February 22 is NINJA DAY!

[GeneChing]

"Ninja Day" Is an Actual Holiday in Japan (http://kotaku.com/ninja-day-is-an-actual-holiday-in-japan-1686488299?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Facebook&utm_source=Kotaku_Facebook&utm_medium=Socialflow)
Brian Ashcraft
Today 6:40am

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--32Yj6Pu_--/yomjkmeqysi8dgdu1ekm.jpg

February 22 is "National Ninja Day." The Japanese holiday isn't an official day off. That is, at least not for those unable to slip out of work.

Why 2/22? It's a word play, because in Japanese the number two is "ni." You know, kind of like the "ni" in "ninja" (忍者), but with "nin" or 忍 referring to endurance, patience or restraint.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--wa2aIB1E--/ii45qws0psivg3r2tiae.jpg
[Photo: ぴの]

Or better yet, it's reminiscent of anime character Ninja Hattori Kun's "nin nin" (ニンニン) catchphrase.3

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--bOCZAk4L--/fjdiy2ommfianfnn0akm.jpg
[Photo: 塾長記 「ある時は忍者」]

The cities of Iga and Koka have been spearheading the holiday—and for good reason. Iga in Mie Prefecture is historically a ninja stronghold as is Koka in Shiga Prefecture. Obviously, this is a push to promote the region, and Japan has lots of these kind of days. This one, however, is the best.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--sxCeik3v--/x9yjyqamlrac8nnj4crw.jpg
[Photo: Walker47_jp]

In anticipation for the holiday, some "Ninja Day" banners have been spotted.4

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--MPJ5K8RK--/o0yo1glm3rlhzgul6len.jpg
[Photo: ninja_tools]

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--xbl545mU--/zpefley0bzjcav1cceh3.jpg
[Photo: kyotodr]

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--P5blbx8F--/ge2pntdal2gubouikqgo.jpg
[Photo: douguyatoraneko]

In Koka's city hall, the local bureaucrats have dressed up in full ninja garb as they answer phones, work on the computer, make origami throwing stars, and meet with citizens—shinobi style.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--T5CfKzh5--/acq17dh3mpduzye2otrr.jpg
[Photo: KunoichiSen]

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--CCdzXMkh--/hgsvq9xqcs9kc7wjiifq.jpg
[Photo: doi_yobi]

They should always wear these outfits, long after February is over.
continued next post

[GeneChing]

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--ABp5XL5F--/b6nqp4fd8hhfs60l1okg.jpg
[Photo: 710Sakurai]

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--S5GoElYN--/jj8ne8et3g3lxxu76u1z.jpg
[Photo: doi_yobi]

Imagine going to city hall and being greeted by this guy.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--LBmIdMTl--/v4qv7polhrzab6j0rfwq.jpg
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--VdV4FmIs--/hkk7lrscxstk18wmvzc2.jpg
[Photos: tauhu1002]

Since February 2, ninja events have been going on across Japan to publicize the day. The holiday is new and still not widely known, even in Japan. But national press coverage is changing that.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--K8XVnyxT--/myzyp6ltxu2jumuqlai0.jpg
[Photo: shrn_9]

Just don't let this holiday sneak up on you.

Top photo: ぴの



I wish I knew this earlier. I would have prepared more formal celebrations here.

For more on Ninjas, see our Ninjas! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44568-Ninjas!) thread.

[curenado]

That's pretty great. I guess we should mirror celebrations here. Bet people would dig it.

[pazman]

That's pretty great. I guess we should mirror celebrations here. Bet people would dig it.

We do. It's called Halloween. If you were never a ninja at least once during your childhood, then I feel sorry for you.

[GeneChing]

If you were never a ninja at least once during your childhood, then I feel sorry for you. srsly? um....what about in your adulthood? :o

Get your ninja gear here (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ninja-styles.html).

[sanjuro_ronin]

That's awesome !

