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This section is big enough to be a whole shop on its own....

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Are the cases empty?

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Nope. All cases had the rods in them.

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First time I got to freely handle any travel rod. No locked glass, no nothing.

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Beautifully tubed rods, small enough to be taken into the cabin when flying.

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Six sections in a tiny package.

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The fishing accessories are out of this world, so much so that I have no idea what half of it is for.

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I can identify headlights, scissors, live bait tanks complete with the oxygym pumps, but the rest is iunknown to me.

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Blades and knives, some branded Daiwa and Shimano.

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More knives above, and scary looking mysetrious items in the glass cabin, which if I have to guess I would say they're devices to torture the fish into confessing where the big ones are hiding!

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Original Shimano lubes.

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And these are Daiwa's.

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Squid fishing is a much bigger deal in Japan than I ever imagined.

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Buckets of Daiwa jigs.

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Great price. Used some of these previously, and they have a very durable finish.

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This giant jig weighs only 200 grams, an extraordinary length-to-weight ratio. Its action would be uniquely characteristic, and it would create maximum visibility and noise underwater without needing extra heavy gear. A standard jig of this size would weigh around half a kilo (500 grams)  

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Have a weak spot for blue lures and have been very lucky with them. I have no use for those jumbo ones though.

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How am I ever going to enjoy visiting a tackle shop in America or Europe again? Following this trip, I'm pretty sure every tackle outlet I step into will feel extremely boring and barren. It will take me years to fully recover from this visit and once again find the anemic displays back home exciting.

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Travel rods were not the only things this shop uniquely made accessible....

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It is the only place I've been to that does not lock the exotic handmade poppers and stick bait behind glass.

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Finally I can enjoy the exquisite craftsmanship up close and  personal.

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For 16,280 yen (US $108) this gorgeous abalone shell finish could be mine.

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It has the historic rising-sun Japanese flag on its back. Always loved this feature on premium lurers and found it to possess a special mystique.

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How handsome is this one? Very, I say. Very handsome.

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The colours are so appealing I wanted to bite it right there! Anyhow, it has an angular ring like the Daiwa Cuddler shown earlier, but this time it's the belly ring, not the nose one. This setup is actually practical. I'll explain it later on after establishing some basis first.

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More handmade art. The branding is pressed into the gill plate.

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The detailing is *chef's kiss*.

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Comes in blue too, on a mission to capture my heart.

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They put some inside glass cabinets, but it's only for the lack of space. They actually left the most expensive ones out on the top of the cabinet, seen here in the middle and to the left, each priced at 21,450 yen (US $142).

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What is this!

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This might be the single most beautiful lure I have seen in my life. The meticulous carving, the small detailing on the head and gills, the realistic look in the eyes, as well as the holographic body colour, all instantly took my breath away and I genuinely mobilised all of my willpower to resist the impulse to buy it. I knew that I would never fish it, and that if I bought it I would likely build a collection of handmade lures around it then end up spending thousands a year on that new hobby. I don't need that.

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Other side of the pack. Such an intriguing name. I Better walk away from those lures before my resolve falters and I step into this slippery slope.

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One final "reel square" for this trip

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Sorry about the light reflections on the glass. Couldn't find an angle that does not reflect the bright surroundings.

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Lots of Japanese flags in here, which "Made in Japan" printed beneath them for good measure. Amazing how a label that 50 years ago used to indicate mediocrity has now become one of the most sought after symbols of quality.

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Custom parts by Shimano's Yumeya, Daiwa's SLP Works, and Studio Ocean Mark....

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As well as the ever present LIVRE.

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Lovely, ain't it?

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I wonder if I'll ever again see retail displays containing such large numbers of thousand-dollars reels like this. Bye bye 2019 Stella SW. Will get to know your 2025 cousin intimately over the coming months, and will send you cards from our destinations.

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Extra and custom spools, the Yumeya ones bearing the full MSRP price + tax. Shimano's Yumeya and Daiwa's SLP Works custom parts are seldom, if ever, found listed at less than the full manufacturer's price. I once haggled with a shop back and forth for days until they begrudgingly offered me a 100 yen discount, which is US 67 cents. I accepted it nevertheless. That's a whole snickers bar right there.

