Best “Made in Japan” Rod/Gear?

[Adam P]

Hello BPL community,

I’m starting my Tenkara journey in my backpacking kit and have a unique opportunity. I live in Japan and am returning home to the states in the near future. Instead of buying a cheap rod, I would like to purchase quality Japanese brand rod and gear. Since the sport originated from here.

My question to the community of experienced Tenkara anglers is. If you were living in Japan, what would be the quality brands you would purchase?

My goal is to not only purchase a quality setup but also a good memory of my time spent living in Japan.

Thanks for the advice!

[Craig]

My advice – Have a look at the top end nissin and suntech rods. Then compare to others. Most good tackle shops should have a good range, and the nissin provide a good benchmark against which to compare. Daiwa is cheaper but still quite a good all round fishing rod. In the end, it’s what suits you best. Sometimes length matters more than brand, as it completely changes a models casting feel. And remember, your skill level, casting style, and intended use matter. So test cast the rods you think might suit. Once you find one that feels great then take it and fish it. Don’t overthink it anymore.

P.s. unless you are fishing a really over grown small stream with no overhead lift room, use the longest rod that feels comfortable in your hand. The extra length will help – just get in the water and cast up the green tunnel, as long as you can still lift the rod tip to set the hook. Contrawise, anything longer than 14ft becomes quite heavy in the hand to cast single handed. 13ft is the sweet spot for added length vs easy all day casting. Lighter than any western rod setup even when balanced by the reel. I typically try to use 13-14ft rods on all mountain streams and only drop down to 11ft on the overgrown stuff. And the streams I fish in eastern Australia are far more overgrown than any I commonly see in videos from the US and Japan.

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