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    • Spring
      • video

        Finding the Flow from Kansai to Kochi

        Shikoku’s many mountains, valleys and proximity to the ocean has made it a hidden gem for rafting, kayaking and canyoning enthusiasts willing to take a step or two further from the Golden Route of Kyoto and Osaka.

        Solace and Giant Salamanders in Akiota

        Just beyond Hiroshima City is a tranquil outdoor destination home to some of Japan's last remaining oosanshouo, the elusive giant salamander.
        Kyoto Oni Trail Outdoor Japanvideo

        The Oni Trail: Hiking Coastal Kyoto

        The mystical oni is prevalent in Japanese children’s stories, usually as a way to scare kids straight. Adventure Travel Kyoto is shedding a new light on this folklore and developing a new hiking route in the countryside of Kyoto.
    • Summer
      • the nomad pasche family

        The World is Our Playground

        The Pasche family has been cycling and living out of a tent in remote corners of the planet for the past 13 years on four continents spanning 50 countries.
        adventure travel world summit in hokkaido

        Adventure Travel World Summit in Hokkaido

        The ATTA will host their first Adventure Travel World Summit in Asia in Hokkaido, Japan. We caught up with ATTA Director Shannon Stowell to find out more about the adventure travel industry and how it continues to grow and evolve.
        mead brewing in japan

        The Sweet Secrets of Brewing Mead

        Wander into the world of mead brewing and find yourself immersed in a fascinating journey spanning centuries and continents.
        the knights in white lycra

        The Knights in White Lycra

        Each year a group of cyclists head to the deep north towards Tohoku’s vast rice fields and coastal trails to help transform the lives of neglected children.
        sea to table yamagata

        Sea to Table in Yamagata

        An unforgettable way to intimately explore the Shonai Region in Yamagata is a culinary experience bringing bounty of the sea straight to your table.
    • Autumn
      • Pow Bar Founder Megumi Scott

        Beyond the Brand: Pow Bar

        An interview with Megumi Scott, the founder of Niseko brand Pow Bar.
        Churamura Okinawa Sea Turtle Marine Conservation

        Churamura: Footprints in the Sand

        Churamura, an NPO in Okinawa, work to conserve marine life and protect endangered sea turtles in Japan's southernmost prefecture.
        Kawazu

        Fall in Love with Kawazu

        Enjoy waterfall hikes and hot springs, beautiful beaches and delicious seafood in Kawazu on the western coast of Izu Peninsula.
    • Winter
    • Near Tokyo
      • getting dirty in japan

        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
    • Near Kyoto
      • video

        Finding the Flow from Kansai to Kochi

        Shikoku’s many mountains, valleys and proximity to the ocean has made it a hidden gem for rafting, kayaking and canyoning enthusiasts willing to take a step or two further from the Golden Route of Kyoto and Osaka.
    • All Regions
    • Article Map
    • Ocean and Beach
      • getting dirty in japan

        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
    • River and Lake
      • getting dirty in japan

        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
    • Mountain and Land
    • Sky
      • getting dirty in japan

        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
    • Snow and Ice
      • climbing mt. fuji off season

        Mt. Fuji: The Path Less Traveled

        Fuji-san is the most climbed mountain in the world. If you are in good shape, there is a way to avoid the traffic for a more peaceful Mt. Fuji experience during the off-season.
    • Travel
      • the nomad pasche family

        The World is Our Playground

        The Pasche family has been cycling and living out of a tent in remote corners of the planet for the past 13 years on four continents spanning 50 countries.
        adventure travel world summit in hokkaido

        Adventure Travel World Summit in Hokkaido

        The ATTA will host their first Adventure Travel World Summit in Asia in Hokkaido, Japan. We caught up with ATTA Director Shannon Stowell to find out more about the adventure travel industry and how it continues to grow and evolve.
        getting dirty in japan

        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
        maota sustainable fashion

        Weaving Stories with Maota

        Maota is a small-scale clothing line working with local craftsmen in the countryside of Aichi and Gifu prefectures. While their focus is on small, local and “slow” fashion, they are moving fast toward some big goals.
        the knights in white lycra

