Japanese city runs out of ninjas as population declines

The Japanese city of Iga, with a population of about 91,000, is facing a shortage of ninja. the city is facing depopulation.

(REUTERS / Kim Kyung-Hoon)

A small city in Japan is facing a shortage of ninjas as the city fights depopulation

Iga, located about 40 miles southwest of Kyoto, is struggling to find ninjas for its festival annual. The work – apparently born in the city of Iga – pays $ 85,000 a year, according to the report, but the city in central Japan has too few residents to occupy this post

. The city of about 91,000 people sees nearly 30,000 tourists each year for its annual ninja festival.

Young people, according to the podcast, leave the countryside for "life in the big city like Toyko or Yokohama". Mayor Sakae Okamota hopes that the city will do everything possible to attract tourists to Iga, including attracting visitors to its festival and, according to the report, the creation of a second ninja museum.