sole aim of reminding everyone how cool ninjas are. Having officially launched on 9 October they aim to collect every bit of information on ninjas, including their history and culture, and provide it to anyone who wants to learn more about these elusive figures.

All 11 founding fathers of the JNC took part in an opening ceremony last Friday to celebrate its birth. They include the governors of Kanagawa, Shiga, and Saga Prefectures along with the mayors of Odawara, Ueda, Iga, Koga, and Ureshino. The council will be led by its president, Mie Prefecture Govenor Eikei Suzuki, and vice-president, former Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Hiroshi Mizohata. Rounding out the group is prominent kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo the Eleventh in a supporting role.

▼ Most members decided to look the part for the council’s launch
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/20150311131053.jpg?w=580&h=435

Unfortunately since they decided to launch on a Friday before a long weekend, nothing much has happened yet. The JNC website “ninja-official.com” is up but only has a brief history of ninjas and a video about a ninja weapons show in Iga. It is a fairly cool video though.

▼ “Cool Japan” is people chucking ninja stars at each other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSV7FT2FNck

The also have a Twitter and Facebook account set up, but so far nothing has been posted on either.

▼ Here we have a rare, unsullied Twitter feed. I love that new-account scent.
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/018.jpg?w=580&h=477

It should be interesting to see how the website grows as the JNC continues to network with ninja related businesses and organizations. The target is to reignite a “ninja-boom” in Japan leading up to the 2020 Olympics, when the world’s eyes will be on the country. Starting just after the hugely successful ninja-themed manga series Naruto ended probably wasn’t the best timing, but ninjas are cool enough that they can probably still pull it off.

With the goal of luring tourists and their lovely gold coins into ninja-themed attractions and shops, it would be a safe bet that English translations should hit the website in the not-to-distant future. But these ninjas are cagey, so you just never know what they’ll do next.

Meanwhile, the national government’s Cool Japan initiative (which has no connection to the JNC) will be holding a Wonder 500 exhibition in Toyama on 6 November. It will showcase various local products from around the country, including five kinds of umbrellas!
https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/umbrellas.jpg?w=580&h=475

Japan Ninja Council
Official WebsiteTwitter
Facebook

Source: Narinari.com, METI/Cool Japan (Japanese)
Top image: Japan Ninja Council
Images: Japan Ninja Council, The Wonder 500, Odawara City Official Website
Video: YouTube/Kunihiro Tateishi

Ninja gear. You know where to get it (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ninja-styles.html). ;)

GeneChing

10-29-2015, 08:19 AM

There's vid too, if you follow the link.

Anonymous ninja girl turning heads in Pittsburg (http://www.koamtv.com/story/30377852/anonymous-ninja-girl-turning-heads-in-pittsburg)
Updated: Oct 28, 2015 3:14 PM PDT
By Carly Willis, ReporterCONNECT

http://KOAM.images.worldnow.com/images/9121183_G.jpg
http://KOAM.images.worldnow.com/images/9121184_G.jpg

PITTSBURG, KANSAS -
She frequents Pitt State's campus but can also be seen flipping off of dumpsters at local restaurants. Pittsburg's self-proclaimed ninja girl has been frequent on social media over the past few months.

"I've seen her inside of the student center, doing somersaults and I've seen her around the oval a few times," PSU student Kyle Hostetler said.

If she has an audience, she may even show off a bit of parkour: the act of flipping, running and jumping around obstacles.

"She actually showed up on my lawn one time and did some parkour and tricks for us then ran off to the stadium so it was pretty impressive," another PSU student, Shannon Mack said.

Because of her outgoing personality and anonymous costume, people think she's trying to get attention. Multiple times she extended a high-five only to get a shaken head in return.

"If it brings attention to my story and my anti-bullying, then its good and that's why I don't tell my name, because I don't want attention, I just want the story to be known," she said.

Her story is a sad one, of bullying and humiliation. Her ninja costume covers scars from being stabbed with pencils. Originally from Lamar, she moved schools frequently as a child and as a self-proclaimed "total ****", found that not everyone shared her humor. The end of one school day with her classmates is forever in her mind.

"They were sticking gum in my hair, then when I got off the bus, they were beating me in the back with sticks," she said, "I just felt unsafe going to school and I felt like there was no escape. I ended up being put in the hospital for attempted suicide."

The bullying got so bad that she finished school online to avoid having to see her taunters everyday. This mostly goes unknown, and once a few PSU students learned of it, their entire attitude about her changed.

"Some people just ignore her, or make fun of her. Knowing that now, it makes me want to say go for it and do it because bullying is still a very serious thing in America. And obviously in college it's still alive and well," Mack said.

Her flips and parkour around benches, trees and walls on campus is all part of her master plan.

"I'm training for America Ninja Warrior, and the prize if you complete the course is a million dollars. I want to donate half a million back to 'Stomp Out Bullying", she said.

But she has a few years ahead of her. Ninja Girl is only 16, making the hurtful comments and quips from passerbys sting even worse.

"It's like, you're bullying the anti-bullying ninja. I'm 16. This is pathetic," she said.

In the time being, her agenda is quite simple.

"I go out everyday and try to make someone's day," she said.

GeneChing

11-23-2015, 02:14 PM

This looks so fun.