[GeneChing]

This made the Wall Street Journal. :cool:


3:30 pm JST
Feb 18, 2015
Arts & Culture
Koka City Officials Dress As Ninjas to Promote National Ninja Day (http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2015/02/18/koka-city-officials-dress-as-ninjas-to-promote-national-ninja-day/)
By Jun Hongo

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-GZ858_ninja2_G_20150217235116.jpg
Some Koka city officials are in ninja uniforms this week to promote national ninja day on Feb. 22.
Courtesy of Koka City Office

They may not be skilled at the arts of espionage, sabotage, infiltration or assassination, but officials at Koka city’s tourism bureau are donning ninja uniforms during work hours this week to help generate awareness for “national ninja day.”

Located in Shiga prefecture in western Japan, the city claims to be home of the Koga ninja clan, which gained wide recognition by the late 15th century and was active during the feudal era.

The city of Koka is a member of a group that is working to promote Feb. 22 as Japan’s national ninja day. The day was chosen because the number “2” is pronounced as “ni” in Japanese, according to the group’s website. Multiple ninja-related events are scheduled to take place across the country on and around the day, including a ninja performance tournament and shuriken (ninja knife) throwing contests.

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-GZ863_ninja2_D_20150217235320.jpg
Courtesy of Koka City Office

A spokesman for Koka city said that the officials change into their uniforms after arriving at work in the morning. Shuriken made of origami are also being handed out for free at the city office.

Hopefully these officials can also use ninja powers of stealth to sneak into the shadows and avoid overtime work.

[curenado]

There will be Ninja Day, with ninja treats and ninja activities in La Mesa, NM on 2/22 can't wait
(next year, well have time to order napkins and hats from that martial arts party shop, but we got head gear for this year)
Wonder if any of the others out here will so something? Maybe Albuquerque...

[GeneChing]

Let's try to remember to ttt this thread in early February 2016. And all these years I was trying to work NinjaStar (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=998) for Halloween...:rolleyes:

There's a vid in the article below if you follow the link

Ninja Day sneaking up on Japanese cities (http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2015/02/19/Ninja-Day-sneaking-up-on-Japanese-cities/2711424366057/)
The holiday, celebrated with events in Koka and Iga, will feature Koka city workers in costumes handing out paper throwing stars on trains.
By Ben Hooper | Feb. 19, 2015 at 12:36 PM

KOKA, Japan, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- A pair of Japanese cities are gearing up for one of the most anticipated holidays of the year -- Ninja Day.

The Feb. 22 holiday, celebrated with events in the cities of Iga and Koka feature events celebrating both the real-life historical ninjas and the deadly assassins of popular culture.

The holiday isn't an official holiday, so workers don't have the day off, but workers at Koka's Tourism Promotion Office have been gearing up for the holiday by wearing their finest ninja attire to work. Town hall visitors have also been receiving their own handmade paper shuriken, or throwing stars.

The office said workers in ninja attire will visit trains on Ninja Day itself and hand out the paper stars.

Feb. 22 was chosen for the silent-but-deadly holiday because the Japanese word for "two" is "ni," as in "ninja." "Nin" is also a Japanese word referring to endurance, patience or restraint.





Getting to the roots of a real ninja (http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-wp-yomiuri--bc-ninja20-20150220-story.html)
By Soichiro Nakamura, Yomiuri Shimbun The Yomiuri Shimbun

IGA, Japan — "Do ninja really exist? ... I can assure you real ninja exist right here in Iga, Mie Prefecture."

So begins a video made by the local committee promoting the history and tradition of Iga ninja. The video also introduces what a ninja is and does, with English narration posted on YouTube for overseas viewers.

The video, which lasts for about eight minutes, is titled "The Root of Ninja" in English. Members of Ashura the Iga Ninja Group present agile fight scenes using actual weapons and showing some of the skills ninja possess.

Ninja were secret agents hired by warring factions dating back to medieval Japan in Iga and other places.

The ninja troupe regularly presents ninja shows at the Ninja Museum of Igaryu in Iga and has performed overseas.