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Per usual, Shimano's lower tier reels are arranged beneath the Stella SW, and this time it's the Penn Slammer 4 that was chosen to gratify Japanese anglers' love for this American brand. This shop seems to embrace my practical approach to this question, skipping the Authority for its cheaper yet virtually equal little sister.

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They also have the DX edition of the Slammer 4 with its silver colour scheme and fortified internals.

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The outgoing 2020 offshore Saltiga, next to the SLP Works "semi-order" edition of the 2023 inshore Saltigas.

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And, of course, the standard 2023 inshore Saltigas.

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2022 Caldia SW, and 2023 BG SW.

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The 2024 Tournament Surf 45 Type-R (red) in size 06PE, a reel based on Daiwa's flagship 2019 Tournament Surf 45.

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The same "hierarchical" placement, this time for lever-brake spinning reels; Daiwa's flagship 2022 Tournament ISO LBD at the top, beneath it the mid-range 2023 Laxus LBD, and there is a funny mix up in this second row where they put the label "2023 Cygnus" on the silver 2024 Impult model and put the label "2024 Impult" on the 2023 Cygnus reel. Far left in the top row is Shimano's 2024 BBX Technium FB (FireBlood), a limited edition of Shimano's flagship lever-brake spinner the BBX Technium. Interesting fact; theseBX Techniumreels have 16 ball bearings.

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Look who's here. Daiwa sent these guys too a sample of the 2025 Saltiga. Actually dozens of these sample reels were sent out to retail places both in Japan and overseas, and if you live in a major market there is a good chance that one of these pieces is touring tackle shops in your vicinity for you to see it in person. Shimano on the other hand is keeping the 2025 Stella SW under wraps, only putting them out in major exhibitions then taking them home.

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I'll have a lot to say about these reels in the future, but for now I'll just get one final feel of them before I go home then wait months for mine to arrive in April or May. 

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A few pictures from fresh angles, for me to oogle later while waiting for their retail release.

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Bye for now sweetie. See you late Spring.

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This shop has a special counter for customised reels.

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Shimano's 2023 OCEA Conquest, customised with LIVRE parts.

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Oozing quality.

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Daiwa's 2022 Tournament ISO LBD, also with LIVRE custom components.

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A closer look. They rigged it with a cable, security tag, zip ties, and I wouldn't be surprised if my head was in the crosshairs of a sniper the entire time I was checking it out. I mean, seriously, there are world leaders who have less protection than this reel!!

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A 2023 Daiwa Airity, customised with MTCW (Moto Tech Custom Works) components, along with a special blaque explaining all the perks. Considering the level of protection of the cheaper reel viewed a minute ago, this one is probably additionally wired to landmines that would blow up the entire shop if someone tries to take it.

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And as things come to a close, my very last look at the cheap reels' rack & buckets. Fantastic discounts on everything here, top to bottom 2023 Daiwa Legalis, Shimano's 2022 Sahara, 2023 Shimano Sedona, and 2020 Daiwa Crest LT.

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And cheap reels have their cheap optional parts as well; priced between US $18 and US $26, and to the left they hung tables showing which parts are compatible with which reels. 

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This section sent a wave of warmth to my heart; after a life of hard work and discipline God blessed me with the ability to pick three or four reels worth $3000 plus spools worth $200-$300 each and not think much of it, and here is a rack where young anglers would save $20 then come to pick a spool upgrade for their budget reel, just like I once did at their age when my life's journey was still beginning. If you're a young person reading this in the future many decades after I'm gone, keep in mind that.you can achieve big things if you live a moral life and carry out your duties with courage and perseverance.

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What's in these buckets?

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"Votre", an OEM reel branded by Alphatackle, a brand we discussed at the fishing show, which, as I now finish the final page of this huge article, feels like it happened two centuries ago.

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1320 yen (US $8.8), down to 1188 yen (US $7.9) after tax-free deduction if bundled into a +5500 yen purchase. This would suggest a manufacturing cost of less than 3 dollars a piece. Ain't that something?