There's a Ninja Festival This Weekend in Japan (http://kotaku.com/theres-a-ninja-festival-this-weekend-in-japan-1743223097)
Brian Ashcraft
Filed to: NINJA 11/18/15 6:00am

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--kDeIwvzS--/1524315832535099465.jpg

Got plans, Tokyo residents? You do now.

While all most people know about ninja is probably “wrong,” this weekend in Tokyo’s Ueno Park, there is a Ninja Festa.

Recently, there have been ninja festivals in Japan (typically Mie Prefecture, traditionally a hotbed of ninja activity, but earlier this year there was one in Osaka).

What do you do at ninja festival? Here is a look at past festivals.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--Tv4h0eiN--/1524315832608127561.jpg
[Photo: bell0611]

Like at most festivals, there are food stalls. But that’s not all...

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--stnGSYSp--/1524315832666043721.jpg
[Photo: yakoneco]

You can listen to ninja songs.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--G-YYgyBW--/1524315832707164745.jpg
[Photo: konpota110]

Watch ninja moves.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--rxg2UnNC--/1524315832764144969.jpg
[Photo: qess0515]

Make ninja friends.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--6xviHb30--/1524315832815353673.jpg
[Photo: usagitv]

Good times.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--AkblveHS--/1524315832871724361.jpg
[Photo: Ninja Festa]

One of those dogs is more ninja than the others.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--5EpQ0yGr--/1524315832894874441.jpg
[Photo: Ninja Festa]

Maybe, you can watch a deadly ninja marching band.

continued next post

GeneChing

11-23-2015, 02:15 PM

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--qfz3Jn77--/1524315832930968137.jpg
[Photo: yauko_o]

Blow darts.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--fVBYQFpQ--/1524315833037800265.jpg
[Photo: 77Amaou]

So cute, so deadly.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--gtqBqSUx--/1524315833070068041.jpg
[Photo: kuronekodaisuki]

You can check out ninja cars.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--99ECZ9bG--/1524315833116417097.jpg
[Photo: showchick]

This isn’t as stealthy as it should be...

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--GKMFIEDn--/1524315833147111497.jpg
[Photo: budou_nin]

Ninja booze!

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--6LgfxyfF--/1524315833202794313.jpg
[Photo: Ninja Festa]

Do not be fooled. Ninja baby will kill you.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--voigrhR6--/1524315833212774217.jpg
[Photo: konpota110]

This really seems like a wonderful way to spend the day.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--DJG7upE6--/1524315833256129865.jpg
[Photo: Ninja Festa]

Goodness.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--7N0y2sEe--/1524315833299826505.jpg
[Photo: yohsukei]

Precious ninja memories.

According to Random News, the Ninja Festa runs this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday in Ueno Park. You won’t necessarily be able to do all the activities pictured above, but you’ll probably have a good time, regardless.

Top photo: konpota110

This must go on the bucket list.

GeneChing

12-09-2015, 09:43 AM

Ninja squad parades in plain sight for Tokyo promotional tour (http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/style/AJ201512070065)
December 07, 2015

http://d13uygpm1enfng.cloudfront.net/article-imgs/en/2015/12/07/AJ201512070065/AJ201512070066S.jpg

By KOICHI IITAKE/ AJW Staff Writer
They’re famed for creeping around in the dead of night, but nearly 100 “ninjas” were less than covert as they captured the attention of the weekend throng in central Tokyo.

The costume-clad “spies” took to the capital’s streets on Dec. 6 to promote the two best-known historical homes to ninja, Iga and Koka, both in Western Japan.

The tour in such Tokyo districts as the Harajuku district was part of an activities program endorsed by the Japan Ninja Council. The council was set up in October with the participation of 10 local governments, including Iga, Mie Prefecture, and Koka, Shiga Prefecture.

The program’s events are designed to promote the history of ninja in feudal society ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“Harajuku is closely associated with Iga ninja,” said Yasaka Inagaki, managing director of the Iga-Ueno Tourist Association, based in Iga, which was also a founding member of the council. Inagaki took the initiative of organizing the excursion in collaboration with the Koka City Tourist Association.

"Are they ninja?” foreign tourists cried out and began taking pictures of the squad as they suddenly appeared in the Shibuya Ward district, a major fashion center in Tokyo packed with young people.

Yuji Yamada, a professor at Mie University and an expert on ninja studies, acted as a tour guide. He explained that what is now called Harajuku was the land given to a group of guards originating from Iga ninja who were assigned to guard Edo Castle in the Edo Period (1603-1867).

As well as people from Iga and Koka, ninja fans from in and around Tokyo participated in the event.

Other sites that the ninja squad visited included Hatonomori Hachimanjinja shrine, historically related to Koka ninja, in Shibuya Ward. Yamada said the descendants of Koka ninja were leading parishioners of the shrine.

The participants also paraded past Jingu Stadium, the home baseball park of the Central League's Yakult Swallows.

The area containing the stadium’s site formerly was a shooting range used by those originating from Koka ninja, who were also assigned to protect Edo Castle, said Yamada.

More pix if you follow the link

GeneChing

01-20-2016, 03:29 PM

Not sure how I missed this one...