The committee, which includes the municipal governments of Iga and Nabari, the Mie prefectural government and local tourism associations, will show the video during tourism campaigns and various events, including Expo 2015 Milano in Milan in June.

Featured in the film are Hanzo Ukita, who heads the troupe, and "ninja" known as Masanosuke, Tomonosuke and Mio, as well as members of the troupe's Tokyo branch. Tak Sakaguchi, an award-winning former action star, served as executive producer and director of the film.

The video covers such scenic locations as Iga Ueno Castle; Haiseiden, a building dedicated to the great haiku poet Matsuo Basho; Akame 48 Waterfalls; and the Enjuin temple. Shooting took place from Oct. 23 to 26.

Ashura members fight enemies with shuriken throwing stars, Japanese swords, chains and sickles.

The Iga Ueno Ninja Festa organizing committee plans to make a 30-minute video version and put it on sale this spring.

"We wanted to show what real ninja are like by using actual weapons and showing their skills to people overseas who are looking for real touches," Ukita said. "I hope viewers will understand a bit about the ninja spirit after seeing the video."

He added, "If you want to see ninja, come to Iga."

Video link: do ninjas really exist?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibrfM4R9Su0


Also, check out the University Ninja course I posted on the Ninjas! thread (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44568-Ninjas!&p=1280965#post1280965).

[GeneChing]

Wait...did these U.S. writers just make up December 5th as "International Ninja Day" in total disregard to Japan's February 22 Ninja Day? :o


Authors Rally 'Round Ninja Day (http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/68778-authors-rally-round-ninja-day.html)
By Sally Lodge | Nov 24, 2015

http://www.publishersweekly.com/images/data/ARTICLE_PHOTO/photo/000/037/37138-2.JPG

Though not boasting the bold-faced status of Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, a variegated array of annual celebrations appears on the calendar – albeit in small print. One is International Ninja Day, which shares December 5th with a handful of other commemoratives, including National Sacher Torte Day and National Bathtub Party Day. This year, a band of children’s authors with recently published ninja-themed books have joined forces to organize Ninja Day Story Time, to encourage booksellers, librarians, and young ninja devotees to celebrate the occasion.

The Ninja Day observance was the brainstorm of Corey Rosen-Schwartz (Three Ninja Pigs and Ninja Red Riding Hood, both illustrated by Dan Santat, Putnam), who recruited five fellow picture-book authors to join the initiative. Other participants are Arree Chung (Ninja!, Holt), Jennifer Gray Olson (Ninja Bunny, Knopf), Rubin Pingk (Samurai Santa: A Very Ninja Christmas, S&S), Todd Tarpley (My Grandma’s a Ninja, illus. by Danny Chatzikonstantinou, NorthSouth), and Chris Tougas (Dojo Daycare and Dojo Daytrip, Owlkids).

http://www.publishersweekly.com/images/data/ARTICLE_PHOTO/photo/000/037/37139-1.JPG

The idea of a joint celebration of Ninja Day came to Rosen-Schwartz soon after the release of her debut book, The Three Ninja Pigs, in 2012. “It occurred to me then that cross-promotion was a win-win for everyone,” she recalled. “I did an event at Hooray for Books while on vacation in Alexandria, Va., and invited in a local dojo, Seichou Karate. The martial arts school invited all their students to the event, and it was such a big success that the bookstore and dojo now do joint events without me!”

Inspired by this enthusiastic response from ninjas-in-training, the author reached out via social media to other picture-book authors whose books star young ninjas. “I got to thinking about people I knew who had published awesome ninja books, and decided it would be fun to combine efforts and try to make Ninja Day into a big thing,” she said. “I enjoy doing the outreach, but I don’t have the design skills to create promotional materials, so I contacted Jennifer Gray Olson, an extraordinarily talented illustrator.”

