Iga-ryu Ninja Museum 伊賀流忍者博物館

Many real ninja from history hail from this remote area of Japan, where they trained to carry out missions ranging from espionage to guarding important people.

The Iga-ryu Ninja Museum is a great place to learn about the skills, knowledge, and activities of ninja.

The museum is located in the city of Iga, just north of Iga Ueno Castle , and the Basho Memorial Museum. It's a 10-minute walk from Uenoshi Station on the Iga Line.

JR can get you from Osaka, Kyoto or Nagoya to Iga-Ueno Station on the Iga Railway. Alternatively, take a Kintetsu to Iga-Kambe Station, also on the Iga Railway, from Nagoya and Osaka-Namba. From one of these two waypoints, take a train to Uenoshi Station to reach downtown Iga. The journey from Osaka, Kyoto or Nagoya takes between 90 minutes and two hours in total.

The Ninja House has all sorts of astounding secrets for you to discover: traps, fake hallways, stashed weapons, escape routes and more. Some of these secrets even be experienced first-hand.

After touring the Ninja House, head to the Ninja Experience and Ninja Tradition halls. These are a little more educational than the house. Here, you can learn about the tools and weapons used by the ninja, as well as their secret lives and knowledge.

You'll find plenty of intriguing ninja equipment, including real ninja stars, concealed weapons, blades and other exciting weapons.

To see specially trained performers demonstrate incredible ninja moves and tricks, plan your visit to catch one of the regular shows. Shows are held most Saturdays and Sundays but only sporadically on weekdays. Make sure to check the schedule on the museum website before you go.

You can try your hand at throwing real iron shuriken. They make look easy, but they're a difficult weapon to handle.

Stop by the museum shop to pick your ninja-themed shirts, toys, tools, costumes and more.