Female ninja the star at 'shuriken' throwing competition in Mie (http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201511100042)
November 10, 2015
By MASANORI HIUCHI/ Staff Writer

Junko Ryu wins the Iga-ryu Shuriken Uchi Senshuken Taikai (Iga-style ninja star throwing championship) held in Iga, Mie Prefecture, on Nov. 8. (Masanori Hiuchi)

IGA, Mie Prefecture--In just her first attempt, Junko Ryu became the first “kunoichi” female ninja to win the annual “shuriken” star-throwing championship here.

Ryu, a 21-year-old from Ureshino, Saga Prefecture, was tops among the 40 finalists at the seventh Iga-ryu Shuriken Uchi Senshuken Taikai (Iga-style ninja star throwing championship) held on Nov. 8 at the Ninja Museum of Igaryu in Iga.

Iga is famed as the traditional home of a renowned ninja clan in feudal Japan.

“I am so happy,” said Ryu, also known as Oryo, as she held the solid gold ninja star awarded as a trophy. “I was really nervous, but I threw my ninja stars with confidence. I hope my victory will encourage other kunoichi.”

Although it was her first participation in the competition, Ryu is no stranger to the practice.

An employee of Hizen Yume Kaido, a ninja-theme park in Ureshino, Ryu regularly performs in ninja shows and teaches visitors how to throw the ninja stars.

The competition has been held since 2009 by the Igaueno Tourist Association to promote tourism in the city and spread ninja star throwing as a sport.

This year, qualifying events were held from June through September in seven locations, including Osaka and Aichi prefectures and Tokyo, in which a total of 283 contestants competed.

Entrants throw a 47-gram stainless ninja star to a target five times at a distance of 6 meters for males and 5 meters for females.

In the final competition, contestants are required to wear ninja outfits. They are also judged on how they chant the Kuji Goshin-bo mantra and other aspects of the ninja tradition.

Takanori Kito, a 43-year-old office worker from Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, took second place. In third place was Koki Noguchi, a 14-year-old junior high school student from Yokohama. The student entered the competition under the ninja name Yaen no Sasuke.

By MASANORI HIUCHI/ Staff Writer

GeneChing

01-25-2016, 10:13 AM

Believe it! Now you too can become a ninja at the Ninja Academy in Nara Prefecture (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2016/01/23/believe-it-now-you-too-can-become-a-ninja-at-the-ninja-academy-in-nara-prefecture/)
Scott Wilson 3 days ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/nara-ninja-top.png?w=580&h=527

There’s no sexy-no-jutsu training here.

The life of a ninja has to be pretty sweet. You get to sneak around on rooftops in the night, go on top secret missions, throw shuriken at bad guys, and, if Naruto is to be believed, you can even summon huge animals to fight for you and defeat people with the power of friendship.

Yeah, that’d be fun. Too bad it’s impossible to actually, become a ninja, right?

Wrong! If you want to be a ninja, all you have to do is go to the Ninja Academy in Nara Prefecture.

▼ There’s also shaved ice for sale! (Parking at the rear.)

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/img_8970.jpg?w=580&h=475

Okay, so you might not learn how to summon spirit animals or anything at the Ninja Academy, but you can learn what actual Japanese ninja were like, and try out their weapons and training for yourself.

To see what the Ninja Academy was all about, we decided to visit for ourselves. It’s open every weekend with one- and two-day courses available. Since we weren’t quite sure how hardcore we were at the time, we decided to opt for the one-day course.

▼ A view of the inside of the dojo.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/dsc_05634.jpg?w=580&h=387

As soon as we arrived, our sensei immediately started our training. The one-day course was only five hours long, but he was determined to make it an extremely rigorous and thorough five hours.

▼ Most of our training consisted of learning how to use five different ninja weapons: sword, shuriken, blowdart, bow and arrow, and gun.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/dsc_05687.jpg?w=580&h=353

Yes, that’s right, gun. The academy leader told us that his ancestors taught the use of firearms all the way back until the end of the Edo Period. Ninjas had no scruples when it came to what weapons to use, and if a gun was the right tool for the job, then they’d use it without hesitation.

▼ First came sword training, with a very disappointed-looking sensei
watching us in the background.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/dsc_05712.jpg?w=580&h=447

For sword training, we used an actual sword to try to cut through thick tatami mats. It took about a dozen swings each time to finally cut through it, but once we got over the fear of dropping the sword and cutting our toes off, it got a lot easier.

▼ “Take that Orochimaru!”
“What?”
“Uh, nothing sensei!“

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/dsc_05773.jpg?w=580&h=486

▼ Next up was shuriken practice.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/dsc_05814.jpg?w=580&h=469

▼ We used targets to practice with, including a picture of Naruto for you to vent your ninja-frustrations on.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/dsc_05843.jpg?w=580&h=387
continued next post

GeneChing

01-25-2016, 10:13 AM

▼ Then came blow-dart training, for when you need to assassinate silently.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/dsc_05901.jpg?w=580&h=425

▼ “That target kind of looks like the Uchiha family symbol….”
“What?”
“NOTHING SENSEI! STOP SNEAKING UP ON ME!”

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/dsc_0592.jpg?w=580&h=461

▼ Next was archery…

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/dsc_0613.jpg?w=580&h=498

▼ …and then finally came firearms. Because sometimes a shuriken just doesn’t cut it.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/dsc_0619.jpg?w=580&h=496

▼ Lunch was included in the 3,500 yen (US$30) price.
We got a Ninja Udon and riceballs.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/dsc_0606.jpg?w=580&h=429

▼ After that it was time to go, but not before snapping a picture with our sensei.
Man, he looks so much cooler than us. Maybe someday….

masami_1010 1 week ago

https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xat1/t51.2885-15/e35/12568252_421475834729808_710619864_n.jpg

Follow
きょうは忍術を習ってきた。にんにん✨

Are you ready to practice for your chunin exam? Or to train so you can finally take down Akatsuki? Or just to try throwing a real-life shuriken?

