What do you imagine when you hear the word “Japan”? Sushi, sake, ramen, anime, Akihabara, Shibuya, Mt.Fuji, Tokyo Tower... There are many things that may come to mind. But you can’t forget this one: Ninja 忍者.

If you have seen the famous ninja anime Naruto, you must already know what ninjas are. Just in case, let me explain. Ninjas were specially trained mysterious assassins and spies who were active from the Muromachi 室町 era (14th century) to the Edo 江戸 era (17th - 19th century). It is said that they had special skills including assassination, espionage, hiding in bodies of water, and superhuman physical abilities!

Here's an item that can make you feel like you're a ninja too!

At this point, you might be thinking, "Hold on, according to the explanation earlier, I need special training to be a ninja, don't I?"

Don’t worry! This is a special item that can make you feel like a ninja without any special training.

Ninja Darts Kit!

First, please watch the first 15 seconds of this video:

Yes. Today’s ninja item is darts!

The official name of the product is Shuriken Gangu Ninja Darts 手裏剣玩具「忍者ダーツ」.

Look at the darts in the picture carefully. The shape is very unique. They’re not shaped like normal darts.

In fact, this is one of the most famous ninja weapons called the shuriken 手裏剣, otherwise known as the throwing star. The meanings of each kanji in shuriken are 手 hand shu, 裏 back ri + 剣 sword ken.

As you can infer since the name includes 剣 sword, real shuriken are made of metal just like Japanese swords. Ninja warriors threw shuriken to attack enemies and protect themselves. After enough training, they could throw them accurately and powerfully enough to penetrate walls and human bodies. They were very dangerous weapons.

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But rest assured. These darts are made of plastic instead of metal, so they can be enjoyed like typical darts instead of as lethal weapons. If you haven’t tried darts but you like ninjas, why don’t you try using these?

They are hosting official Shuriken Gangu Ninja Darts tournaments in Japan to see who are the best modern ninjas. If you already feel confident in your skills, maybe you could try participating!

Each set contains one shuriken along with ten replacement tips and costs 1,800 JPY including tax. They are available for purchase here. The dart board is not included, so you will have to arrange for your own.

Now you can become a cool modern ninja!

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Information

• Official website
• Official online shop
• Official YouTube Channel
• Note: You may need to use a proxy shopping service such as Buyee or White Rabbit Express if you'd like to have it shipped internationally.