By TAKUMI FUJII/ Staff Writer
January 3, 2022 at 07:00 JST
An artist’s rendition of a guestroom remodeled into a ninja mansion (Provided by Fujiya Co.)
IGA, Mie Prefecture—Need extra complimentary soaps? More blankets for your hotel bed? Want your guestroom remodeled into a “ninja mansion?”
Not a problem.
For a fee, the Iga-Ueno Tourist Association plans to turn rooms of hotels and other lodging facilities into ninja-themed accommodations to allow guests to feel close to the feudal-era undercover agents.
The concept is called Ninja Museum of Igaryu Room.
The association operates the Ninja Museum of Igaryu in Iga, a city famed as the home of the Iga ninja clan.
In collaboration with Kyoto-based display coordinator Fujiya Co., the association plans to use replicas of museum items to create the ninja rooms. The museum houses rare materials, including “Bansenshukai” and two other major books on ninja skills.
The ninja theme is big business for the city.
The museum attracted about 200,000 visitors a year, including about 30,000 from 40 countries and regions abroad.
Then the novel coronavirus pandemic hit, and border restrictions led to a plunge in tourist numbers.
The association came up with the ninja-remodeling project to make up for lost revenues caused by the health crisis.
Museum curators and other experts serve as supervisors of the project and provide historical knowledge about the Iga ninja clan.
They intend to use replicas of multicolored ninja “nishiki-e” woodblock prints as wallpaper and install gimmicks, such as secret doors in guestrooms.
“The accommodation facilities that are created will offer an authentic ninja experience, and they can help attract visitors from abroad,” an association official said.
The association is also set to start an exhibition project to introduce the lifestyle of Iga ninja, as well as replicas of their tools and houses, at large amusement parks, showcase facilities, airports and other places.
For inquiries, visit the association’s official website at (https://www.iga-travel.jp/).
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