Ninja Challenge・Kids — Asakusa, Tokyo

Approached by a ninja kid in Asakusa?
You just helped a child learn.

A volunteer program where Japanese children practice English by interviewing travelers from around the world — born in Asakusa, growing one conversation at a time.

Learn more For partners & press

1,000+ interviews Travelers met

200+ children Kids participated

98% Satisfaction rate

Free For all kids

What is this?

If a Japanese child in a ninja costume asked you "May I interview you?" in Asakusa — that was us.

Ninja Challenge Kids is a community-run program where Japanese children practice English by talking with international travelers in the streets and shrines of Asakusa.

The kids prepare for weeks: learning their questions, role-playing in online English lessons, and reading up on the visitors' home countries. When the day comes, they put on a ninja costume — and step out into the world.

What looks like a fun street encounter is, for them, a once-in-a-lifetime moment of using real English with a real person. And for the traveler? Often a story they take home and tell for years.

Why we do this

Three things we're trying to change.

The opportunity gap in real English

Most Japanese kids learn English from textbooks. Real conversations cost money — private lessons, study abroad, language camps. We believe the chance to actually speak English shouldn't depend on a family's income.

Tourism that goes deeper than sightseeing

Asakusa welcomes millions of visitors each year, yet most leave without ever speaking to a local. We want to turn passing through into meeting someone — even if it's just a five-minute interview.

Children carrying their own culture forward

Before they can talk about Japan, they have to know Japan. So we partner with local culture educators to teach the kids about Edo history, traditional crafts, and the place they call home.

What you'll see in Asakusa

Three things the kids actually do.

Japanese children in red ninja costumes interviewing a foreign tourist in Asakusa

Activity 01

English interview experience — free for every child

Each child prepares questions in advance, practices in online English lessons, then steps into Asakusa in a ninja costume to interview real travelers. Their first real conversation in English, often.

— Made possible by local sponsors so families never pay.

Children and international travelers posing together in front of a temple wall in Asakusa

Activity 02

Sharing Japanese culture as a young host

Once the conversation flows, the kids do something even harder: they explain Japan. Manners, customs, festivals, the meaning of the shrine the traveler just walked through. For visitors, hearing it from a nine-year-old is unforgettable.

— Hosted in partnership with local shops, temples, and businesses.

Children learning traditional Edo crafts from a local culture teacher in a workshop setting

Activity 03 In preparation

Cultural workshops before they take the streets

Before a child can introduce Japan to a stranger, they need to feel it themselves. We're partnering with Edo-era culture educators to give kids hands-on workshops in traditional crafts, history, and seasonal rituals — turning visitors and locals into a circle of learning.

— Built together with local cultural centers and master craftspeople.

Voices from travelers

What visitors said afterward.

"The kids were so confident and warm. I came to see temples — I left with a memory of a Japanese child teaching me about omikuji. Best part of my whole trip."

Kamaruzaman Abu Bakar

Traveler from Malaysia · Interviewed in Asakusa

"My six-year-old gained more confidence in one afternoon than in a year of English lessons. The travelers were kind, the kids were brave. We'll be back."

Parent of a participant

Returning family · 2025

"I've been to Asakusa five times. This was the first time someone actually talked to me. A ten-year-old asking me about Hokkaido — I won't forget that."

Mi Ishi

Returning visitor

"What I loved was watching my daughter realize, mid-sentence, that the words were actually coming out — that she was actually talking to a stranger from another country. You can't teach that. You have to live it."

Parent of a participant

First-time family · 2026

About the founder

A program built by a mother of two.

Natsuko Touma

Founder & Director — Ninja Challenge Kids

A mother of two daughters and a long-time organization and career-development consultant. She founded Ninja Challenge Kids in 2024, born from a simple wish: that every child — regardless of family income or background — could have one real moment of speaking English with the world.

Over the past two years, she has personally witnessed 200+ children take that first nervous step into Asakusa, microphone in hand. She is now working with companies, local governments, and educators to bring the program to other parts of Japan.

Get involved

Want to help, partner, or share our story?

We're building this with the help of local businesses, sponsors, cultural educators, and media partners. If you'd like to learn more — or you have a story to share from a Ninja Challenge Kids encounter in Asakusa — we'd love to hear from you.

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Approached by a ninja kid in Asakusa? You just helped a child learn.