[Contributed Article] What Is a Ninja Experience Without Shuriken Throwing? “Ninja Zen Meditation,” a Program Worth Considering for MICE, Offers Embodied Learning of Japanese Spiritual Culture

Corporate training and incentive travel programs for companies visiting Japan from overseas often call for cultural experiences unique to the host destination. “Ninja Zen Meditation” differs from conventional ninja experiences such as shuriken throwing. Instead, the program introduces participants to the spiritual dimension of the ninja through hand seals, breathing techniques, meditation and body control. In addition to corporate training and team building, it may also be used as a MICE excursion.

This article is based on a contribution by Mototaro Tamura, representative director of Seeds, the company that operates Ninja Zen Meditation, and was partially edited by MICE TIMES ONLINE for publication.

Official website: Ninja Zen Meditation
https://zenmeditation.ninja-idea.jp/

Experiencing the Spiritual Culture of the Ninja Through “Ninja Zen Meditation”

For companies visiting Japan from overseas and those planning employee training or incentive travel, experiences available only in Japan are important elements of their programs. Japan offers many cultural experiences involving shrines, temples, food and traditional performing arts. At the same time, behind these visible aspects of Japanese culture are ideas and forms of spirituality cultivated over a long period.

The “Ninja Zen Meditation” program we offer does not involve wearing ninja costumes, performing acrobatic movements or throwing shuriken.

Based on traditional Japanese ninjutsu, it is a meditation program that uses ninja practices, Zen, breathing and body control as gateways to Japanese spiritual culture. The program aims to help participants carry the insights they gain through the experience into their work and daily lives, rather than leaving them behind when the session ends.

Applying Ninja Wisdom to Modern Business

The word “ninja” may bring acrobatic movements and combat to mind for many people.

However, ninja wisdom includes ideas that also apply to modern work, such as observing situations, controlling one’s emotions, regulating one’s breathing and adapting to the surrounding environment.

In “Ninja Zen Meditation,” participants learn about ninja history and philosophy while experiencing hand seals, breathing techniques, meditation, ninja walking and body control. Using the three elements of hand seals, breathing techniques and body control, they deepen their meditation through the concept of Godaikan, which perceives the natural world through five elements: earth, water, fire, wind and void.

An important aspect of the program is ensuring that the experience does not end with the acquisition of knowledge. Participants make hand seals, regulate their breathing and move their bodies themselves. Through their own physical sensations, they consider the harmony of mind and body and the self-control that ninja are said to have valued.

From “Seeing Japan” to “Experiencing Japanese Spirituality”

“Ninja Zen Meditation” provides an opportunity to encounter the spirituality and physical culture that Japanese people have cultivated over a long period through Zen, martial arts and ninjutsu. Participants quietly face themselves, regulate their breathing, observe others and their surroundings, and respond calmly to change. Rather than simply listening to explanations, they practice each movement themselves.

The emphasis is not on “seeing Japan,” but on “experiencing Japanese spirituality.”

Instead of viewing Japanese history and culture from the outside, participants experience them through their own bodies and awareness. The program is designed to help participants gain a different perspective and apply it to their work and daily lives.

The “Human Abilities” Needed in the AI Era

As AI takes on information processing and analysis, distinctly human abilities are once again becoming important. These include the ability to regulate oneself, understand others, observe one’s surroundings, make decisions amid change and build trust between people.

Using Japanese spiritual culture as a gateway, “Ninja Zen Meditation” encourages participants to reflect on these abilities themselves. The program can be used according to corporate objectives, including executive training, team building, well-being and leadership development. Its purpose is not merely to introduce ninja culture, but to let participants experience how Japanese spiritual culture connects with contemporary work and organizations.

Delivered as Training for a Global Corporate Team

In a corporate training session for the global team of a foreign-affiliated pharmaceutical company, Japanese and non-Japanese staff participated in the program together. During the session, they learned about ninja history and philosophy and experienced hand seals, breathing techniques, meditation and ninja walking.

Participants shared the following comments:

“I gained a perspective I did not usually have.”
“I felt more focused.”
“I felt a sense of unity as a team.”
“I was able to gain a deeper understanding of Japanese traditions and the spirituality behind them.”

For companies, training and MICE programs are not solely intended to entertain participants. Sharing the same experience in an environment different from their usual surroundings can encourage communication among participants and provide opportunities to gain new perspectives and insights.

Sharing the Same Experience Without Relying Solely on Words

“Ninja Zen Meditation” provides time for participants to move together, regulate their breathing and quietly face themselves.

Participants of different nationalities, positions and cultural backgrounds can share the same movements and time without relying solely on verbal communication. The ability of Japanese and non-Japanese participants to take part in the same program is one of its features for corporate training involving global teams. The program also emphasizes reviewing the insights gained from the perspectives of “self,” “team” and “work.” Rather than providing an activity that ends with the experience itself, it aims to develop the experience into learning that leads to subsequent communication and action.

Programs Designed Around MICE Objectives

“Ninja Zen Meditation” is available bilingually in Japanese and English.

It can be used in various MICE settings, including programs for overseas executives visiting Japan, incentive travel, corporate training, team building and Japanese cultural experiences for international guests. Programs can also be individually designed according to the number of participants, purpose, duration and venue. The program content is structured according to the implementation conditions after confirming the participant profile and the topics the company wishes to address in the training.

What we aim to provide is not a conventional “ninja experience.” It is time for participants to encounter Japanese culture and spirituality and take something away from it. Rather than “seeing Japan,” participants “experience Japanese wisdom.” That is “Ninja Zen Meditation.”

Ninja Zen Meditation video

Video contains sound.

From the Editorial Team: Incorporating Ninja Spiritual Culture Into MICE Programs

When incorporating Japanese culture into MICE excursions or corporate training, options include visiting cultural facilities, watching traditional performing arts and experiencing Japanese food culture. “Ninja Zen Meditation” adds hand seals, breathing techniques, meditation and body control, allowing participants to encounter Japanese culture through their own bodies.

One of the program’s features is that it uses the ninja, a familiar and easily understood concept overseas, as an accessible entry point while going beyond entertainment-oriented activities such as shuriken throwing to explore the ideas and physical culture behind them. Its availability in Japanese and English, together with the ability to design its content according to the number of participants, objectives, duration and venue, provides points for consideration when planning corporate training or incentive travel.

Another feature is that participants of different nationalities, positions and cultural backgrounds can share the same movements and time without relying solely on words. If the program includes reflection on the insights gained from the perspectives of the individual, the team and work, it may be used not merely as a cultural experience but also for training and team building.

For organizers considering a distinctly Japanese excursion or training program for international guests as part of a MICE event, “Ninja Zen Meditation” is an option worth knowing. It uses the familiar subject of the ninja as a gateway to Japanese spiritual and physical culture.

Ninja Zen Meditation official website
https://zenmeditation.ninja-idea.jp/

This article is based on a contribution by Mototaro Tamura, representative director of Seeds, the company that operates Ninja Zen Meditation, and was partially edited by MICE TIMES ONLINE for publication.