Iga City

If you were told that there was an annual, family-oriented festival celebrating some of the most feared mercenary assassins and terrorists that the world has ever seen, you’d probably think it was an idea in quite poor taste. However, the Iga-Uena Ninja Fest is endearingly popular, and quite a lot of fun. About the Iga-Uena Festival As far back as the Muromachi Period (approximately 1336 to 1573), Iga Province, in modern day Mie Prefecture, was known to be a center for the training of ninjitsu, the strategy of espionage and guerrilla warfare practiced by ninja (also known as shinobi, more on which later). Today this is celebrated every year with a month long festival dedicated to all things ninja. Predominantly focused towards children, there are all manner of ninja-related events and activities to enjoy. Firstly, you’ll want to look the part, and all over the town there are shops from which you can rent (for as little as 1,000 JPY) multi-colored ninja outfits in which you can prowl the town. There are outfits for all ages, from adults, down to the smallest of children (adorable!), and even cats and dogs (ridiculous!). Children of most ages can learn some of the ninjutsu skills for which…