If so, and you’re in the Nara area, check out the Ninja Academy. At 3,500 yen for a five-hour experience (ninja lunch included!), it’s practically a steal. And considering who’s teaching it, maybe it is….

Ninja Academy
Address: Nara-ken, Nara-shi, Sakaharacho 2188
奈良県奈良市阪原町2188
Hours: Sat/Sun only (by appointment), 10:00 a.m – 4:00 p.m.
Phone: 06-6974-1186 or 090-8165-2488
Website

Featured/top image: Instagram/Kino****a_Masami
Insert images © RocketNews24

Wait...no sexy-no-jutsu training? :(

GeneChing

03-03-2016, 10:52 AM

Who the heck is going to toss one of these away?

Japan Ninja Council fulfills wealthy shadow warriors’ wishes by selling solid gold throwing stars (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2016/03/03/japan-ninja-council-fulfills-wealthy-shadow-warriors-wishes-by-selling-solid-gold-throwing-stars/)
Casey Baseel 3 hours ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/gs-0.png?w=580&h=281

Stylish shinobi seeking silver shuriken similarly supplied.

Last fall Japan’s Ninja Council was formed. While it’s still too early to give up hope that the organization’s real purpose is to protect us from an invading army of evil demons that have been sealed away beneath Mt. Fuji for the past 1,000 years, so far the group has been sticking to its publicly professed purpose of spreading knowledge about Japan’s famous shadow warriors and promoting ninja-related tourism.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/gs-1.png?w=580&h=464

For its first major project, the Council spearheaded the production of a mobile game titled Ninja King-Ninja Rises, but its newest endeavor is something more traditional. Through a campaign on Japanese crowdfunding site Crowdrive, the Japan Ninja Council is offering throwing stars made of pure silver or gold, crafted one of Japan’s oldest medal-making companies, Matsumoto Kisho.

Measuring nine centimeters (3.54 inches) across, the silver shuriken weighs 25 grams (0.88 ounces)…

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/gs-2.png?w=580&h=205

…while the identically sized gold version tips the scales at 50 grams.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/gs-3.png?w=580&h=205

You might think that such conspicuous luxury runs counter to the understated subterfuge associated with the ninja, but their precious metal-construction has an upside from a legal standpoint. Possession and purchase of ordinary shuriken is heavily regulated under Japan’s Sword and Firearm Control Laws, but the two throwing stars being offered by the Japan Ninja Council are classified as art objects.

Aside from gold’s pliable nature making it a poor choice for weaponry, another obvious reason for the loophole is the cost of the throwing stars. The silver star is priced at 150,000 yen (US$1,340), and if you want to pretend you’re James Bond villain Francisco Scaramanga’s Japanese cousin, the Man with the Golden Shuriken, that’ll cost you 770,000 yen. In other words, no one with the cash to buy these is doing so with the intention of sharpening their edges and throwing them around while robbing the local convenience store.

The shurikens’ Crowdrive campaign can be found here. Since quantities are limited to just 10 stars of each variety, buying a spare probably isn’t an option, so you’ll want to keep yours safely stored and only use it for your most formal ninja social engagements.

Source: Grapee
Feature image: Crowdrive (edited by RocketNews24)
Top image: Crowdrive (edited by RocketNews24)
Insert images: Japan Ninja Council, Crowdrive (edited by RocketNews24)

GeneChing

04-04-2016, 09:32 AM

A real life American Ninja (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1128). :cool:

Japanese tourism board hires American expat as professional ninja (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2016/04/04/japanese-tourism-board-hires-american-expat-as-professional-ninja/)
Casey Baseel 11 hours ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/an-0.png?w=580&h=341
Tokyo resident is the first foreign member of the Hattori Hanzo Ninja Squad.

A few weeks ago the Aichi Prefectural tourism board announced that it was looking for a few good ninja. Specifically, the organization posted job listing for new members of the Hattori Hanzo Ninja Squad, also called Hattori and the Ninjas, a shinobi-style tourism promotion team that travels not only around the country, but also goes overseas to give live performances showcasing the skills of Japan’s legendary shadow warriors.

The ninja squad was recruiting seven members for the role of Hattori Hanzo and six of his underlings. Interestingly, the tourism board had specified that non-Japanese applicants were welcome, and after reviewing the application packages that were sent in, 24 would-ne ninja, including four foreigners, were asked to audition before the board made its final selections. And while those eventually chosen to become professional ninja include five native sons and one daughter of Aichi Prefecture, there’s now also a non-Japanese member of the Ninja Squad.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/an-1.png?w=580&h=782

Chris O’Neill is an American currently living in Tokyo, working as a model and television/movie extra, but he’ll now be able to add “ninja” to his increasingly broad list of professional experiences. The 29-year-old O’Neill lists freerunning and acrobatics among his physical proficiencies, both of which should come in handy in his new line of work.

