Tokyo’s taxi driving ninjas

A new service was launched on 11 June providing drivers dressed as Japan’s mythical shadow warriors or as bodyguards with concealed . . . water guns.

Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies) – In the country where transport services operate regularly and trains are always on time, there is rarely a reason to choose a taxi . . . unless you want a ninja driver.

Welcome to Ninja Taxi, an attention-grabbing service launched on 11 June by Sanwa Kotsu, a Yokohama-based taxi company.

The taxicab is standard, the driver though can “be dressed head to toe in the garb of Japan’s mythical shadow warriors” peppering “his speech with period appropriate classical Japanese vocabulary, making the ride a treat for history buffs and linguistics fans alike.”

But that is not all. The company also offers a "theme" vehicle for those who prefer a more contemporary style: the "SP-style Taxi".

In Japanese, “SP” stands for “security police” and refers to the security details that accompany VIPs and politicians. And the SP-style taxi driver, appropriately, is armed at all times, with a concealed . . . water pistol.

Sanwa Kotsu operates in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Tokyo and Saitama, and is well known for its themed services. In the past in fact it offered kabuki and horseback archery-themed taxis.

• japan
• taxi
• ninja
• bodyguards
• sanwa kotsu