Japanese Town Facing Ninja Shortage Pays Up To $85,000 for Ninjas

The Japanese town of Iga is currently facing an issue: ninjas are in short supply. While this sounds like an odd problem to have, even for a city in Japan, Iga claims to be the birthplace of Ninjutsu, or the art of the ninja. The ninja lifestyle is something Iga’s residents take seriously, and those who qualify can make a nice salary of $23,000 to $85,000.

As part of Iga’s celebration of all things Ninjutsu, the town is specifically looking for skilled ninja performers to help entertain their tens of thousands of tourists. With a population of just under 100,000, Iga hosts the Iga Ueno Ninja Festa, an annual five-week ninja-themed festival from April 1st to May 6th. During the festival, around 30,000 ninja fans show up to watch ninja-centric performances, competitions, and even get opportunities to fine-tune their own ninja skills.

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Iga, which is located about 280 miles from Tokyo, is facing this ninja shortage due to young adults choosing to live in larger cities over rural towns and, of course, not dedicating themselves to the ninja lifestyle. Sally Herships with the NPR Planet Money Podcast reports: “This job does have a lot to offer. First of all, the pay is quite competitive. Today, ninjas can earn anything from $23,000 to about $85,000 — which is a really solid salary, and in fact, a lot more than real ninjas used to earn in medieval Japan.” Not too shabby.

Although the job is that of a performance ninja, and not so much protecting a town from bad guys like we have all dreamed of, Iga still takes the role pretty seriously. So, living the Ninjutsu lifestyle and honing your ninja skills are required.


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