Olson created the promotional image and tag line, “The Story Time You Never Saw Coming,” which is featured on Rosen-Schwartz’s website. Olson also designed the ninja name tags, activity sheets, and other downloadable items on the site, some of which are also included in the Ninja Prize Pack that booksellers, teachers, librarians, and dojos can order there. Olson emphasized that the authors’ complementary skills have made the initiative come together smoothly, noting, “Corey is a genius at conceptualizing ideas and marketing, and I am a more visual person, and came up with a cohesive design for the promotional materials. It was successful teamwork.”

http://www.publishersweekly.com/images/data/ARTICLE_PHOTO/photo/000/037/37140-1.JPG

Rosen-Schwartz and Olson both praised the contributions of another member of the team: Pingk. “Rubin took the graphics to a whole new level, by creating images featuring all of our characters combined,” explained Rosen-Schwartz. Among Pingk’s designs are a “Ninjas Read” picture of all of the books’ protagonists lined up at a library checkout desk, found on Twitter; as well as a “Got Ninja?” promotional poster portraying and identifying each book character, which he adapted as a coloring sheet.

Ninjas, Ninjas Everywhere

Though creatively drawn to the ninja theme for a variety of reasons, the authors’ book ideas had a common thread, to one degree or another: their own children. Rosen-Schwartz’s inspiration for The Three Ninja Pigs came over family dinner in a restaurant where their server’s first language was Spanish.

“When my four-year-old daughter told our server she could speak a little Spanish,” said the author, “my son Josh, then three, who was taking a martial arts class at his preschool, chimed in with, ‘I speak a little karate.’ That was my ‘A-ha!’ moment. Kids really are fascinated by ninjas, who are associated with stealth, speed, and strength. And what kid would not be enamored with the idea of going on a secret mission?”

Olson’s son also inspired her karate-themed book, Ninja Bunny, starring a rabbit whose ninja aspirations include flying. “My son Eli was seven when I first began my book,” she said. “His imagination knows no bounds, and on any given day he thought he could be an astronaut, a firefighter, or a ninja – and at one point he really believed he could fly! So the idea of a ninja bunny who thinks he can fly popped into my head.”

http://www.publishersweekly.com/images/data/ARTICLE_PHOTO/photo/000/037/37141-1.JPG

Pingk tapped into his own positive childhood memories of ninjas when he, quite serendipitously, conceived of Ninja Santa. “As a kid, I loved ninjas and the idea that sometimes, to get what we want, we have to be sneaky,” he said. “I loved anything related to numchucks or Ninja Turtles – as do my own kids. In 2013, I was out of work due to a government shutdown and, as I do every day, I began to sketch. And I found myself sketching ninjas chasing Santa, and then came up with a story about them, and went on to find an agent and a publisher.”

Pingk will celebrate this year’s Ninja Day with an appearance at The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, and Rosen-Schwartz and Tarpley will read their books at a story time at Manhattan’s Books of Wonder, where manager Scott Wong expressed optimism about kids’ ongoing interest in things ninja.

“There are certain book subjects customers ask for regularly, especially for boys: dinosaurs, trucks, and ninjas,” said Wong. “And the ninja-themed picture books that have come out lately tend to be a lot of fun, and make ninjas a lot more mainstream and cooler. The Ninja Turtles were certainly a part of my childhood, and I definitely don’t see a decline in ninja popularity.” Wong added that he’s hoping for a good turnout at his store’s Ninja Day story time, with good reason: “After all, who doesn’t love a ninja party?”

The participating authors have high hopes for the future of Ninja Day: plans for 2016 include adding more authors to the roster, launching a dedicated website, creating more activity ideas, and expanding promotional outreach. “We’d love to see bookstores, schools, and libraries celebrate Ninja Day in all 50 states and beyond,” said Rosen-Schwartz. “We are only just getting our efforts off the ground – the possibilities are endless!”

[GeneChing]

Let's try to remember to ttt this thread in early February 2016.

Coming in three weeks!

[GeneChing]

If you have official city business in Koka City this week, a ninja will gladly help you! (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2016/02/18/if-you-have-official-city-business-in-koka-city-this-week-a-ninja-will-gladly-help-you/)
Preston Phro 14 hours ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/ninja.png?w=580&h=326

Every day leading up to Ninja Day (February 22), Koka City public servants will come to work dressed as the secretive badasses!

