Meet Our Friend Takashi

You’ve already met Takashi Sakauchi.

He was in Colorado in 2023, the guy who landed what might have been the fish of the trip on the South Platte at Deckers. A thick brown that had him grinning ear to ear. He was there at the welcome dinner at the ryokan in the Welcome to Nikko entry, and he’s been the quiet logistical engine behind a lot of what made our time in Japan work. Takashi drove us through the mountains to Hatcho-no-Yu. He pre-rigged the rods in the headwaters. And most importantly, he knew where the fish were.

It’s past time to properly introduce him.

Korosuke

Takashi’s nickname is Korosuke. I don’t know the full origin story, but it fits the energy of someone who shows up to everything fully prepared and somehow also manages to have child-like fun doing it. He brings that energy to his guiding activities at Nature Planet, an outdoor tourism and eco-tour operation based in Nikko.

He was born and raised in Nikko City and still lives there, in the Kawaji Onsen area, with his wife Kumi, who also works at Nature Planet, and a miniature dachshund. The office for Nature Planet is perfectly located on a ridgeline perched directly above the Ojika River. When he’s done with work for the day, the river is right there. He fishes it regularly.

Nature Planet

In 2005, at thirty years old, Takashi founded Nature Planet with a straightforward mission to share the natural beauty of the Nikko region with as many people as possible. Canoeing, kayaking, SUP, trekking, snowshoeing, camping, fishing, he offers a full outdoor menu. The name Nature Planet is a play on “Plan” and “Network,” wrapped around the literal concept of a planet.

He’s certified in what feels like everything, including advanced paddling instruction, wilderness first aid, Nordic walking, Leave No Trace. He sits on boards for the Ojika and Kinugawa fishing cooperative, regional tourism associations, and serves as a visiting associate professor at Seibi Gakuin University. That resume is no joke.

His Fishing Background

His fishing background started the usual way. Bait fishing around age ten, lure fishing in junior high school with friends after school and on weekends. Then life moved him away from Nikko through high school, university, and his twenties. When he came back home at thirty and started Nature Planet, fishing wasn’t immediately back on the agenda. That came later. He picked up lure fishing again after forty, regularly fishes from his kayaks, and then a tenkara workshop at a local event in 2022 changed his direction.

The workshop was led by Yuzo Sebata. One meeting with Sebata and tenkara had him.

“I have an impatient nature, so I’m not fond of fishing methods that require waiting in one spot. Tenkara suits my personality well because it involves moving while casting and offers quick results.”

On the Water

Takashi’s home water is the catch-and-release section of the Ojika River, a zone that was established back in 2001 when such designations were still rare in Japan. He has two primary rod & line combinations, a Tenkara USA Amago at 410cm with a tapered line for the bigger water, a Shimotsuke Tenkara Gen 240 with level line in the tight headwaters.

“My home waters are where I target large rainbow trout, while the headwaters are where I go after iwana and yamame trout. I adjust my gear, such as rods, lines, and landing nets, and my fishing style depending on the location. The sheer power of the rainbow trout makes for an exciting fight, whereas in the headwaters, the irresistible appeal lies in the beauty of the fish found deep within the mountains.”

One item he mentioned that caught my attention during our stay in Japan was that his favorite line spool is a DRAGONtail spool he received as a gift during the Colorado trip in 2023. He noted that he can’t buy them in Japan, not even on Amazon. Somewhere out there, Brent Auger should know that his line spools are the preferred choice of a Japanese tenkara guide.

When he fishes, he focuses on getting the fly to the correct depth before anything else. He’s a fan of simple rigging, with a preference toward loop knots, which he’ll use for both wet flies and beadheads. Takashi also shared his philosophy about sight fishing in managed catch-and-release areas… “In managed fishing areas, persisting with fish you can see often fails to yield a catch, so be prepared to move on quickly.”

His advice to new tenkara anglers is straightforward, “Skills like casting improve with experience, so no one starts out as an expert. There is no need to invest in expensive gear right away. I would like you to begin by appreciating nature and cultivating a mindset that values ​​the natural environment, while also learning about the characteristics of the fish that live there and what they feed on.”

Colorado

Here’s the part of Takashi’s story I found most striking. He was honest about the fact that when he first got into tenkara, it was largely connected to his work. Nature Planet, tourism, building experiences for visitors. Not bad motivations by any stretch, but not exactly the same as being a lifelong passionate tenkara angler. However, Colorado changed that.

“I believe my 2023 visit to Colorado was a major turning point in my fishing life,” he says. “It left a deep impression on me that, despite the off-season timing and the barriers of language and culture, I was guided with such kindness.”

He came back from that trip and started fishing in earnest, developing a different relationship with tenkara entirely.

“I had initially taken up tenkara as something akin to an extension of my work, so I didn’t have the same level of passion I do now. However, that experience served as a powerful source of inspiration; after returning to Japan, I began to engage with tenkara fishing much more seriously and started making frequent trips to the field.”

He’s been paying it forward ever since, working to make sure the international anglers who now find their way to Nikko through Tenkara Angler have a comparable experience to the one he had in Colorado.

Nikko Tenkara

“We launched Nikko Tenkara with the aim of creating inbound tourism experiences that fully showcase the appeal of Nikko. Our partnership combines my role as a producer and provider of experiential content, leveraging local resources, with Hiro’s background as a Tokyo-based consultant dedicated to resolving regional issues across Japan.”

He also gives full credit to Hiro for making the Colorado visit happen. “I left the arrangements entirely to Hiro-san, doing almost nothing myself. So I owe it all to him for finding Tenkara Angler online and securing the appointment.”

Find Takashi

Nature Planet’s activities can be followed on Instagram at @nature_planet.jp, and Takashi’s personal account is @takashi_sakauchi. If you’re thinking about a tenkara trip to Nikko, he’s one of the people you want to contact. You can also check out Nikko Tenkara for more details.

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