Ninja training in Kyoto
One of the most mythical figures in Japanese folklore is that of the Ninja. Unlike the Samurai (the warrior class of the military) the ninja was a secretive figure, often hired as a covert agent or mercenary. Think of him as a Japanese Jason Bourne. He could sneak around undetected, he knew martial arts, and was taught – from an early age – how to use multiple weapons like swords, daggers, darts, spikes, knives and star-shaped disks (shiruken).
One of things we wanted to do in Kyoto – for at least an hour – was to take a ninja training course. Luckily it’s not complicated; there’s only one place and that’s Ninja Dojo and Store.
Izo, the owner of Ninja Dojo and Store, comes from a long line of ninjas. We spent an hour with him, learning Ninja techniques: how they meditate before an assignment, how they breathe, how they walk. Then we got into the really fun stuff: throwing shiruken, darts and even chopsticks at targets. You would never think that chopsticks could be used as a weapon – look at the video further below and you’ll see how lethal they are in the hands of Izo.
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Have a look at this video, I’m proof that being a ninja is not as easy as it looks.
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Izo is fantastic: he’s passionate about what he teaches but is easy going and patient…We took the 1 hr class but he also offers a more detailed 2 hr class. The lesson was both a learning experience and a lot of fun and we would recommend it to anyone. It was one of our highlights in Kyoto. Check out the website: Ninja Dojo and Store.
What do you think? Would you train as a ninja?
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You look very menacing in your black ninja wear – although the smile might diminish your threatening ninja stance. 🙂 I will never again look at chop sticks in quite the same way. Truth be told, I’m chop sticks challenged and have never gotten the hang of eating with them. One thing I love about videos is getting to hear the voices, putting a voice with the face and words is a good thing!
Thanks Patti. I’ll never feel comfortable with video but for certain things they just capture it better.
Chop sticks – just takes practice. Lissette wasn’t good either but we ate a lot of sushi and noodles on this trip and she got good at it 😉