We were pretty hyped about Ninja Day last February, and we have to say we’re no less pleased to see Koka City’s hard-working public workers dressed in their best medieval assassin clothes this year! The office workers apparently started dressing up earlier this week and will continue through until the 22, the official Ninja Day.

A public office full of ninjas typing away on their computers and handling inquiries from the public is obviously an unusual sight, so a number of TV crews made their way to Koka to capture video of these elusive warriors/city employees in their natural habitat. Check out one video below!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5RJgaoB_tU

As you may already know, February 22 is Ninja Day thanks to a Japanese pun — the word for “two” is “ni,” which, as you may have noticed, is how “ninja” starts! So, February 22 is, for the sake of fun and tourism, read as “nin gatsu nin nin nichi,” which is simply a mouth full of “ni!”

▼ A sign is displayed at the city office, probably to keep residents from thinking they’ve been invaded by time-traveling ninja warriors.

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/ninnin.png?w=580&h=326
YouTube/TNO News

In addition to city employees playing dress up at work — the best place to play dress up, by the way — there will also be a ninja revival festival on the 21, featuring some ninja-related events, including ninja food. We’re not sure what counts as “ninja food,” but hopefully there’s no blow fish toxin involved…

And if you’re on the fence about visiting Koka City and all their historical (and possibly not entirely historical) sites, this terrible-and-yet-somehow-incredible PR video should certainly convince you to pack your bags!

Event Information
Address: Shinobi no Sato Plala 600 Konancho Ryuboshi, Koka, Shiga, Japan 520-3311
〒520-3311 滋賀県甲賀市甲南町竜法師６００　忍の里　プララ
(Google Maps)
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, February 22


I'm trying to get Tiger Claw (http://www.tigerclaw.com/) to don ninja uniforms for Monday.

They are all looking at me like I'm crazy.


Which is nothing new. :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

HAPPY NINJA DAY! February 22 is Ninja Day! In Japanese, 2 is ‘ni’ so 2/22 is a play on words for ‘nin’ in ‘ninja’. To celebrate Ninja Day, Japanese people go to work dressed as ninjas. MartialArtsMart.com is celebrating Ninja Day with a 15% sale on select Ninja Gear: Uniforms (http://www.martialartsmart.com/16-01.html), Tabi (http://www.martialartsmart.com/16-08.html) and Patches (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ninja-samurai-kendo-accessories.html)! Martial Art Smart Ninjas shop at MartialArtsMart.com! Sale ends at on Monday at midnight (the Ninja hour!) – February 22, 2016 midnight EST.

[GeneChing]

Until next year...


Today Is National Cat and Ninja Day In Japan (http://www.weirdasianews.com/2016/02/23/today-is-national-cat-and-ninja-day-in-japan/)

The movie Office Space popularized the phrase ‘Case of the Mondays.’ Most of the time that phrase holds true. Today in Japan, however, is far from another boring Monday. For many, it is the best day of the year because it combines two things the Japanese love: cats and ninjas.

http://i2.wp.com/www.weirdasianews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/catday7.jpg?w=370

For the last thirty years, February 22 has been elevated as a chance for all cat lovers to let their feline flag fly. Today is the perfect opportunity for Japanese women to wear the ever-popular cat-themed lingerie that stores can barely keep in stock. Indeed, a number of cat-themed celebrations are not only acceptable today, but actively encouraged. National Cat Day developed because of today’s numerals, 2/22. In Japanese, the number two is pronounced ni, so today’s date is pronounced ni ni ni. This sounds relatively close to the sound a cat makes, which is nyan nyan nyan (meow, meow, meow).

http://i1.wp.com/www.weirdasianews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/catday1.jpg?w=624

So how does one celebrate National Cat Day? Well, the options are numerous ever since the Executive Cat Day Committee declared today as a national holiday. The first thing you should do is prank your cat. Second, you must share photos of yourself pranking your cat on social media, along with random pictures of cats. Sometimes these cat images are of a pet, sometimes they’re famous, like Tama the stationmaster cat, or, not surprisingly, even Hello Kitty. There is also the opportunity to dress up like a cat, which cosplay enthusiasts are more than happy to do.