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Fishing Eight in Umeda takes the 2nd place among the 4 major Osaka shops I visited, with a respectable score of 8.5/10. Prices and discounts are very similar to the others, with the exception of some deep discounts in the second shop, and the place is well stocked and has fantastic staff. It outshines the others in handmade wooden lures and travel rods, and it's certainly worth a visit if that's what you're after.

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This brought my tour of tackle shops to a conclusion, and with one fewer thing to think about I could finally fully focus on my constant state of hunger. Stepped out intent on finding the most quintessentially Japanese food to have on my last day there, but first I needed to go back to my hotel to drop my purchases and put on more layers because the weather was becoming colder than I could bear in my flannel shirt on top of nothing but a light T-shirt.

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A quick look at the haul while the boiler prepared water for some warming coffee before I leave again;

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Blue Plugger "inline" single hooks by Cultiva (Owner) for my stick bait.

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Specifications of the series at the back. 

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Also, "ringed" Kudako singles by Shout.

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Back. They are costly, but their quality is unsurpassed and I trust them with my life.

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Single hooks point straight forward or straight backward when attached to the split rings of a top water lure, and the two types I bought do exactly that, except each does it in its own way. I need one of each per lure to create my personal "optimal rig" as follows;

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The Blue Plugger (tail) has an unusual eye that's formed inline with the rest of the hook, while the Kudako (belly) has a standard eye but that eye is formed around a solid ring so that the solid ring becomes inline with the hook. I placed the two hooks with the lure in the above photo in the exact way I would rig them, only unattached in this photo because I didn't bring my pliers to Japan. This way the Blue Plugger at the tail would point straight backwards thanks to its inline eye, while the Kudako at the belly points straight forward despite its standard eye thanks to the added solid ring. Without that ring the Kudako would point sideways.

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But why wouldn't I simply use the Blue Plugger for both tail and belly? Years of trial and error made me develop a preference for a belly hook that hangs further aways from the lure's body to overcome the disadvantage of that hook being partially blocked by the lure's own body, unlike the one at the tail which has nothing around it from all directions. This is not any sort of a definitive statement of fact or measurable science, rather it's only what I feel comfortable with, and some lure makers seem to feel the same; remember the lure with the angular belly ring from earlier? That angulation lengthens the ring and guides the hook into its lower tip at the farthest position from the body.

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Some fishermen opt for assist style hooks to achieve a similar result of a hook that hangs further away from the body of a popper or a stick bait, which is a perfectly fine approach, but I would rather not have the extra fabric of the assist cord to maintain the smoothest and most consistent lure action. This is strictly a matter of personal preference and sticking to what has always worked for me, therefore do not take this as a claim that one way is right and the others are wrong. Absolutely not, and whatever works for you is equally correct.

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I picked these two particular hooks in these exact sizes because they happen to weigh exactly the same despite the different construction. This way there is no altering of the lure's balance, which is the state I like my lures in. People might choose to alter the action to their own liking by placing a heavier hook at the tail, etc. All is good.

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In case you're wondering why single hooks and not trebles, it's because while I believe that trebles have a higher hooking rate, they do more damage to the fish's mouth and take longer to unhook, making them not the ideal choice if I want to catch and release fish quickly in a good state. I'll hopefully be targeting bigger fish on the new Saltiga and Stella SW over the upcoming months, and I always release these while in water since they're too big to harvest for a day's meal and they take time and energy to lift anyway, so releasing them in the water keeps things moving. That's why I loaded on packs of singles this time, but trebles still have their place for different circumstances.

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That's a lot of text for two lousy hooks. Enough yappering, time to stuff my big mouth with delicacies.

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Back to the lively Dotonbori where the place I picked is located....

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This restaurant. I felt that it would be criminal to come to Japan and not eat traditional ramen, and the Ichiran chain seemed to be the name that comes up more frequently whenever people discuss the best ramen there is.