        The Knights in White Lycra

        Each year a group of cyclists head to the deep north towards Tohoku’s vast rice fields and coastal trails to help transform the lives of neglected children.
    • Food and Drinks
      • the nomad pasche family

        The World is Our Playground

        The Pasche family has been cycling and living out of a tent in remote corners of the planet for the past 13 years on four continents spanning 50 countries.
        adventure travel world summit in hokkaido

        Adventure Travel World Summit in Hokkaido

        The ATTA will host their first Adventure Travel World Summit in Asia in Hokkaido, Japan. We caught up with ATTA Director Shannon Stowell to find out more about the adventure travel industry and how it continues to grow and evolve.
        getting dirty in japan

        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
        maota sustainable fashion

        Weaving Stories with Maota

        Maota is a small-scale clothing line working with local craftsmen in the countryside of Aichi and Gifu prefectures. While their focus is on small, local and “slow” fashion, they are moving fast toward some big goals.
        the knights in white lycra

        The Knights in White Lycra

        Each year a group of cyclists head to the deep north towards Tohoku’s vast rice fields and coastal trails to help transform the lives of neglected children.
    • Races and Events
      • fuji rock japan

        2023 Summer Music Festivals

        Get into the groove this green season while enjoying the great outdoors with family and friends.
        Summer Events Fireworks Festivals in Japan

        2023 Fireworks Festivals in Japan

        Enjoy these fireworks festivals held throughout Japan this summer and autumn.

Genkai Sea Topwater Game

“Who needs a career when all you wanna do is go fishing?” That’s what I ask myself whenever I think about how disinterested I am in most people’s idea of success. From time to time, I meet folks my age who’ve got the high flying ex-pat jobs complete with overpriced American-sized dwellings in Hiroo, toddlers in international schools, a Range Rover or some other status symbol identifying them as members of the “Gaishikei” elite. Kudos to them, but I’m not at all envious.

I’m jealous of my fishing buddy from Canada who calls Fukuoka home. Why? Anglers in Japan will tell you the place they want to be near is the Genkai Sea off Kyushu’s northern coast. The fish there are big and plentiful, and they bite well all year around.

My club members and I make trips to the strait between Tsushima and Iki Islands three to four times a year and bag more yellowtail and tuna in two or three days than we could if we fished every weekend for a year in the waters around Tokyo. That’s no exaggeration.

Recently, we’ve pursued our catch with pricey handmade top water plugs that are a pain to get hold of, but make for some of the most exciting action on the surface of the ocean.

I fished offshore a bit back home where lures were a quicker, less messy alternative to live lining when we came across schools of small tuna and Spanish mackerel busting at the surface. In those days, I could lob any old plug or jig in the general vicinity of the school and immediately hook up.

Upon arriving in Japan and being introduced to lures as primary offshore tackle, my confidence was quickly shot down, and I soon realized that, in these high pressure waters, I had to re-learn fishing as a finesse game.

Over a few trips, I got used to making snap judgments of the speed and direction of the current relative to the wind before casting to be sure my plug landed and swam where I wanted it. I also learned that just cranking away does not do the trick.

Depending on what I know, or guess on what my quarry is feeding, I have to select a lure that has a matching silhouette and twitch or jerk it, so it moves like a fleeing or disturbed bait fish. Good plugs dart erratically and easily flip the predatory switch of any game fish that notice it but, of course, a plug is only as good as the person reeling it in.

A Saga Prefecture-based captain once told me of a time four of his customers had lures in the water at the same time over a shallow reef, when suddenly a dozen or so yellowtail came up and gave chase. The fish initially pursued all of the lures but instantaneously broke off and converged on one plug being retrieved by a guy who had selected the best type, stayed cool and kept retrieving correctly until he had a fish on it.

Typically you never see the fish itself so much as the wake it makes in the direction of your lure when you get a strike. The faster the streak of water, the tighter you know to hold on to your gear and be ready to fight. If a fish strikes with enough force, it might come clean out of the water with the plug in its mouth.

To me, top water plugging is the perfect balance of challenge, suspense and visual excitement.

One item on my “fishing bucket list” is catching a blue fin tuna weighing more than 100 kilograms in the Tsushima Strait. The odds of hooking and boating one that size are long, but it does happen a few times a year in the Genkai, so I’m going to keep at it. Wish me luck.

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