http://i2.wp.com/www.weirdasianews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/catday2.jpg?resize=399%2C600

Having exhausted themselves from tweeting pictures of cats and dressing up like them, people can then turn to another way to celebrate National Cat Day. Many restaurants, bars, and cafes, not just the cat cafes, have special cat-themed menu items. These range from rice balls shaped like cat heads, to donuts frosted to look likes cats, and even cat strawberry short cakes. Some stores, such as Kaldi Coffee Farm, have special coffee blends and merchandise which are only sold today. Even Japan’s version of Barbie, Licca-chan, has a special Cat Day doll.

http://i0.wp.com/www.weirdasianews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/catday4.jpg?resize=451%2C600
http://i1.wp.com/www.weirdasianews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/catday3.jpg?resize=523%2C600
http://i2.wp.com/www.weirdasianews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/catday5.jpg?resize=390%2C600

If you aren’t a fan of cats, or maybe you just find ninjas to be cooler, fear not. Although there isn’t a national ninja council, certain parts of Japan do honor the black-clad warriors today. Whereas the ni pronunciation of 2/22 can sound like a cat meow, it is also the first two letters of the word ninja. While that may seem like a bit of a stretch, the cities of Iga and Koka are happy to embrace the connection. The two cities, located in the Mie Prefecture and Shiga Prefecture, respectively, have some of the highest populations of ninjas in history.

http://i1.wp.com/www.weirdasianews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/catday8.jpg?w=636

Throughout these cities, banners can be found advertising today’s holiday. If you need a more detailed view of the celebration, the best place to be is city hall. There, all office employees dress up like ninjas and make paper throwing stars, which they release on anyone who dares disturb them at work. Japan seems to be doing something right with two awesome holidays in one.

http://i1.wp.com/www.weirdasianews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/catday6.jpg?w=636

(source) (image source) (image source) (image source) (image source)

Jamie Butler
I'm a former publicist, now pensioner, who lives outside of London with my husband and am enjoying my free time, especially with both daughters gone to university.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP983mb_QYE

Ninja gear here. (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ninja-styles.html)

[GeneChing]

Stay hidden (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ninja-styles.html).


Japan marks Ninja Day with new tourism drive to promote feudal ninja cultures (http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/japan-marks-ninja-day-with-new-tourism-drive-to-promote-feudal-ninja-cultures)
http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_pictrure_780x520_/public/articles/2017/02/22/15-41611138_-_22_02_2017_-_wsninja.jpg?itok=nYbM_vFK (Back row, from left) Mr Jinichi Kawakami, Mr Hiroshi Mizohata, and Dr Yuji Yamada launch the Ninja Nippon Project, alongside members of ninja performance troupe Ashura: (from left) Tomonosuke, Mio, and Masanosuke. [/URL]
(Back row, from left) Mr Jinichi Kawakami, Mr Hiroshi Mizohata, and Dr Yuji Yamada launch the Ninja Nippon Project, alongside members of ninja performance troupe Ashura: (from left) Tomonosuke, Mio, and Masanosuke. ST PHOTO:
PUBLISHED 6 HOURS AGO
Walter Sim Japan Correspondent

TOKYO - The stealth ninja spies of Japan's past are making a very public comeback, with the country tapping on its rich tradition in a tourism push ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Ninja Nippon Project was launched on Wednesday (Feb 22), a date that is known colloquially as Ninja Day as it reads 'ni, ni, ni' in Japanese.

The project to promote feudal-era martial arts masters and assassins will include new initiatives such as a ninja academy, ninja museum, and tours to areas steeped in ninja history.

These sites include Ueda in Nagano prefecture, Koka in Shiga prefecture, Ureshino in Saga prefecture, Odawara in Kanagawa prefecture and Iga in Mie prefecture.

