Iga Ueno NINJA Festa (
Jap. 伊賀上野 NINJA フェスタ) is the annual five-week
ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 21� ...
-themed
festival
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival co ...
in the
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese city of
Iga (in the former
province of Iga), from April 1 to May 6. Tens of thousands of ninja fans travel to Iga for ninja-inspired
performances, competitions, and opportunities to practice ninja skills, organized to promote the city. During the family-friendly festival, passengers on Iga train lines dressed in ninja costumes are given free rides. Since 2001, the
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of Iga and the
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
also hold an annual session while dressed up as ninja, called the Ninja Congress (忍者議会).
議会・行政 : 忍者議員が勢揃い！？ 伊賀市議会で「忍者議会」開催
See also
*Iga-ryū
is an umbrella term for ninjutsu traditions that come from the Iga region, according to Japanese legend. It became one of the two most well-known ninja traditions in Japan. The ''Iga-ryū'' traditions originated in the Iga Province in the area aro ...
* Iga-ryū Ninja Museum
References
External links
Official website of the 2007 edition
*(''The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
''
Japanese ninja festival (gallery)
{{coord missing, Mie Prefecture
Annual fairs
Festivals in Japan
Spring festivals
Festivals in Mie Prefecture
Iga, Mie