When asked what prompted him to apply for the position, O’Neill spoke of a desire to put his skills and experiences as an entertainer to use in a way that can connect with the passion and dreams of young fans of the shinobi arts. It’s a fine sentiment, and we wish O’Neill all the best in this venture, plus congratulate him on having had the last laugh on anyone who ever mocked his decision to move to Japan with, “What, do you want to be a ninja or something?”

Source: Aichi Prefectural tourism board via IT Media
Featured image: Aichi Prefectural tourism board (1, 2) (edited by RocketNews24)
Top image: Aichi Prefectural tourism board
Insert images: Aichi Prefectural tourism board

GeneChing

05-24-2016, 02:45 PM

Discover your stealth skills at THE NINJA exhibit coming to Tokyo in July! (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2016/05/22/discover-your-stealth-skills-at-the-ninja-exhibit-coming-to-tokyo-in-july/)
Kay 3 days ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/ninja-top.jpg?w=580&h=360

Who hasn’t been fascinated by the ninja and their legendary skills? Well, this special ninja exhibit should certainly help you learn more about their mysterious world!

We all love ninjas, don’t we? But how much do we really know about them? Although much about these “secret agents” of the feudal era remain a mystery, the academic world has been busy trying to uncover as much fact as possible about them. Happily for ninja fans, the public will get to share in some of the insights that researchers have gained into the world of the shinobi (literally “stealth”), as ninja are sometimes called.

The exhibit is based on scientific research on the ninja led by Mie University, and the exhibit hall has three distinct areas, each representing the elements of “mind, skill and body” (shin, gi, tai), in which the ninja were highly trained.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/floor-map.jpg?w=580&h=373

As you move through the exhibit, you’ll have the opportunity to practice throwing shuriken stars, improve your jumping power and learn secret operative skills, such as memory enhancement techniques and special breathing techniques as well as ways to send secret messages. You’ll also be able to see ancient ninjutsu manuscripts and ninja weapons on display. Now, that certainly sounds like a whole lot of secret agent fun!

THE NINJA exhibit will run from July 2 (Sat) to October 10 (Mon) at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in Tokyo’s Odaiba area. If you’re going to be in Tokyo during that time, it could be an excellent opportunity for you to get a glimpse into what the true world of the ninja may have been like. We hope you enjoy testing your stealth skills!

Exhibit Details
The Ninja
July 2 (Sat) to October 10 (Mon)
Venue: National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan)
Tokyo-to, Koto-ku, Aomi 2-3-6 (Access information)
東京都江東区青海2-3-6
Admission: 1,600 yen (about US$14.50) for adults, 1,000 yen (900 yen on Saturdays) for children of grade-school age to 18, and 500 yen for preschoolers years old (*Free admission for children 2 years old and under)

Source: THE NINJA exhibit website via ITmedia
Images: THE NINJA exhibit website

Japanese ninjas are more fun.

GeneChing

12-05-2016, 11:36 AM

Today (Mon 5th Dec, 2016) is...
International Ninja Day (https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/ninja-day/)

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/wp-content/images/ninja-day-1-e1449957443790-808x380.jpg

Dates
5th Dec each year
Other names
Day Of The Ninja

Espionage, Assassination, Guerrilla warfare, and sabotage, these are the skills of the ninja. Clad in their signature black, they appear from the depths of the night like a hawk on stolen wings, striking their quarry and disappearing again without leaving a trace. They are rumored to be the masters of Kuji-Kiri, an eastern magical practice that made them capable of combining their natural ability to move like ghosts with supernatural powers. International Ninja Day is dedicated to remembering and honoring these ancient warriors of China and Japan.

History of International Ninja Day
To truly understand the history of International Ninja Day, one must first understand the history of the Ninja. The original Ninja were warriors of the Iga Province of Japan during the Sengoku period. These warriors were raised from the basic people of the countryside, without access to proper armor, weapons, or training to use them. This is why so many of the weapons of the Ninja are drawn from agricultural roots, such as the Kunai and sickles, they were also weapons that disguised themselves. No sir, no infiltration focused assassin here, just a humble farmer working his fields.

The “traditional” black clothing of the ninja actually came about as a result of how Ninja were represented in theater. Being the everyday people of their province, they were invisible to the ruling class. You could not identify them by clothing or weapons, banner or nationality, they were the people of their country and therefor invisible. In Theater this was represented by the stage hands playing the part of the Ninjas, they wore black clothes that covered them from head to toe, and made them invisible against the black background of the stage. Also, those who frequented the theater were used to the presence of these stage-hands, and their sudden inclusion in the play came as a shock.

How to Celebrate International Ninja Day
There are a thousand movies about Ninjas out there, and some of them are among the best pieces of cinema available in just about every genre. Start your celebration of International Ninja Day by compiling a much watch list and getting together with friends to watch them around a home cooked traditional Japanese or Chinese meal… Or at least order take-out.

To add to the madness of the Ninja history, dress up in the theater traditional uniform and take to the streets, but turn it on its head. As a Modern Ninja, appear unexpectedly to do great acts of charity for the common man. Never forget that Ninja were oppressed hungry commoners before they were the most feared warriors in the world. Give back to their roots to truly honor them.

Not to be confused with February 22 is NINJA DAY! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68451-February-22-is-NINJA-DAY!) That's when Japan celebrates.

