Around The World In 80 Waves

Ninjas were Japan’s most feared warriors, employed by lords as assassins and spies they practised Ninjitsu or the art of stealth. It is believed they have honed their skills since the twelfth century.

With a bit of eavesdropping of my own at the hostel I have heard about a Ninja restaurant here in Tokyo, so I had to pay it a visit, making sure I dressed in black to fit in.

I have been joined on this quest by Fabian from Nuremburg in Germany and we take a few trains across town to Akasaka. With relative ease we find the restaurant, which appropriately is identified only by this sign against a blackened wall.

On the way in we need to completed the Ninja training path, which involves sneaking through trapdoors and summoning a drawbridge.

The training path brings you to this historical village set deep underground, where we are shown to our booth.

The Maitre’D then utters a phrase I thought I would never hear in my lifetime. “Your ninja will be with you shortly”.

The food was fantastic, but I can admit to being a little disappointed not to find turtle on the menu. Foie gras was served with crackers shaped like shuriken (throwing stars) and some soup was cooked in front of us in a bamboo dish using hot stones.

All the while the presentation was perfect, apart from them having forgotten to serve me my soup dish and only realising this as I was tucking into my dessert. I’m not sure why, but instead of just knocking it off my bill they sent a ninja out with the soup who stood menacingly over me until I had consumed it. 

All of which was rather intimidating, and as a result I can confirm that mushroom soup and ice cream do not mix well together!

However it is a great start to my last night in Tokyo, and having completed our training experience here are Fabian and I posing in ninjas stance in the village.

It is still early so we decide to see what other mischief we can find.