日本爱知县高薪招募忍者

Sharpen your shuriken, Japan's Aichi prefecture is looking to hire six ninjas in a bid to boost tourism.

是时候亮出你的忍者飞镖了——日本爱知县正欲招募六名忍者，以推动当地旅游业的发展。

The roles are full time and the pay is ¥180,000 ($1,600; £1,100) a month, the job ad says (in Japanese).

招聘广告上用日语写道：需全职，月薪18万日元。

Physical fitness and acrobatic skills are a must says Aichi prefecture, which hopes to promote "warlord tourism".

爱知县官方称，应聘者要身体健康，且必须练过杂技。爱知县希望通过此举发展“武士游”。

Ninjas were 15th Century Japanese mercenaries specialising in espionage, assassination, sabotage and other forms of irregular warfare.

忍者是15世纪日本一种特殊的兵种，专门从事间谍、暗杀、蓄意破坏等种种非常规的战斗任务。

Such trickery was considered beneath the samurai, or military nobility, who had to observe strict rules on fighting honourably.

日本忍者地位在武士和贵族之下，他们必须遵守严格的规则，为荣誉而战。

The job specification has been somewhat changed for the advertised roles.

然而在这则招聘广告中，忍者的工作内容了发生一些改变。

It involves stage performances and "PR work" for radio and television. Combat experience as a ninja is not required and a track record of killing people for money would not help your application.

在这里，忍者的工作包括舞台表演以及负责电视和广播节目的“公关工作”。作为一名忍者所必须的格斗经验，你不一定要有，而且拿钱取命的工作经验也不会对你得到这份工作有任何帮助。

Ideal candidates should "enjoy being under the spotlight even though he or she is a secretive ninja," Satoshi Adachi of the prefecture's tourism promotion unit, told AFP.

爱知县旅游宣传部门的安达哲告诉法新社记者，理想的应聘者须“放下自己‘神秘忍者’的心理包袱，享受站在聚光灯下的感觉。”

As the troupe will sometimes perform in English, Japanese language skills are preferred rather than essential, Mr Adachi said, although a passion for history and tourism is a requirement.

安达智表示，剧团时常要用英语进行演出，所以会说日语并非必要条件，当然会的话更好。对日本历史和旅游充满热情的人，都可以应征。

Training is also a little quicker these days: winning applicants will be up to speed in the arts of wooing tourists with back flips and sword play by the end of April.

目前的培训进程正在加快：通过面试的人，必须在4月结束前尽快掌握后空翻以及剑术等能够吸引游客的技能。

Successful applicants will be performing in Nagoya Castle and various other locations.

成功入选的申请者将在名古屋城和其他各地进行表演。

Aichi prefecture may be hoping to see some of the success seen by neighbouring Mie prefecture's Ninja museum in Iga city, which combines historical details with acrobatic performances inspired by tales of the ancient warriors.

三重县在爱知县的旁边。三重县伊贺市修建了忍者博物馆。受古代武士传奇故事的启发，该博物馆将历史传说与杂技表演融为一体，取得了极大的成功。爱知县希望能复制这样的成功。

Iga, which brands itself as the "home town" of ninja, was once home to many ninjas, also known as shinobi, who emerged as a distinct phenomenon in the volatile "warring states" period of the 15th Century. They gradually disappeared as Japan was unified in the 17th Century.

伊贺市曾出过不少忍者，自诩为“忍者之乡”。忍者，又名“西诺比”，起源于15世纪烽烟四起的日本，是那段动荡不安时期的一个独特现象。随着日本在17世纪完成统一，忍者也逐渐消失在了历史长河中。

While ninja were a very real historical phenomenon, much popular folklore about them is based on legend and myth.

虽然忍者是一个真实存在的历史现象，但现在民间广为流传的关于忍者的传说则大多都来源于传奇和神话。

But while once they were looked on as little more than a historical curiosity of more interest to foreigners than Japanese themselves, prefectures are increasingly keen to capitalise on historical ties to tap into the country's tourism boom.

曾经，忍者仅代表了一段让人好奇的历史，而且这种好奇更多地来自外国人，而不是本国人。但随着时间的推移，日本各县开始关注这段历史渊源的吸金价值，逐渐将它运用到推动旅游业上面。

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged to increase tourism even further in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

日本首相安倍晋三承诺，在2020年东京奥运会到来前，日本将进一步发展旅游业。

Anyone over 18 can apply to be a ninja in Aichi, and applications close on 22 March.

凡年满18周岁的人都可以应聘成为爱知县的忍者，报名截止日期为3月22日。