Iga

Iga is a former castle town ringed by mountains on all four sides. With its residences of former samurai and temples, the city retains the look and feel of a bygone era. It is famous as the birthplace of Iga-ryu ninja, and one local attraction is the Iga-ryu Ninja Museum, where several ninja residences have been rebuilt. For those of you who want to dress up and stalk around like a Ninja, there are 7 "Ninja Transformation Booths" across the city, providing rental costumes for a fee. Iga is also known as the birthplace of Matsuo Basho, the poet who transformed haiku.