Japan Trip 2013 Day 6

Feeling much better now almost 100%, still managed a sleep in and to get a bit of stuff done.

Team Gans Fishing Studio, was fun

Day started at about 1100 where we had to meet with MC of Tanabe FM's radios programs Gans Fishing Studio to run through the days radio program format, surprise was I was going to be doing an hour of Japanese radio along with Kotaro. We did a quick run down of how the show was to pan out and then lunch plans were made. Just what the doctor ordered we went to a Japanese curry house where a smashed a double Katsu Curry with ease, the curries here are not like the scorchers or dry claggy ones you get from Indian take away at home they are a silky sweet warm curry that when added to deep fried pork and some rice you have a cracking combination.

Mr Gan (Hiraiwa) Himself at his design bench

Upon arrival back to the Gan Craft, I was again fortunate enough to sit and watch a true craftsman at work, Mr Hiraiwa was making lures or more so putting together different combinations of one of his newest creations with different weight and bearing systems to get the best out of the design and  tune the lure  for the best out of packet performance. Many folks always ask why Gan Craft lures are as good as they are, this is the reason, the lure design and tuning is not done on a production line some where in a Chinese Factory it is all done at the desk of Takanori Hiraiwa. When the lures are complete a series of testing events follow both tank and with fish, this process is one that Mr Hiraiwa take a lot of personal pride in and is clearly shown in the end product.

Prototype Stick Baits, these are gonna be popular

While I was happy to just sit and watch I was very happy to find that Gan Craft are now working on a range of offshore casting stick baits, Mr Nakahira (Chube') brought a couple out for me to have a look at, now I know a couple of tackle store owners who may find these thing a little sexual and the very sight of them could cause  dangerous levels of excitement so I have taken a couple of sneak peak pics of them so they can work them self up for the release in the not too distant future.

prototype "Rest" Jerkbait, smaller
that the one released last week.

The time had come for my Tannabe FM Gans Fishing Studio Radio show debut, we arrived at the studio with 15 minutes to spare so I could see the layout of the studio and do some sound checks. I have no idea how well the show went, I normally listen to it every week on the internet but being in the studio it was a bit hard to listen at the same time, from all accounts and from listener messages things went pretty well I reckon I hope to again come on the program again in the future it was a lot of fun and also the first time that many of the listeners had ever heard about fishing in Australia not just for squid but all sorts. There is definitely a lot of interest around fishing in Australia and when I get back I am going to go and see tourism Victoria about getting a grant to get a few Japanese TV shows from the Fishing Vision Channel to come across and do some film work in the hope that it opens up the tourism market to the mad keen Japanese anglers. We already have had many people come to Australia to squid fish I am now hoping to take them out on the Bluefin Tuna and also some Shark fishing. Also there is a massive interest in Australian Bass and Murray Cod, in fact on the 28th of this month I am going to travel to Sydney to try and get some photo's of Cod and Bass on some Gan Craft lures. To get the interest started.

cleansing the stones

We made our way back to the office to meet with the other staff for dinner, we got a surprise visit from Akio's wife with a gift she had made for both myself and my wife, one thing that the folks here are very keen on is personal art and craft, she had made 2 matching bracelets with stones woven into them, packed with a cutting of some sort of plant. I was shown that the cutting is to be burned and then stones are to be cleansed so all the bad luck is removed and the wearer can cleanse them stones to bring good luck, they were a very beautiful piece of jewelry and something I will cherish when I leave here.

the 3 wise potters and great teacher

Before dinner it was decided that we could go to a place where Mr Hiraiwa goes to get his creative juices flowing and although a Tsunami warning was present and sirens and announcements rung through the coastal areas we decided to head to a low point near the beach to do a spot of pottery. As strange as this seemed it was a cracking evening and I found out that even I can make stuff out of clay, mind you I needed a fair whack of help and it was found with the sensei Sawako Furukubo. She had me whipping up a Sake jug for my wife in no time and what is a Sake' jug with out a cup or 2 so we soon made short work of another few lumps of clay to produce what I reckon are pretty cool pottery items, even if they are not we are going to brand them Kuma Custom pottery LOL. We finished up with the pottery, during the molding of the clay we got talking about family and Australia and all sorts of stuff, to my suprise when we were finished and ready to leave I was given a proper traditional Kimono to give to my wife, most humbling gift. Now My wife Kim is going to have to get on youtube and work out how to put it on so I can send a photo back so they can see how good she looks.

Getting my Craft on

We made a move back to Tanabe City as the other were waiting for us to head out and grab a feed, I am sure I will get this wrong but we had Shabu Shabu, its a Japanese hotpot place where there is a hotplate with a pot on the table, one side has a standard hot water and miso taste and the other was Teryaki flavor. Now maybe this is just the western coming out in me but I thought when you went to a place for a feed they prepared the food, they cooked the food and you ate the food. I want in on one of these places, there is no work involved. We started by preparing our sauces, I am a sesame man so I went for the sesame sauce meaning I had to grind down the seeds with a pumice and go from there. Then a dozen or so trays of very fine sliced meat appeared at the end of the table. Shabu Shabu literally means to dip repeatedly. So the point is that you dont put it in for too long, just enough to color the meat and then add to your chosen sauce and go for your life. Now I am hamming up the whole cook it yourself thing it is a truly great way to eat with friends, every one is involved in some way and there was no need for mobile phones or awkward conversation every one was just so involved with each other it worked a treat. I should mention it was delicious too.

It was again getting late so we made a move back to drop me off at the hotel. Off for some stickbaiting in the morning.

Beautiful hand made gift and a matching one for my wife

Hows the concentration