New Japanese Rodmaker book

[Hellmtflies]

I'm Curious though. Throughout the book the streams that are being fished are mostly creeks at best. My favorite. But why wear chest waders in ankle deep creeks? I find that odd. Why not wade wet? Was it a marketing thing over there? That one cannot be a fly fisherman unless one wears chest waders and a full vest? Or, is it some type of cultural thing I'm unfamiliar with? This isn't a criticism, I'm just curious.

[ibookje]

Japanese fly fishermen like to do it ‘as it should be done’ and probably double that!
They all cast like Lefty Kreh, tie flies like Dave Whitlock and drink sake afterwards

[PT48]

Yes Mark, there is a certain incongruity to it all. Here we have a Japanese angler fishing up an exquisite small stream (which his forebears have known for thousands of years), using a bamboo rod that is sourced from locally grown cane, fishing for beautiful little jewels of native fish and wearing the latest designer waders made just outside of Bozeman, Montana.

[Flykuni3]

Yup, they do it “as it should be done” over there. Dress is very standardized: men do not wear shorts; leaving office you do not take off coat or loosen tie, even on brutally hot days. Fly guys wear waders.

[Tommasini]

How would one go about ordering a rod from the only female Japanese rod maker in the book?

[Flykuni3]

Ha, I thought same thing, but she apparently makes rods only for pals. But not American presidents.

[Hellmtflies]

Yup, they do it “as it should be done” over there. Dress is very standardized: men do not wear shorts; leaving office you do not take off coat or loosen tie, even on brutally hot days. Fly guys wear waders.

"As it should be done"? According to who? Who says one isn't an FF angler if they don't wear a certain attire? Heavy marketing strategies from companies Like Simms or Orvis? I still find it strange. Again, I mean no offense.

[Tim Anderson]

"As it should be done" is probably in their view. Tweed jackets and ties were/are considered proper attire for sporting activities in various parts of the world.

I, too, almost always wear waders no matter what the size of the stream. I think I have wet waded once in the US and that was in the Firehole after forgetting my waders. I was miserable.

My most stupid wader wearing episode was once in 85° weather in California in chest high neoprene waders. I had to pore the sweat out of them at the end of the day. The car was too far away and having those waders wrapped around my body was the easiest way to carry them around. Did I mention stupid?

Tim

[Hellmtflies]

Again, I mean no offense. Just trying understand. Myself I don't even own a pair of waders. I haven't own a pair since I was in college and that seems like a hundred years ago. The only time I don't wade wet is once the water dips below 50 degrees. Then perhaps I put on a pair of hip boots. Otherwise I'm wading wet. So to me that's "As it should be done".

[cdmoore]

There are several members of this forum from Japan; why don't you ask them?

I never really thought about your question, but I put the question to a friend over there. He said he never had really thought about it either. Then he answered several possible reasons, in no particular order:

--Traditional look of fly fishers

--Older Japanese male (most common fly angler just like here) clothing preference for pants over shorts which are typically, though not exclusively, associated with younger folks

--Mountain streams are very cold

--Horseflies, Joro spider, Asian hornet

--Poison ivy

--Mentality of "be prepared"

--A good place to hang warning bells for Japanese bears

--Lots of climbing over rocks and bushwacking on some rivers

--Mamushi pit viper


My friend wears long cotton pants (long john style) in the summer because it is so hot and humid.

Chris

[Hellmtflies]

There are several members of this forum from Japan; why don't you ask them?

I never really thought about your question, but I put the question to a friend over there. He said he never had really thought about it either. Then he answered several possible reasons, in no particular order:

--Traditional look of fly fishers

--Older Japanese male (most common fly angler just like here) clothing preference for pants over shorts which are typically, though not exclusively, associated with younger folks

--Mountain streams are very cold

--Horseflies, Joro spider, Asian hornet

--Poison ivy

--Mentality of "be prepared"

--A good place to hang warning bells for Japanese bears

--Lots of climbing over rocks and bushwacking on some rivers

--Mamushi pit viper


My friend wears long cotton pants (long john style) in the summer because it is so hot and humid.

Chris

Thanx Chris,
But I don't have a clue here on the forum who is Japanese and who isn't. That said the list is somewhat familiar to me here in the states.
--Our mountain streams are very cold too.
--We have horse flies, hornets, yellowjackets etc.
--We have poison ivy, sumac, nettles.
--I'm not sure what they mean by "Mentally Prepared" but I go fishing with the idea of being fit for anything that may happen too.
--I don't hang bells from my vest but we do have bears, oh man do we have bears here. Wearing waders won't protect me from the claws of a G-Bear.
--I'd say we, myself for sure and my wife for that matter, spend plenty of time bush wacking and rock climbing.
--And yes, we have snakes, ever crawl up to within a rods length of a rattler? I have.
So, I'm still not getting it. But that's just me. Again, I'm just curious and I mean no offence.

