Japan's coming-of-age ceremonies under cloud as 2022 revision to age law looms
Many local governments remain undecided on whether coming-of-age ceremonies should continue to be held for people aged 20 after the age of adulthood defined under the country's Civil Code is lowered to 18 from 20 in April 2022 following the planned revision of the ...
Airport and railway staff do their duties darkly on ni ni ni 'Ninja Day' in central Japan
Staff at Chubu airport donned ninja attire and a railway station ceremonially named itself "Ninja City Station" on Friday to celebrate "Ninja Day" in central Japan. Feb. 22 was designated Ninja Day by the Japan Anniversary Association at the request of the cities of Koka, ...
Ninja-clad petitioners 'sneak' into Abe's office seeking help with tourism promotion
Ninja-clad petitioners "sneaked" into the office of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday to ask for help in promoting ninja culture as a tourism draw in the run-up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. "Even though you're all wearing such bright ...
Iga, known for its ninja, looks to draw foreign tourists by turning castle town into a hotel site
The Mie Prefecture city of Iga, the origin of one of Japan's most famous ninja clans, plans to open the growing number of vacant homes in its castle town to tourists. Under the "castle town hotel" project, the Iga Municipal Government will renovate traditional Japanese ...
Pop-up ninja booth gives tourists a virtual reality experience at Nagoya's Chubu airport
Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture has set up a booth inside its international arrivals lobby that will allow tourists to experience being a ninja through virtual reality. The booth, which opened Thursday and will be in operation until Dec. 14, is aimed at ...
International ninja research group founded in Mie Prefecture in Japan
An international academic society designed to promote research on the ninja was established last week in the city known as the home of the traditional covert warrior agents: Iga in Mie Prefecture. Some 200 researchers from countries including Japan, South Korea, China and Britain attended ...
Mie University graduate school to include ninja studies in entrance exam
A graduate school of Mie University has decided to introduce ninja studies as one of the subjects for its entrance exam starting in February next year. Successful applicants for the graduate school can receive academic lessons about ninja studies and write a master's thesis on ...
Two cities known for ninja officially added to 'Japan Heritage' list of tourism assets
Two cities known for ninja, Iga in Mie Prefecture and Koka in Shiga Prefecture, have been officially named "Japan Heritage" properties, the government said Friday. The move is part of a larger effort to designate 17 new categories of cultural assets to increase tourism ahead ...
The Mie Prefectural Police arrested a truck driver from Iga on Thursday on suspicion of threatening a delivery firm employee with a chain saw. The police said Kazuki Hasegawa, 27, posted a YouTube video of him threatening an employee at Yamato Transport Co.'s delivery center ...
Iga to become third municipality to recognize same-sex partnerships
The city of Iga, Mie Prefecture, will start recognizing same-sex partnerships as equivalent to marriage in April, becoming the third local government to address discrimination against sexual minorities. The certificates will be issued starting April 1. Tokyo's Shibuya and Setagaya wards introduced similar systems last ...
Third Japanese municipality recognizes same-sex unions
The city of Iga, Mie Prefecture, has announced it will start issuing certificates recognizing same-sex partnerships starting in April, Japan's third municipal government and the first outside Tokyo to take such a step. The decision was announced Tuesday at a meeting of the municipal assembly. Assembly ...
