Shinobi shozoku (忍び装束) – the traditional ninja outfit:Īs ninja only operated at night-time, they needed clothes that helped them blend in.īlack wasn’t a good idea as the outline becomes apparent on nights with moonlight. Tai (体): Body – ninja trained their physical strength so that they wouldn’t lose their stamina during missions that took a long period of time. Ki (気): Mind – a ninja needs a strong mind so that he’ll never be discouraged during a long mission and carries it out until he accomplishes it. Yaku (薬): Medicine – a ninja had to master the knowledge of healing herbs so they could heal themselves in case they were injured. A ninja should have no body odor at all or else he could be spotted more easily. This is quite similar to the previously mentioned reason. Kou (香): Smell – a ninja always had to keep himself clean. Obviously they couldn’t hide well, when they ate something that made them smell. They also had to be careful about eating certain foods with a strong smell. Shoku (食): Diet – a ninja’s diet was centered around vegetables, tofu and miscellaneous grains to maintain their light weight. In this graphic you see the “ninja godou” (忍者五道) – the 5 fives each and every shinobi needs to master before they can complete their missions effortlessly: All the information was provided in English as well. You can tell how much love they put into each detail. While I always thought ninja were kind of cool, this museum taught me so much about them, so now I really admire them.įor me it was one of the most informative Japanese museums I’ve been to so far. You’ll learn about the secrets of the Iga ninja.Īnd this part really surprised me. The actual museum was by far my favorite part. Iga-Ryu Ninja Tradition and Experience Halls Most of the time people tried to attack because they wanted to steal the ninja’s explosives manufacturing technology. Needless to say, the traps were all set up in case an enemy attacks. The next stop after the show was the “Ninja House”.Ī female ninja, called “kunoichi” (くノ一) will expose the traps, hidden doors and fake hallways that were set up in the house. You can clearly see the difference between visitors (left) and pros (right). With my talent for throwing things, I decided to just take photos of other people doing it. Once the show is over, you can actually have a go and try some of the weapons yourself.įor a little bit of extra cash (200 yen), you can throw shuriken. The show is all in Japanese (not sure if that has changed since 2010), but with all the demonstrations, you’ll understand the usage of the weapons nevertheless. Here’s a short video, so you’ll get the basic idea. They do not only explain it, but also show how the weapons and techniques were used in real fights. They’ll show and explain various ninja weapons and techniques. Make sure to check out the schedule before you go, so you won’t miss the show.Īfter the show, you’ll be a master of ninjutsu! Just kidding. This very impressive “Ninja Show” takes place roughly 3-4 times per day. The museum offers a pretty cool ninja show, a ninja house and lots of interesting information about ninja weapons and tricks. It can be reached by a short walk from Iga-Ueno Sta. If you came for the ninja, then your first destination should be the Ninja Museum of Igaryu. Just keep in mind that Kansai is the place to be if you’re interested in the secrets of shinobi (* another way to say ninja). It can easily be reached by train from Osaka or Kyoto. One of them is Koga (Shiga Prefecture), the other one is Iga, located in Mie Prefecture ( map). In Japan there are two very famous ninja villages, both of them located in Kansai.