Last day in Japan - Eging Summit 2014

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Well the folks from Gan Craft had again made the trip incredible, honestly I have been treated better than royalty once again. I can never thank them enough for the way they look after me when I go and visit. They left the most scenic place of all till last.

We had a kind of sleep in before making our way to a historical gem hidden in the hills near Like Biwa. The entire area is heritage listed and being a resident of the area meant you were required to adhere to some very strict regulations on keeping the buildings and area historically and culturally original. The city of Hikone locate in the prefecture of Shiga was known throughout history as an industrial and transportation hub. The channel system was used by merchants to take goods from this hub through a series of other canals though to  a port in Lake Biwa where goods were unloaded from small merchant vessels and loaded to larger vessels that would then take goods across Biwa to the rivers that accessed bigger cities or the sea.  

Kotaro had arranged a historical boat ride in one of these canals that had buildings that were an integral part of the trade and merchant system. There was a voice over going that explained the historical significant value to the area but it was all in Japanese. I was able to pick up enough to see the important part that this system and its buildings played in the history of the area and to the trade values Japan has been known for in more than 400 years of western communications. Looking around as we gently drifted down the canals it is hard to imagine that most of the buildings around us were older than colonized Australia. Taking in the history of the area was easy to do when it remained mostly unchanged for hundreds of years. The people who live in this town have a real love for the historical value that it has and embrace the preservation of its town as it always has been.

Everything around me made me feel like I was actually in the time of the Edo period and you could easily imagine the hustle and bustle of the merchant trading scene, the large buildings all had fast access to the canals for loading and trading while roads on the other side of the buildings made it a regional transport hub. Goods would be bought and sold  then transported through here and through out the region. The further we drifted down the stream the more spectacular the scenery got with trees enveloping the canal, bridges crossing that were rebuilt the same as the original, traditional tea and eating houses lined the busier community area that was also layed out the same as it was hundreds of years ago. Time was irrelevant while we were cruising on the water as life just passed by us an nothing else mattered, the scenery was simply captivating. I am not much of a touristy kind of person. However, for me this was not one of those gimmicky touristy attractions, this was a real indication of how things were without locking it up and making a tourist park out of it.

The cruise had to come to an end as we had heaps still to do and I still had a plane to catch. One of the reasons we had planned to stop here was to explore this possibility that the best Shu Cream shop in Japan was located here, we wondered up the path to the shu cream shop only to find that it only makes shu cream in the winter and not in the warmer months. Yeah i was disappointing that I could not get any shu cream but looking at the bakery it was a very nice place and they had so many other gut widening goodies so I decided to grab a few other snacks and pick up a few treats for my family back home. The sun was nice and high and to tell you the truth I had got a bit burned on the eging summit event day and then pick up a bit more sun the day before on Lake Biwa fishing, at least I had some sun protection from the hat that Mr Hirawiwa had gifted to me but it was still warm for early spring.

Just as I was starting to feel a bit relaxed Kotaro reminded me that we needed to do a bit more walking to get to the cable car that would take us to the top of the mountain. Now we are talking, I love looking at these places but the walk is a killer - this one had a cable car. We made it just on time as the cable car was getting ready to leave, we did the bolt to get a ticket as the gates were closing and made it just in time, I sat down and enjoyed the 5 minute trip to the top of the mountain. The enjoyment of the cable car ride was only to be short lived though as when we got out no one told me there would be stairs galore to get to the top where a shrine was built. I worked my way up the stairs panting the whole way and stopping for a smoke along the way. The walk was worth it though as the place was amazing. 

Biwako (Lake Biwa)

More walking and we came across a viewing platform that showed the entire prefecture and a view of Lake Biwa. We were not high up enough to see but the lake gets its name from a stringed instrument. Biwa is related to Biwako. Kōsō, a learned monk of Enryaku-ji in the 14th century, referred to a clue of Biwako in his writing; "The lake is the Pure land of Benzaiten (Japanese Buddist Godess). Because she lives in the Chikubu Island and the shape of the lake is similar to Biwa, her favorite instrument." We could not see the shape reffered to but the view was awesome all the same and we could see where we had fished for Bass only yesterday.

Hikone Castle

We returned to the car to make a short trip to the Hikone Castle. The Hikone Castle is just one of 4 Castles in Japan that is listed on the UNESCO Heritage list as unchanged, meaning it stands as it did hundreds of years ago. Hikone Castle traces its origin to 1603 when Ii Naokatsu, son of the former daimyo Ii Naomasa, ordered its construction. The keep was originally built in 1575, as part of Ōtsu Castle, and was moved to Hikone by the Ii clan. Other parts of the castle were moved from Nagahama Castle. Hikone Castle was completed in 1622. Naokatsu's lands had been taken from him in the interval by the Tokugawa shogunate, and when his brother Naotake assumed control of the area around Ōmi Province, he was able to complete the castle by collecting stones from the former Sawayama Castle. When the Meiji era began in 1868, many castles were scheduled to be dismantled, and only a request from the emperor himself, touring the area, kept Hikone Castle intact. Today it remains one of the oldest original-construction castles in Japan. 

