A ninja takes part in the Shingen-ko event during the Grand Matsuri Festival dedicated to Japanese culture, in the Jardin d'Acclimatation in Paris, on October 20, 2018. Photo: Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP
A popular ninja museum in Japan was caught off guard when stealthy thieves broke into its office and ran away with $9,400.The staff at the Iga-ryu Ninja Museum, a tourist attraction in central Japan, called the police as the alarm set off at 1:15 am on Monday, August 19.But it was too late as the thieves left with a safe containing one million yen (about $ 9,400) collected from admission fees over a busy weekend when the museum got over a thousand visitors.It took the thieves only three minutes to lift a safe believed to have weighed 150 kilograms (330 lbs) out of a one-story wooden office, according to local media.Police said that the museum’s office was pried open, possibly with a crowbar."We are very disappointed as we have just been slowly recovering from the coronavirus effects on our museum," a museum staff told Japanese state broadcaster NHK.Located in the city of Iga, the museum is famous for featuring a traditional ninja house and offering an interactive experience to visitors like throwing shuriken—a ninja’s iconic star-shaped weapon. According to Kyodo news agency, Iga is home to two of the most renowned ninja clans. The ninjas were black-clad warriors of feudal Japan who are known for their stealthy moves and surprise attacks on enemy forces.
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