Have you ever wondered what it would be like to experience a dramatic drop-off whenever you exit a vehicle? Now might be your chance, as a Japanese taxi company is offering passengers who pay an extra 5,000 yen (RM143) a dramatic drop-off as their taxi drivers transform into bodyguards or ninjas.
Sanwa Koutsu, a Japanese taxi company with a 59-year history, offers this special customised driver service. The driver dresses in black suits and sunglasses to role-play as bodyguards, driving and escorting passengers with stern, expressionless faces.
Throughout the journey, they pretend to communicate with security “headquarters” using wireless devices in the taxi, reporting on the route.
As passengers alight from the vehicle, the “bodyguard” driver pulls out water guns and a supposedly bulletproof briefcase to shield their protected passenger, simulating a sniper attack scenario.
Meanwhile, passengers can opt for their drivers to wear ninja attire and carry shurikens or hidden daggers, also known as “throwing stars.”
They communicate with passengers using de gozaru, an old-fashioned Japanese term used at the end of a sentence to reflect humility and politeness – a language commonly practiced by ninjas.
A company spokesperson mentioned that the ninja drivers provide airport shuttle services.
“We believe that tourists coming to Japan would be thrilled to see ninjas waiting for them at the airport.’
Meanwhile, Japanese IT Media reported that the special protection-themed service targets foreign tourists interested in Japanese culture.
How cool!
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