The project comes under the Japan Ninja Council (JNC), which is led by 11 prefectural governors, and has the support of the Japan National Tourism Organisation.

"The ninja embodied the traditional Japanese spirit, culture and sense of values such as peace, loyalty, technique, intelligence, diligence and endurance," the council's vice-chairman Hiroshi Mizohata told a news conference.

"This is known not only in Japan, but has spread all around the world through anime and films."

In the pipeline is a ninja museum to be launched in Tokyo next year, in collaboration with a ninja museum called Igaryu in Iga city that draws over 200,000 visitors a year - 15 per cent of them from overseas.

There will also be "circular tours" that go for breadth, allowing tourists to visit multiple regions over a week to experience the varying traditions in each prefecture, and 'stay tours' that promises depth, in which visitors stay in one area for one week.

A ninja academy will also be launched under the watchful eye of Mr Jinichi Kawakami, who is widely known as Japan's "last ninja" and the only heir to the ninjutsu school of martial arts techniques used for espionage.

Also on board the academy is Dr Yuji Yamada, who researches ninja traditions as a humanities don at Mie University.

The academy aims to nurture "ninja ambassadors" who can spread ninja culture around the world.

Mr Kawakami, who is the 21st head of the Ban clan of secret ninjas with a history of 500 years, said: "Ninjutsu is composed of various different elements; there's the fighting element and there're also survival techniques and so on. The many different aspects appeal to people all over the world."

The academy, however, faces limitations in passing down the full set of original ninjutsu skills.

"When you talk about learning ninjutsu, the original, actual traditional techniques can no longer be learnt. I myself have learnt them, but those are impossible to pass on," Mr Kawakami said. "What we hope to offer, from now on, are opportunities to gain a partial understanding of the various elements that make up ninjutsu."

He said "the original ninjas themselves were known as shinobi, and these original shinobi no longer exist."

"What we aim to do is to move from the traditional shinobi to the modern-day ninja," he added.

While Mr Kawakami did not elaborate on the reasons, he had said in prior interviews that he decided to let the art die with him because ninjas are anachronistic. He reportedly said: "We can't try out murder or poisons. Even if we can follow the instructions to make a poison, we can't try it out."

The Ninja Nippon Project will also tie up with private businesses to launch official merchandise that is certified with the JNC logo.

On Wednesday, the council also launched an origami set that is available for purchase online at https://ninja-official.com/?lang=en.

[GeneChing]

I posted about this on our Ninjas! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44568-Ninjas!) thread yesterday, but now see the relevance, given that today is Ninja Day in Japan (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68451-February-22-is-NINJA-DAY!). Shame they missed that point in their coverage. We didn't. We're good ninjas (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ninja-styles.html).


https://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/n-ninja-a-20180223-870x547.jpg
A group of lawmakers from ruling Liberal Democratic Party pose for a photo, after a meeting to promote ninja-related culture and tourism in Japan on Wednesday at the Diet building in Tokyo. | KYODO
NATIONAL

Lawmakers from Japan’s ruling LDP form ninja promotion group (https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/02/22/national/lawmakers-japans-ruling-ldp-form-ninja-promotion-group/#.Wo7hLainGUk)
JIJI

FEB 22, 2018

Lawmakers of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party held a meeting Thursday to mark the establishment of a group aimed at promoting the glamour of ninjas around the world.

The lawmakers’ group will support the Japan Ninja Council, which includes municipalities with ninja links such as the city of Iga in Mie Prefecture and the city of Koka in the neighboring prefecture of Shiga. The group intends to promote ninja-related tourism and regional revitalization.

To establish the ninja brand, the group is considering popularizing ninja movies and manga as well as opening a ninja museum. Through these efforts, the group hopes to boost the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan toward the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

Keiji Furuya, chairman of the House of Representatives Rules and Administration Committee and head of the lawmakers’ group, told attendees at the meeting on Thursday that ninja and manga are very popular among foreigners.

“We hope to spread the amazing (ninja) culture and want people in the world to enjoy it,” he said.