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The place is extremely busy, with queues often spilling over into the stairs, and they have posted signs with a strict rule that no one can leave and come back once your group joins the queue, because the employees count the people in each group and go to extreme lengths to reserve the correct number of adjoining seats for them. If they counted 4 of you, they'll seat the people ahead of you in a planned manner that eventually leaves 4 seats open for your group, so if a fifth person who'd left to do something comes back to rejoin the group after the counting, they can't seat all of you anymore and one will have to stay behind and be counted from the start. 

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After queuing on the stairs for about 30 minutes I moved on to queue inside the restaurant itself, not minding the long wait because it tells me that the food is excellent enough to draw those long lines. While waiting we killed the time by looking at the interesting decorations and the testimonies written by famous people who ate there. In each framed testimony there is a copy of the options card each famous guest filled....

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This card, which was handed to me when I was about 5 minutes away from being seated. As you can see I went for the most powerful flavours in every option, wrote down the maximum "10" in spiciness, and only in the last choice of texture did I not go for the extreme.

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That's me, finally. Yaaay!

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Each person sits on their own in a semi-enclosed box where they can mess up their faces with food without anyone seeing, and the chef partially opens that wooden blind to take the card and prepare the meal according to the exact choices marked in it. For my specific order they first brought me a boiled egg to peel it so it would be ready by the time the rest of the meal comes.

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Here is the meal, and to the left you can see my masterfully peeled egg. Truly, the way I peeled it was a thing of exquisite artistry. Sometimes I shock myself with how supremely talented I am. At any rate, the food was one of the most enjoyable dining experiences I've had in slightly over a decade. It was beyond delicious, and the atmosphere of the place treated more senses than just taste. It sounded great, smelled fantastic, and I had a button in front of me if I needed anything and no one bothered me with constant checking for the sake of a tip.  

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After finishing, each guest sees a message written at the bottom of the bowl. Mine said "you are the best egg peeler the world has ever seen, and all the cuties of Japan would be lucky to have you as a husband". See? I told you.

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Japan, you most charming of places, quirkiness and all. I will miss you dearly, and I don't know if I'll ever see you again, but thank you for giving me what now has a legitimate claim to be called "the time of my life". I need to go home and sleep now. Have a punishingly long series of flights tomorrow.

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One last sleep in the tranquil quietness of Osaka after dark. Lights off, good night.

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Airport was packed, particularly with thousands of Chinese tourists going home.

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How is it remotely possible for this insanely busy airport to hold such an astonishing record?  Heathrow airport lost my baggage alone 3 times in the last 10 years, and Miami twice.

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Well, it's just the Japanese way of doing all things, which is why they'll likely become the only big country to fully eliminate homelessness in a few years, now standing at just 2591 people in a country of 125 million. This means that per capita the USA's homelessness problem is 110 times worse, and the UK's is 513 times worse. This "Japanese way" is the reason foreigners like myself leave this country in a state of disbelief, eager to tell everyone about it.

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Stopping by the toilet one final time before heading to my gate, it was kinda funny to spot this thing in a country whose standard toilets have more computing power than the entirety of NASA when it first put a man on the moon. Who'd want to use this? And what if one loses their grip and falls back into their own mess? Such an oddity.

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Hmmm... My experience was alright, pee just had a slight burning sensation from all the species in previous day's dinner. Should've chosen 8 instead of 10 on that raman card. Thanks for asking though.

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Even inside an international airport, a restaurant without a single English word. The world is conspiring to keep me hungry wherever I go. I'll just soldier on a couple more hours then I'll get food on the plane.

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Passed by ANA (All Nippon Airways), widely considered the crème de la crème of airlines. Basically a manifestation of all the goodness of this country. Not today, but maybe one day I'll fly it on my way to do some shenanigans somewhere in this big strange earth.

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Seriously? A bloody Toblerone or a 300g Lindt for US $17.3 and in the duty free hall of all places? I used to pick these for $9.99 in Nevada and Florida. Inflation is making my world a less enjoyable place by the day.

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Time to board, and eat! Goodbye land of the rising sun. Stay cute, stay safe, stay clean, and stay a high-trust society Japan. You've got it right, don't let anyone convince you that you need to change.

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Cheers

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If you value what I do and want to support my work and upcoming projects, please do that by clicking HERE.

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Alan Hawk

March, 31st, 2025

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