Last one of the year!

On still hot and sunny days of September 15th and 16th, the last Oni Tenkara Clinic of the regular season was held in Itoshiro of Gifu prefecture. Members of Team Oni, and students gathered from Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto for the event.  We’d like to thank everyone for their participation and returning home safely!

As usual, it was serious Tenkara during the day and memories of the evening were blurred with serious alcohol consumption… Oni’s wife panicked when she thought she’d lost her SD card full of images of the event, but unfortunately all data was intact on HDD of the camera…

The clinic started with Oni’s demos

Every region in Japan seems to be going through drought this year but the Oni went on with his usual business.  He starts with the basics of Tenkara including how you should walk on river side, so you make as little noise as possible.  Then onto casting, approaching the river, drifting techniques and so forth.

Learning how to walk the rivers properly is an important Tenkara technique in Japan

By early afternoon, everyone’s casting had improved significantly but it was Mr. K, who got the first Iwana of the group.

Mr. K gets an IWANA!

Next thing we know, it was his wife Mrs. K who caught the next one.  They had just returned from their first Tenkara journey to the northern island of Hokkaido, where they caught a lot of native trout.  Being close to the game of Tenkara helps you stay on top!

Mr. H hooked an unusual guest for Tenkara… an Ayu

The evening was packed in with loads of fun.  Hot spring, barbeque, and fireworks! We all share the same passion for Tenkara and…. drinking apparently.  Masami  does not drink but strangely seems to enjoy the rowdy crowd every time….others did not miss the opportunity to let loose and go wild.   Though they are true Tenkara anglers indeed, despite all the drinking till late hours they were all gone by 5 am the next morning standing in rivers fishing!

Grilling up the BBQ.

Cheers to Tenkara!

Table１

Table 2

Shot up about 50 fireworks!

Fireworks are especially pretty when you’re drunk…

So it leads to this….

and this…

The boys even made a homemade Niagara Falls fireworks!