Iga- Ueno

The next day, after spending a leisurely morning reading in (you guessed it) Starbucks, I headed off to Iga-Ueno, an ancient town known for being home to an infamous clan of Ninja. The town was small and a bit run down, but Ueno Park made up for all of that.

Here is located an old clan house preserved nicely. The guides were great, demonstrating with enthusiasm and surprising agility the many trapdoors, spy holes, hiding spots, and secret panels. It was SO COOL! I was 'oohing' and 'ahhing', gasping and cheering like a six year old. The two middle ages Japanese men in my tour group laughed their heads off a time, but no matter, I tried the trap doors and peeped while they tried to see my yes. I did well - I think I'd make an exceptional ninja!

The adjacent museum, containing the largest collection of ninja artifacts in Japan, was equally as fascinating. I didn't know there was so much more to ninjutsu than fighting. These men were practiced in the art of stealth, psychology, memnonics, and sorcery, medicine, disguise, and survival. During an age of feudal war and warring kingdoms, these men were masters of spying and collecting information and secrets. Truely a fascinating sub-culture!

There's also a nice castle, nestled in a beautiful forest walk, and surrounded by a moat. Great views - here I took some AWESOME sky pictures to capture the idyllic weather I had been experiencing.

Ueno Park is also the birth place of Basho, one of the most renowned Haiku poets. An interesting mix of Japan.