NINJA GEAR HERE! (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ninja-styles.html)

GeneChing

12-08-2016, 04:35 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz8u3-n7CEE

GeneChing

04-04-2017, 01:34 PM

"Ninja Global Survey" Indicates Ninja Awareness At All-Time High (http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2017/03/30/ninja-global-survey-indicates-ninja-awareness-at-all-time-high)
Official poll from the Japan Ninja Council quizzed people from 11 countries including Japan about their ninja knowledge
Paul Chapman
March 30, 2017 5:57pm PDT (4 days ago)

http://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire2/307bf0ff3f131981003db0185aa931801490895310_large.j pg

The Japan Ninja Council - an organization that promotes tourism through the study and spread of ninja culture - has released the results of its "Ninja Global Poll", an international survey that quizzed people from 11 countries around the world about their knowledge and opinions regarding the deadly art of assassination.

http://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire3/720915bdbb17fc2964a29d3fa557f8481490893913_full.jp g

The survey was administered to about 200 people total from such places as China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the United States, Australia, France, and Germany. The survey was also administered to about 300 people from Japan, for a total of 500. Of this pool, fully 98.7% indicated that they were at least passingly familiar with ninja.

http://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire1/3d2d0c6bab8f042be9f7e16c4012b3251490894363_full.jp g

Furthermore, when quizzed about whether ninja were still up to their ninja-shenanigans in the modern world, 63.1% responded in the affirmative, ranging in belief from the idea that the ninja clans were still around (but with reduced numbers) to the idea that ninja are practically everywhere. Indonesia and the U.S. proved strongest in their ninja-faith, with 78.9% and 73.7% of the respondents respectively believing that even now ninja are on the prowl.

http://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire2/e5d5e6bc6b218683b7b49b7f9defacc21490894708_full.jp g

Finally, when asked if they'd like to be a ninja, 49.6% of the respondents agreed that they wanted to ninja in the night. (Apparently just over half of the respondents were, in fact, against the ninja.) The desire to be a shinobi was especially strong in Thailand, where 80.8% of the respondents declared their affinity for the shadow arts.

For more information about the Japan Ninja Council, please check out their official English language home page here (https://ninja-official.com/?lang=en).

Source: Excite News Japan via Otakomu

Paul Chapman is the host of The Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast and GME! Anime Fun Time.

But if ninjas are supposed to be invisible, doesn't this mean that today's ninjas are lousy? :p

GeneChing

05-08-2017, 09:00 AM

Noooooooo! This explains why it's been so hard to recruit fresh ninjettes lately. :(

Japan is suffering from a ninja shortage amid huge demand from foreign tourists (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/japan-ninja-shortage-foreign-tourist-shows-martial-art-nayoga-takatsugu-aoki-a7716011.html)
Martial arts masters say new recruits are just not up to scratch
Caroline Mortimer @cjmortimer 5 days ago

https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_large/public/thumbnails/image/2017/05/03/16/ninja.jpg
A dying art: Modern recruits do not have the necessary skills in unarmed combat and espionage iStock
Japan's legendary ninjas are famous for their stealth and were said to possess a supernatural gift for invisibility.

But now martial arts experts are concerned they might be disappearing in real life, as practitioners of the ancient "ninjutsu" say there is a major talent shortage.

As tourism to Japan has grown, there has been an increasing demand to see the iconic warriors perform “ninja shows” to crowds - but martial arts squads are struggling to find candidates who are up to scratch.

Takatsugu Aoki, the manager of a martial arts squad in the city of Nayoga in the south of the country, told the Asahi newspaper: “With the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan on the increase, the value of ninja as tourism content has increased.

“There are more employment choices, while ninja shows across the country have become popular. I feel there is a ninja shortage.”

Those who do put themselves forwards, he said, lack the basic skills needed. This usually means being trained in unarmed combat, acrobatics, concealment and first aid while also being able to use throwing stars and fight with swords.

Invisibility and walking on water, despite the folklore, are not part of the job description.

Although they have developed a reputation as fearsome warriors over the centuries, ninjas were primarily concerned with espionage during their heyday in feudal Japan.

Ninjas prided themselves first and foremost on their skills in spying and their endurance – violence was supposedly seen as a last resort.

But they were traditionally skilled in using weapons such as shuriken, known as throwing stars in the West, and the fukiya blowpipe which was usually filled with a poisoned dart.

They first emerged as mercenaries in the 15th century during an era of civil war known as the Warring States period and were recruited to act as spies, raiders, assassins or even terrorists.

Disdained by general society, which was based on a strict hierarchy with the elite samurai class at the top, they soon formed into guilds with their own sets of rules and ranks.

These guilds had different types of ninjas, or shinobi, assigned to specific tasks and they often controlled their own individual territories.

GeneChing

06-06-2017, 09:48 AM

WATCH OUT DONALD! Iranian female ‘ninja rangers’ show off their impressive lethal and gravity-defying martial arts moves (https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3732797/iranian-female-ninjas-show-off-their-impressive-lethal-and-gravity-defying-martial-arts-moves/)
The women learn to kill silently, leap over walls and hide on the mountain side at the Jughin Castle 25 miles from Tehran
By Guy Birchall
6th June 2017, 1:26 am Updated: 6th June 2017, 8:12 am

THESE Iranian female ‘warrior ninjas’ are training in the desert to become a lethal fighting force.

