There’s a beautiful philosophy, espoused in the game Metal Gear Solid that says the: “best is yet to come.” We at TokyoDesu believed that until we saw the seminal masterpiece Beverley Hills Ninja, starring the late Chris Farley. We’d then lapsed into a melancholy repose, thinking that Chris Farley had realized an inimitable dream by becoming a Caucasian ninja warrior. That is, until now:
If you go to Nagari and Iga, in Mie Prefecture, you can now follow in Brother Farley’s footsteps and become a real-life ninja!
We’re talking serious, awesome Teenage Mutant Hero magic here; throwing stars, chains, swords and hopefully those cool smoke bombs that let you exit awkward conversations and boring meetings with style, while making all your co-workers think you were Gandalf in disguise the whole time.
Additionally, there’s wall climbing, river crossing, praying under a waterfall (an essential ritual to refill lost ninpo essence) and the constant lingering threat of being assassinated by the village’s capable assassins. Our number one tip for survival is: don’t rest your back up against any of those paper-thin walls, haven’t you seen ZatoichiI!?
The course looks really fun and sounds like a great way to take a break from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo’s neon cities. Here’s some footage showing a pretty fun looking fight between two combatants we’ve dubbed Sword Guy and S&M Bondage Guy:
The village’s surroundings look stunning and it’s probably the best place in the world to go in search of the mysterious Tengu spirits. Ninjas were spiritual dudes and were apparently able to sense the presence of these bird-like monsters. We can’t think of anything cooler than unlocking awesome ninja powers and acquiring a strong affinity with ancient nature spirits. That’s what all of us have been trying to do since we were nine and had a dream about Ninja Swamp Thing.
If your life’s missing some mystique, fun and effective methods of subtle assassination, maybe it’s time you enrolled in ninja school!
Class of 2012
Tokyo Desu 