Reported by Isao Tokuhashi
Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com
*Edited by Daniel Penso
校正協力：ダニエル・ペンソ
The fourth Tokyo Getaways tour we would like to share is the SAMURAI & NINJA Safari TOKYO Entertainment Bus. It is a tour that is held in the morning and in the afternoon every weekend. As if watching the wild animals from a bus going around a safari park, you can enjoy watching the fight between a samurai and a ninja in the streets from a bus going around Asakusa. And sometimes they enter the bus to surprise you! It is an event that My Eyes Tokyo recommends you because you can enjoy not only as a sightseeing tour but also as a truly enjoyable entertainment!
*Organized by JTB Sunrise Tours
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Asakusa Rokku Central Square
9:45am – The tour begins here at the Asakusa Rokku Central Square near Senso-ji Temple. Participants from Hawaii, the United States, joined the tour for the day.
“I found this tour on “JAPANiCAN”. We’re familiar with Sunrise Tours because we enjoy the tours every time we come here. We’ve been to Japan many times and went to Mt. Fuji, Kyoto and Nara with Sunrise Tours. Also we went around some sightseeing spots in Tokyo with them. This time, I was planning to join some tours that children can enjoy so we joined this tour.” – An attendee
At 10am, we moved to a place where the bus stopped via Senso-ji Temple with staff putting up a handmade shuriken (手裏剣, ninja star).
We arrived at the bus stop. A large banner on the bus window is written “SAMURAI & NINJA Safari”.
Participants are filled with joyful expectations!
After departure, Michael, a tour guide and MC from Canada, welcomed participants both in Japanese and English. And the bus crossed the Sumida River, passed beside the headquarters of Asahi Breweries, and went back to Downtown Asakusa.
Suddenly we found something outside the bus…
Ninja!
He faded into the town like a shot.
After a while, a samurai emerged. He seemed to look for the ninja.
Then the ninja appeared again. But the samurai was still looking for the ninja on the other side of the main street.
Finally the two met. Now the fight started!
The samurai stepped on makibishi (撒き菱, Japanese caltrop) that the ninja spread.
Then the ninja rushed into the hotel. The samurai should chase him quickly, but he swept up makibishi that were strewn in front of the hotel parking so he lost sight of the ninja.
The samurai was ordered to take a video of the inside of the hotel.
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There’s the ninja! However, he ran away.
Poor samurai, he injured his feet and destroyed the camera. But, he kept chasing the ninja in order to protect the peace of the town.
Kappabashi
The bus has reached Kappabashi, the world famous cooking tool town.
We found the samurai. He seemed to be broke…
There was a quirky creature. It’s called “Kappa-pi”, a yuru-kyara of Kappabashi. It was named after “Kappa (河童, Japanese water sprite)”, an imaginary character, and “Kappa (合羽, lit. “Raincoat”)” of Kappabashi (合羽橋).
He got on the bus. He’s very cute and really friendly!
What will happen in the bus after this? Please join this tour if you are interested!
Then we got off the bus along the main street and headed to the final battlefield of the samurai and the ninja.
Asakusa Rokku Central Square
The climactic fight took place at the place we gathered at about an hour ago. The champion of Asakusa was about to be decided there.
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Who won the battle? Join this tour if you’re interested!
“My family enjoyed it so much! I hope a lot of people take this tour and enjoy it also.” – An attendee