They were snapped brandishing lethal weapons and practising the martial art of Ninjutsu.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/nintchdbpict000329239054-e1496707143761.jpg
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Katana swords are also used in the Japanese style of training

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Archery is another skill these women warriors hone at the camp

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A ninja poses with a Japanese Naginata

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Iran has conscription for men aged 18, but it is limited to 18 months service, so these kunoichi could prove vital

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The ninjas showed off their extraordinary flexibility stretching into a raft of poses

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A spear glints in the sun as another ninja can be seen between the legs of a fighter

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Pupils at the school are taught to use weapons – including the bow, swords, nunchucks and shurikens

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A woman leaps between rocks at the training camp

continued next post

GeneChing

06-06-2017, 09:49 AM

Headscarf-wearing women can be seen in a raft of gravity defying poses as they train for battle.

At a club based 25 miles out of Tehran 4,000 ladies train to become kunoichi.

The women learn to kill silently, leap over walls and hide on the mountain side at the Jughin Castle.

The club has been open since 1989.

Iran has conscription for men aged 18, but it is limited to 18 months service, so these kunoichi could prove vital.

Pupils at the school are taught to use weapons – including the bow, swords, nunchucks and shurikens – small traditional Japanese implements known as “swords in the hand”.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/nintchdbpict000329239007-e1496707097583.jpg
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They use nunchucks as part of their training in the desert

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/nintchdbpict000329238922-e1496706758677.jpg
GETTY IMAGES
These Iranian female ninjas are training in martial arts in the desert

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/nintchdbpict000329238972-e1496706776448.jpg
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A woman launches herself through the air during her training

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A ninja clothed in white poses on one leg as she learns the art or kunoichi

continued next post

GeneChing

06-06-2017, 09:49 AM

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/nintchdbpict000329238975-e1496706817415.jpg
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Camouflaged women practice high kicks at the Junghin Castle

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Two fighters do the splits in the air during an intense training session

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/nintchdbpict000329238980-e1496706848838.jpg
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Some of the martial arts moves almost look like break dancing as the women train 25 miles outside Tehran

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/nintchdbpict000329238989-e1496706878389.jpg
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A pair do battle in the Persian desert as they perfect their fighting skills

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Weapons are also used in the intensive training programme

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A troop of ninjas pose for the camera at the site which has been open since 1989

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/nintchdbpict000329238994-e1496706933912.jpg
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A ninja brandishes a weapon during her training

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A camouflaged ninja launches a flying kick in the training camp

Ninja Kwan Dao (http://www.martialartsmart.com/45-81cs.html). :rolleyes:

Oso

06-06-2017, 10:11 AM

lmao

you beat me to the 'naginata' clarification.

GeneChing

07-17-2017, 09:28 AM

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/n-ninja-a-20170714-870x616.jpg
Iga Mayor Sakae Okamoto (left) and Mie University president Yoshihiro Komada (center) show off a sign for the international ninja research center in Iga, Mie Prefecture, on July 1. | KYODO

NATIONAL

Mie University, Iga open ninja research center (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/07/13/national/mie-university-iga-open-ninja-research-center/#.WWzm84jyuUk)
KYODO
JUL 13, 2017

TSU, MIE PREF. – A state-run university and a municipal government in Mie Prefecture are trying to dig deeper into the lives and history of the ninja, the warriors and mercenaries of feudal Japan, with academic and scientific approaches.

Mie University and the city of Iga, the birthplace of a prominent school for teaching stealth ninja skills used in espionage, guerilla warfare and combat, opened an “international ninja research center” on July 1.

After five years of studies and preparation in collaboration with the local chamber of commerce, the center is collecting and creating a database on a broad spectrum of ninja-related materials ranging from old manuscripts to films and cartoons.

Its activities also include a dietary analysis of the light but nutritious ninja rations that helped them ensure mobility while on a mission, with an eye on developing and, if successful, commercializing emergency or functional foods with support from the science faculties at the university.

The people involved hope the research center will disseminate the information in conjunction with the city’s name within Japan and abroad.

“Ninja wisdom tells us a lot about how to coexist with nature at a time when we are surrounded by machines and the artificial materials of the modern age,” said deputy center chief Yuji Yamada, a professor at Mie University.

“Hopefully our research and studies will shed new light on what ninja were like and how they changed as times went by through investigations into and the deciphering of historical materials,” the website of Yamada’s faculty said.

“Ninja have become widely known beyond our country’s borders, but they have not been seriously dealt with from an academic viewpoint,” it said.

The notion of 'nutritious ninja rations' has me weirdly curious.

GeneChing

08-28-2017, 10:08 AM

Mie University may require its own indie thread soon.

Mie University to add “ninja section” on entrance exams (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2017/08/28/mie-university-to-add-ninja-section-on-entrance-exams/)
Master Blaster 16 hours ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/421.jpg

If you don’t know your mizugumo from your kunai, then I’m afraid you might not be Mie University material.

It has been reported that Mie University will be adding ninja and ninjutsu-related material to their entrance exam, which judges whether students can enroll in their university. The very thought of that is sure to make imaginations run wild of a Naruto-style exam in which applicants must pull off a Demon Black Flare Jutsu to gain admission to this institute of higher learning.

