On the way home from my recent fishing trip in Nagano, my buddy and I stopped in at a locally made goods shop. I was looking for one thing in particular, a sugegasa (菅笠) – also known as a conical bamboo hat. Well lucky for me they had a bunch … Read More
For the first three years I Tenkara’d almost exclusively with 3.5 weight level line. I dabbled for a bit with other lines but always came right back to my trusty 3.5 weight level line. Then it all began to change one brisk afternoon in March on the River Don. I … Read More
When dinosaurs roamed the planet, and long before the Shokuryoshi (discussed in detail later) entered the scene, the Izu Peninsula of Japan was just a tiny collection of small volcanic islands in the Southern Pacific Ocean. Then these islands began moving north on the Philippine Sea Plate and eventually collided with Honshu, the … Read More
Tenkara Fly Fishing, Off Piste Skiing, and Nihon Kawanezumi This week started out with one last ski tour before the end of the ’15/’16 season. I went to Norikura Kogen, which is a 3026 meter tall mountain in the Northern Japanese Alps. This week was Golden Week – the most popular holiday in Japan. Consequently, … Read More
Day 2 – Mount Amagi … Continued from Day 1 (Click Here if you missed it) In the morning the storm had cleared and it was bright and sunny. I eagerly hit the road, stopping quickly at a convenience store to buy breakfast and lunch. My destination was the Amagi … Read More
Flick, a fishing co-op high in a small mountain valley, which is tucked deep in the Tanzawa-Oyama Quasi-National Park, is a unique and magical place. It boasts a fairly long section of river, that besides the six weirs that fall within its boundaries, is otherwise left totally untouched. It is … Read More
According to Keiichi Okushi’s interview on Tenkara Fisher a honryu is “When two or more of the rivers are joined, the flow that forms the most fundamental”. In a way I guess all rivers are honryu when viewed in this manner; but the kanji 本流, which translates directly to “mainstream” in English, helps … Read More
Discovering Jimmy Spring Creek I am a little surprised that I have not yet written a Yamame post. I have written about the Amago and the Iwana but no Yamame article, until now. The Yamame is an absolutely beautiful fish and one that I have brought to hand numerous times during last years … Read More
During the summer Toshimaen Amusement Park is a favorite spot for Tokyo’s residents to cool off. With a water park and an amusement park side by side it is kind of like Six Flags or Busch Gardens, just with not as many max adrenaline roller coaster rides. It’s a family friendly … Read More
It was the hottest recorded summer this year in Japan, so much so that besides a brief foray into the Sierra Nevada Mountains during a visit home in June, I had forgotten what it was like to be cold. That all changed on the morning of September 30th when I … Read More