A City In Japan Is Facing A Ninja Shortage Crisis And I’m Not Even Kidding
So, Iga Japan is currently a city in crisis. Why? They're facing a ninja shortage. Let me blow your mind apart a little bit more. Being a ninja in Iga, Japan is an actual occupation that pays $85,000 reportedly.
Iga, Japan touts itself as the birthplace of ninjas. As such, ninjas and the ninja culture is an important attraction for the city's tourism dollars. They even hold an annual ninja festival.
Businessinsider.com reports the problem is that the city's young people aren't interested in staying in rural Iga. They prefer the big city life of neighboring Tokyo, Japan.
As a result, they just don't have enough ninjas, or at least ninja performers.
The mayor of Iga, Sakae Okamoto tells businessinsider.com -
Right now in Iga, we are working very hard to promote ninja tourism and get the most economic outcome. For example, we hold this ninja festival between late April to around the beginning of May. During this period visitors and also local people come here. Everybody will be dressed like a ninja and walks around and enjoys themselves — but recently I feel that it's not enough.