[ibookje]

Japanese (that also applies to most Asian countries) are very docile (not in a humiliating way). Putting yourself outside the group is not common and appreciated.

Knowing this it’s also understandable that what is ‘good’ as in how to do it and approved by the group (like brand of rod or waders) will be followed.

Now in some way that’s exactly what is going on here and outside here (graphite world). Everybody is looking for a new Sage rod, faster faster rods, etc.

[Hellmtflies]

Japanese (that also applies to most Asian countries) are very docile (not in a humiliating way). Putting yourself outside the group is not common and appreciated.

Knowing this it’s also understandable that what is ‘good’ as in how to do it and approved by the group (like brand of rod or waders) will be followed.

Now in some way that’s exactly what is going on here and outside here (graphite world). Everybody is looking for a new Sage rod, faster faster rods, etc.

Now that's starting to make sense to me. That I understand. I find it odd culturally, but I'm am a rogue angler. Thanx Jay.

[ibookje]

You're certainly the nastiest iron-oldman I've met so far!

[Hellmtflies]

You're certainly the nastiest iron-oldman I've met so far!

Iron maybe, old? Never! 60 is the new 40 ya know.

[ibookje]

I'll let you know when I reach 60 Mark

[Flykuni3]

This is pretty much it:

"Japanese (that also applies to most Asian countries) are very docile (not in a humiliating way). Putting yourself outside the group is not common and appreciated.

Knowing this it’s also understandable that what is ‘good’ as in how to do it and approved by the group (like brand of rod or waders) will be followed."

The nail sticking up, there, gets hammered down -- students dress identically, hang out with their own sex, then graduate from school and go wild, orange hair, firemen's boots, wacky makeup, crazy clothes colors...but they don't do the American rebellion thing, hit the road, drink to excess, date waitresses from small town diners. Things you or I would look back at with a sheep eating grin. Oh that Lola from Pensacola. As said, it's different over there. Most Americans find the place and the people puzzling: they queue up, are very quiet in public, never, ever litter, and never, ever steal things. If you watch sumo (it's on right now on NHK), the defeated may have been tossed far into the crowd, but he must return, face his adversary, and bow. The winner takes his prize money, and quietly exits. No American TD dance there.

I stood out like Gary Cooper -- I walked, talked and stood like a Yank, which I am. I had to watch my voice level; you don't stroll and take up the sidewalk, you move and move fast there; you don't stare at people. Yet it is so safe it's disconcerting. Walking across an intersection the waiting cars turned off their lights, to be polite to us. So, if one is supposed to wear waders and cast like Mel, that's how it is done.

My last thoughts on "over there," the Japanese have been known as imitators, when in reality they may indeed begin their process with an imitation -- say, a car. then they improve on the design, make it better than the original, and wind up creating a new car. Which we all know they did with their car industry, and in a twist, Detroit had to undergo a painful adjustment. They've done it over there with cameras, strereos, and have done it with bamboo: they are years beyond imitating Payne and Leonard rods, are sometimes using cane most of us haven't heard of, and hollowing like we never conceived, and I have to doff my hat to their dedication. The Japanese attention to detail and to the job can literally be the death of them.

[ARTHURK]

Finished reading my copy a week ago and might reread it ... with some trepidation as I might not be able to stop myself from ordering yet another ( Japan maker) rod!

Yuki is the friendliest author I have met and responds to queries so promptly I felt embarrassed for asking! Ever humble, yet curious & down to earth, he is the perfect journalist. The book sounds Asian ( yeah, we write in the passive voice), felt Asian and demonstrates our own imperfect journey to perfection.

As for imitation, I believe it is the Asian process of rote learning and obsessive organisation of knowledge ( and our gurus), so that we eventually identify gaps in knowledge and creativity and can be truly groundbreaking and/ or original.. while acknowledging mentors. Yuki immediately ‘categorised’ me under his ‘crazy collector’ group after a few chats about collecting.... a habit which I recognised when I myself obsessively study & categorised my collection.

A refreshing read indeed and the photos alone are drool worthy.

Thanks Yuki!

Arthur

[Repleiven]

I ordered my copy from Eastwind Artisans on January 16th, and was surprised when it arrived only 6 days later. I've had bad service from the USPS these past few months, but this time I got lucky.

Dennis

[PT48]

Arthur, I just finished a second read. I was curious about the various species of native bamboo and their various applications for cane rods. I wonder how well suited yadake or hachiku would be for fishing Eastern USA brook trout streams or tributaries of Western streams such as those which run into the Madison or Gallatin. I was also interested to find out if a fast rod could be made out of Japanese cane or whether or not the true heartland of bamboo is slow to medium and fast is best left to graphite.