The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) on Friday gave reporters a preview of its new ninja exhibition, which uses historic documents, tools and interactive attractions to give visitors a more scientific idea of what it was like to be a ninja.

"I think some people wonder why Miraikan is doing a ninja event . . . We've started to discover that ninja had a wide range of cutting-edge knowledge in science at that time," Yumi Miyahara of Miraikan told reporters Friday at press preview in Tokyo's Odaiba area.

The exhibition "The Ninja: Who Were They?" kicks off Saturday and runs until Oct. 10.