REKINDLING SPORTS SHOW MEMORIES

from Cal Sportsman Mag - Mar 2020

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SHOWTIME IN JAPAN A FRED HALL FAN TAKES IN A SPORTSMAN’S EXTRAVAGANZA IN YOKOHAMA

By Lance Sawa

It’s March 1993 and I am waiting in a long line. As a young boy, you would think that I would be bored but that’s hardly the case.

I am at the Long Beach Convention Center and waiting to get into the Fred Hall Show and see “Planet Ocean” for the first time. Author Lance Sawa grew up eagerly attending the Fred Hall Shows in Southern California. Now an expat living in Japan, he felt nostalgia when he went to a sports show in Yokohama. (LANCE SAWA)

This truly massive mural – by artist Robert Wyland – features whales as the main characters and they are depicted in their amazingly full size. The kelp looks to be moving, with various fish peeking out here and there. Rocks on the bottom look to be naturally placed, even though each was painted by someone’s hand.

Over the years of seeing the mural my personal favorite creature is a male sheepshead. And I’m taking it all in during this special time of the year: sports show season!

My birthday and the Fred Hall Shows fell around the same time. I would spend most of my birthdays walking the aisles of the show. Sometimes it would be just my dad and I; other times it would be the

Japan is known for crowded streets and public spaces. The entrance to the show, known as TsuriFest, was no exception. (LANCE SAWA)

whole family. I would always leave with bags full of stuff – whether it was ads for new hooks and lures or information on safety. Even the tide books were great to look through later. When the doors finally opened I experienced the same feeling every time – one of wonder.

Which part should I look at first? The boats? The products for sale? The artwork? The live stage? Or the travel? Who was I kidding? My first stop was always the same: the fishing tank! All the trout were swimming around the pool and just waiting for my baited hook to go into the water. Now that I am older, though, I think maybe that I should have done that last for the freshest fish possible to take home.

YEARS LATER AND AN ocean away from Long Beach, I once again found myself waiting in line to get into a fishing show. This time it was wasn’t Fred Hall but TsuriFest, which basically translates from Japanese into “fishing festival.” This event takes place in Yokohama, Japan, just about 30 minutes south of Tokyo. The number of people who attend this show is amazing to me, as is how many women and children also go. The perfect organization of the show did not surprise me and everything went smoothly as I entered through the entrance.

After all those Fred Hall Shows I’d attended I knew what awaited me at them, but because I’d never gone to TsuriFest before, I had no idea where to go.

I saw a large line to the right so I decided to go left and walk along the side of the building. The boats here are of different sizes, with most able to be broken down to fit into the small kei trucks that are so popular in Japan. Next to the boats was a children’s slack line and rock wall. Luckily I’d eaten before we arrived, as the food stalls would have taken all my money before I got to see the show’s contents. One corner was filled with fishing tanks; just up my alley. The largest was filled with large trout swimming around just waiting for that baited hook. There was a small admission fee of just about $3 to fish and take home up to two fish. Unfortunately, it was only for women and children. The crucian carp, a Eurasian species, were for women and children only as well. Of course, the “Children’s First Fish” area with goldfish fishing

wasn’t for adults either. The only thing for men was the goby tank.

The demonstrations were interesting. Some were on how to safely and accurately cast with a mini test at the end, which got you a prize. At a hands-on beginning fly tying seminar, they gave you the materials and you learned how to tie a pattern that you got to take home.

Boat safety is huge in Japan and the Japan Coast Guard gave out safety information. A woman showing how dangerous it is to fish around power From 30-foot rods to Hello Kitty fishing apparel, plus an appearance from popular Japanese dancer (and angler) Kenjiro Yamashita, this was quite a show to take in. (LANCE SAWA)

lines was easily understood.

All the big names in the industry showcased their expertise. There were also small and personal brands trying to get their names out there. The Daiwa booth had Moto Murata as a presenter. He would be the equivalent of the Dan Hernandez, Jeremy Wade or Bill Dance of Japan, given his TV shows and DVDs here.

Murata talked for quite a long time about fishing during his time on one of the stages. Most large booths had some type of tank filled with different fish.

CUSTOMIZATION AND OPTIONS FOR your fishing are endless at this Japanese outdoors show. Not only items like clothes and shoes but also rod handles and fishing bags.

Japan seems finally ready to understand that women want to go fishing too and have begun to cater to them. You can get yourself Hello Kitty tackle and equipment that isn’t only cute but is as functional as other tackle. I saw fishing skirts for sale that I never saw growing up, even in California.

Visitors attending the show got a huge surprise when one of the presenters turned out to be Kenjiro Yamashita, a dance member of popular Japanese bands J Soul Brothers and Exile. Think of it as if a member of One Direction or 5 Seconds of Summer went to a fishing show.

Granted, I don’t think many of the 30- to 50-year-old men were going to the show just to see Kenjiro (when he got up on stage he drew a large crowd of mostly women).

But this star genuinely loves fishing and when he spoke you could tell he was into the sport. Don’t worry, men; they also had a Fishing Idol contest.

Whenever I go shopping for tackle in Japan I am overwhelmed by how many choices I have. I can get a hook in 20 different shapes with 20 different sizes – all just for trout. Then you have carp, bass, freshwater goby, eel, yellowtail, sea bass, tuna; the list goes on and on.

Each hook company makes slightly different hooks. They love to showcase that they make hooks differently, harder or more flexible or sharper.

The bait companies are the same. Some are all about value for your money. Others are more hands-on and advertise that they are handpacked to ensure the best quality.

Then you have the colors for bait like frozen shrimp or fresh maggots. Next, the sizes – oh, the sizes! – of maggots, worms, salmon eggs and shrimp.

One of the more interesting sights was the ice fishing camera with lights.

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A mini-tank featured goby fishing for those interested in catching the tiny ray-finned fish. (LANCE SAWA)

In his youth in Southern California, sports shows were an important part of the author’s life. Now he’s experiencing Japan’s passion for fishing. “The amount of people who attend this show is amazing to me,” he writes. (LANCE SAWA)

Fishing – not to mention the ubiquitous variety of seafood – is a huge part of Japanese culture. (LANCE SAWA)

There was also an outrigger camera for spotting game fish without having to leave the wheelhouse. Japanese recreational fishing pioneer Yasuhiko Tsunemi’s fishing comic work was on display with his 2019 IGFA Hall of Fame award. I always get a kick out of the 20- to 30-foot-long fishing rods that look like they weigh a ton but are so light they weight almost nothing. And one booth caught my eye so much I just couldn’t look away. It was a booth with a class on how to do full-color ink rubbings of fish. In gyotaku, you only use one color: either a black or a red. I have seen full-color rubbings before, but never done as beautifully as these. Most looked to be able to jump right off the page.

At the front of the booth was a live demonstration of the process. The tools and techniques used were wonderful to watch. If it was anywhere near my house I would have signed up for a class right then and there. The best I could do was buy a few postcards and a calendar with the rubbings. I have to keep this feeling of wonder until winter ends and spring begins. CS

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