▼ Bubbles?! Man, take that crap over to Waseda University.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlJnPrx-RMU

However, Professor Yuji Yamada throws a wet blanket on everything by saying it will mainly involve an understanding of Japanese history, ability to read historical documents, and overall communication skills. That being said, he is open to some sort of physical requirements if the demand is there.

Reaction to the news was a mixture of amusement, embarrassment, and interest.

“This sounds like a good way to become Hokage.”
“No thanks, I don’t want ‘Phd (Ninja)’ next to my name.”
“Wow, that sounds exciting!”
“Is this that ‘fake news’ I keep hearing about?”
“Mie University, what are you doing?”
“Well, it looks like we’re heading for WWIII anyway. This might be a viable career path.”
“Meh, I didn’t like Naruto. Let me know when they offer Soul Reaping courses.”

By the way, in Japan high school students advancing to university must fist take a nationally standardized test covering the essentials of education like language and math, but after passing that they take further tests which each school offers and are more tailored to the courses students plan to take.

In the case of Mie University ninja knowledge is an merely an optional part of their entrance exam. So for anyone planning to attend there, don’t worry if you don’t know how to blend in with your surroundings. You still have a chance.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/conceal.png

Mie University has offered ninja-related elective courses for years such as Ninja in Film and Ninjutsu (ninja techniques). In 2012 they even hired Jinichi Kawakami, the 21st head of the Koga Ninja Clan, as a lecturer.

This may all sound like a joke, but ninjas mean serious business in Mie Prefecture where Iga City resides. With its tight connection to ninja history, Iga is a major tourist destination and enjoys all the revenue that comes along with it. So believe it or not, knowing a thing or two about ninjutsu is actually a valuable job skill around these parts.

It can be hard work as well. The ninjas we all know and love are works of fiction based on exaggerated legends, but the truth about how ninjas really operated back then is still largely unknown and very little of it is recorded.

▼ We’re still trying to figure out how those water shoe things really worked.

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So a large part of ninja research is scouring old texts written in archaic dialects and characters and interpreting them accurately for even the slightest references to ninjas. Mie University remains at the forefront of this effort having established the International Ninja Research Center in July of this year. It was nice of them to make it international, but I have to imagine the lion’s share of the work on this topic is being done domestically.

So there you have it — ninja school does exist. And while mom and pop might have a hard time boasting that their child is minoring in ninjutsu, it actually is a worthwhile program for anyone looking for a job in the Mie tourism industry that is also helps preserve this history of the country.

Source: Livedoor News, My Game News Flash
Images: SoraNews24

GeneChing

09-18-2017, 09:49 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpTEzp-6CkM

Parkour (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?28499-Le-Parkour) & Ninjas (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44568-Ninjas!)

GeneChing

10-24-2017, 09:07 AM

Japanese ninja proficiency test to be held in Tokyo (https://en.rocketnews24.com/2017/10/20/japanese-ninja-proficiency-test-to-be-held-in-tokyo/)
Oona McGee 5 days ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/japanese-ninja-school-top.jpg?w=580&h=387

Do you have what it takes to become a certified shadow warrior?

Shiga prefecture’s city of Koka, whose kanji can also be read as “Koga“, has one of the most prestigious ninja connections in all of Japan. Often referred to as the birthplace of ninjutsu, the Koga clan who once resided here five centuries ago were known for their elite shadow warrior skills, and today they’re one of only two clans (along with Iga in Mie Prefecture) which are still widely remembered.

▼ Koka Station pays homage to their ninja heritage
with a shuriken throwing star motif.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/road_of_the_shuriken.jpg?w=580&h=326

Koka City takes pride in keeping their ninja roots alive, with the local tourism association conducting annual testing of clan knowledge with an examination that people can sit for in Shiga Prefecture each year.

Now, to commemorate the association’s tenth test, the exam will be held in Tokyo for the first time ever, at the famous Zojoji Temple, which is one of two family temples of the Tokugawa Shogun. Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), who founded the shogunate, is said to have escaped an incident in Kyoto in 1582, with the help of the Iga and Koga ninja clans.

▼ With its ninja connection, Zojoji is an apt location
for the first clan test outside of Shiga.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/zojoji1.jpg?w=580&h=390

The exam itself is designed to measure knowledge of the Koga clan, including their activities from the 15th to 16th centuries, as well as fictional ninja works. The test is 30 minutes long and consists of 50 multiple choice questions. Sitting the exam in ninja cosplay and showing off your shuriken throwing star skills will add an extra ten points to a test-taker’s score, with a total of 60 points required to pass the test.

Following the test, talks are scheduled to be held by Naoya Inoue, a ninja researcher, and Toshinobu Watanabe, a Koga ninja descendent. A variety of other ninja-related events will be held at the venue on the day, including a performance by a shadow warrior group at 11 a.m. and 12 p.m., which is open to all members of the public.

Pre-registration for the test is required, with the tourism association accepting the first 200 applicants who fax or email the application form found on the official site. Applicants are required to pay the 3,000 yen (US$26.50) fee via bank transfer before the examination day.

The test will be held on 22 October, and the reception opens from 9 a.m. If you’re unable to test your shadow warrior skills this time around, don’t worry – there are plenty more crazy certification tests you can take in Japan!

Source: @Press
Featured image: @Press
Insert images: Wikipedia/go.biwako, Flickr/redlegsfan21 (edited by SoreaNews24), @Press

This is bad ass. Ninjas (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ninja-styles.html) rock.