Nikko. This is why Anthony, Matt, & I traveled to Japan. A solid 2+ drive from Tokyo, this is where we’d be staying, and fishing, for the next four days. Figured I’d take you along.
Our friend Hiro (you’ve already met him) picked us up at our Tokyo hotel early Monday morning in his Toyota van. The plan was to drive up into Nikko, do some sightseeing in the morning, meet up with Hiro’s Nikko Tenkara partner Takashi Sakauchi in the afternoon, check into our hotel, and then have a “welcome” dinner that night ahead of our first day of fishing on Tuesday.
Nikko Toshogu Shrine
After a quick pit stop for what Hiro called “cheap sushi” at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant along the way, we arrived in Nikko and proceeded immediately to the Nikko Toshogu Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The shrine is a memorial to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. To toss in a bit of pop culture, Tokugawa Ieyasu was the inspiration for the Yoshii Toranaga character from the modern Shogun books and television series. There was just so much to take in, I’m not sure we could possibly do so in the time we were allotted. From beautifully carved gates, buildings, and seemingly endless oversized stone steps that finally led to the mausoleum of Ieyasu himself, it was certainly a lot to take in and mind-blowing to imagine the effort it took to create and build.
Perhaps running a bit ahead of schedule, as we were in the parking lot leaving the shrine, Hiro asked, “would you like to go fishing?” I’m sure he knew the answer before he asked.
Our First Fishing in Japan
It was a short drive some winding mountain roads to Nikko City, home to Nature Planet, which is the office for Takashi’s outdoor tourism business. It’s also where Nikko Tenkara is based. A generally small building, it immediately stands out from the others around it as you notice the kayaks and PFD vests staged by the entry. In addition to tenkara, Nature Planet offers canoeing, kayak, SUP, hiking, and snowshoeing tours in Nikko National Park. They also cater to dogs, it’s not uncommon for them to take their clients’ furry friends out in the canoes as well.
The Nature Planet offices are also perfectly located on a ridgeline perched right above the Ojika River, a tributary to the larger Kinugawa River. After some quick “hellos” with Takashi, we were grabbing our tenkara rods and walking down a paved path down to the river behind the office. Along the way there was plenty of signage, as you can tell people recreate here quite a bit, whether it be for walking, fishing, or even just having fun down by the water. There’s even a hut with a public hot spring foot bath spa ideal for relaxing your feet after a riverside adventure.
As we walked down to the water and began to rig up our rods, it all kind of sunk in. Anthony, Matt, & I were about to fish in Japan for the very first time. No, today wasn’t up in the headwaters, but it was still a really surreal moment. Emotions of disbelief turned to unadulterated joy.
We only fished for maybe an hour or two, and I’d be lying if I told you it was stellar. That wasn’t the point. A 17 year tenkara journey had brought the three of us here. And it was awesome. Fishing a bit upstream from our group, I was lucky enough to catch the first fish of the trip, a rainbow trout that was no more than 6 inches long. I was so excited to run down the bank and show everyone, after doing so I released it into the water before snapping a photo. But that was okay, it’s a memory filled with child-like joy I’ll cherish forever.
Anthony was next into a fish, one that was quite a bit larger than mine and that gave him a good fight in the current. He wrestled it for what seemed like a good two minutes before it came off the line just as he was bringing it to his feet. Matt was also toying with some fish downstream, if I recall, he had a lot of follows, but no takes. He’d make up for it later in our tip for sure.
Regardless of the fish count, we all left with huge smiles on our faces.
Kinugawa Grand Hotel Yume no Toki
After fishing it was time to check into our hotel, the Kinugawa Grand Hotel Yume no Toki. A exquisitely modern ryokan style hotel with multiple mineral hot spring onsen baths, this was certainly a treat following our days of travel and cramped hotel in Tokyo.
Let me just say, the hotel was amazing! I cannot recommend it enough. It was downright upscale and fancy, making me feel a bit of imposter syndrome. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the staff, provided tea, and a rundown of the facilities. We found our room to also be wonderfully appointed. This was our first experience with ryokan living arrangements, so it took us Westerners a little bit to get settled into in our tatami-mat room. But after a spell of sitting and unwinding at a table that was no more than 3 feet of the ground in the middle of the room, Anthony, Matt, & I again were finally gaining our equilibrium. The only chore ahead of us was to figure out the yukata (robes) that were provided for the evening’s dinner.
A Magical Dinner Service
The dinner was a bit more formal than I anticipated, but it was also incredible. We were escorted to a banquet hall, also with tatami mats and two long tables on each side of the room. The Americans (and Hiro) sat on one side of the room, while Takashi, and two other Nikko-based anglers, Takuya Yamakoshi and Shoichi Onada were seated on the other side. Takuya and Shoichi not only had interest in tenkara, but interest talking to us about growing tourism into the Kinugawa-onsen hot spring resort area. Shortly after we all arrived and seated, the President of the hotel came and joined us for dinner as well. It was an unexpected surprise, and lovely to have her there too.
From there, we were treated to what seemed like endless courses of seasonal and local Nikko dishes. Many of the foods were literally so foreign to us, it was difficult to follow along on the menu, but it was all so delicious. The meal was magnificent, and we later learned the Chief Chef is highly regarded in Japanese culinary circles. What a treat!
There was a bit of a language barrier which made conversation difficult at times, but with the help of electronic translation tools, we all got along well, learned about the Kinugawa-onsen area of Nikko, as well as exchanged ideas about our personal tenkara fishing. We also exchanged gifts.
The Tenkara Angler team gifted our Japanese friends with a Zimmerbuilt strap pack filled with stickers and fly boxes of kebari tied by some of our favorite Amercian fly tyers. Anthony also thoughtfully brought some goodies from Pennsylvania, including Penn State t-shirts and towels with a map of the commonwealth. In return, we were gifted some hand tied flies from Shoichi, tippet spools, tapered lines, ultralight strike indicators, and a wonderfully woven conical kasa (shade hat) that had a fish design on it. The hotel also gifted us some sweets.
The most humorous moment of the evening was possibly when Shoichi was examining the kebari in the fly boxes. He took note of the barbless hooks and questioned it saying something along the lines of, “there are no barbs, don’t you want to catch the fish?” in a playful fashion. Hiro kindly translated that most Americans fish for trout as sport and not food. An understanding chuckle filled both sides of the room.
A Visit to the Onsen and then Bed
I don’t recall, but I feel as if the meal service was a good two to three hours long, so once completed and everyone began dispersing, we were all tired from a long day and eager to get back to our room. However before we turned the lights out, Matt & I did decide to try one of the hot spring onsens. No pictures for obvious reasons, but it was a wonderful, and uniquely Japanese way to unwind before bed. Here’s a stock photo from the hotel’s website.
But if you’ve never visited an onsen before, it is a whole other experience for us Westerners, with specifc rules to follow. Once you figure them out, the experience is one of a kind. Perhaps we’ll talk about that on the podcast.
In any event, that concluded our first day in Nikko. I felt like we had done so much already, and our fishing adventures were just beginning!
Author’s Note: In addition to the above, I’ve been writing about this trip over at my personal Troutrageous! blog. The posts over there have been a bit less about fishing and more about the experience in Japan, so if you’re interested, feel free to check those out as well.
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