So much for using straight timber to keep things square

We made our way up yet again more stairs, sheesh if I didn't known better I reckon they were trying to give me some much needed exercise so they did not have to get special bigger sized shirts. I struggled to get up all the stairs and when we made it to the top I was reminded of how unfit I was when a lady in her 80's and with 2 walking sticks overtook me on the last leg of stairs. We went inside for a sticky beak and was amazed at the construction of this place. If one of my carpenter mates ever tells me the timber must be straight so it lasts and remains square I am showing them this picture of a 400 year old castle and not a straight bit of timber to be seen, in fact it looks like they looked for the most twisted and bent bits of wood to build the support from of this building

Entry door, for mini people and to keep groups from flooding in

This castle was designed with protection in mind for its inhabitants, the entry was steep and many stairs required to reach the high level of the building, it had very high walls all round preventing the easy access to un guarded areas, doorways were small and narrow making it difficult for more than one person to gain access at a time, it had no internal stairs for access to the higher levels of the building instead using ladders that could be lifted away making it hard for people to gain access to the people in the top floor, the top floor had marksmen ports added to shoot arrows down at enemies and it even had a secret room built as a last resort to hide from attackers. They put a lot of thought into fortification in these castles and it worked for many years, so much so that many western castles took design elements from them and implemented them into their own castles.

Hikone Garden

I had just about had enough of stairs and there was no doubt that I was going to sleep well on my flight home, so now we could make the slow descent down the hill and back to the car via a garden that is known through out Japan. The garden is often used in Japanese movies as it is historically original. We got to the bottom of the mountain and walked toward a building, I later found out this building that looked like an original Japanese house was indeed a hotel. I saw an aussie checking in at the hotel (VB singlet gave him away LOL) we walked between a couple of buildings and came across scenery that was literally breath taking, its one of those places that when you stand in it you have nothing to say as there is nothing you could say. Its just amazing.

We completed our tour of this place and I was blown away at the building as and the gardens that I had seen that day. That said the best was yet to come, a trip to my second fave fishing tackle store in Japan Fishing Max. I had to pick up a few last minute items that I could not get in Australia so this was the place to do it. I loaded up with enough stuff to keep my bag weight down and my carry of safe and we headed towards the airport. I have said it before and I will say it again. Thank you, every one in Japan that made my trip spectacular. It was great to catch up with friends old and new. The team from Gan Craft really looked after me again and I can not put into words how great full I am of their support, every one in the Tanabe community that welcome me on each trip and the people who always go above and beyond to make me feel comfortable. 

Enough typing though the pics will do this place more justice than I could ever explain so I will just chuck em below - enjoy.

Merchant loading area

Heritage building about to be renewed

Hikone Garden

Hikone Garden

Hikone garden with castle in back ground

Hikone Garden

Canal crossing - made removable for boat access

Merchant trade canal

Traditional merchant boats used for carrying small goods

Merchant canals

Hill climb

This shrine is the shrine to the unborn children and infants that had passed
Very sad place

Merchant canals

cable car

This bee was freaking huge - about 2 inches long

Shrine entrance

Gold shrine on top of the mountain

Monk residence on mountain top at the shrine

The stairs to Hikone Castle

Hikone Castle - almost there

Bridge to the castle - this is where the old lady overtook me

Entrance to the Castle grounds

inside the castle - second floor

this is where a ladder would have been prior to the stairs being built

the high walls prevented access for attackers

Hikone Garden

Hikone Garden

Eging Summit 2014 - Day 5 Lake Biwa

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Today started off nice an early where we checked out of our hotel near Lake Biwa the Bass capitol of Japan and made the short trip to the marina to meet with our guide for the day Koji Hasagawa from Flashpoint. He had already put a plan in place as to how the day would plan out with some open grass bed fishing, then some rock wall reed structure followed by lunch. After lunch we would head North and fish the top lake grass beds and central weed fields.

We loaded the boat on dry land and then launched at about 0800, the banks were lined with local anglers targeting Funa. Funa is a native carp species that is very particular in its technique, any one who has been into a tackle store in Japan would have seen the copious amounts dry powered baits that you need to mix with water to get the consistency right, rods do not have reels and it is generally done with the assistance of a float. The rod holders are hand made from timber and are quite ornamental in their design. In many cases the rod holders and the rods out price most of our high end bream gear.                                                                                                                            We made our slow exit from the harbor and made a short trip south down the lake to a shallow grass and sand bed that is known for holding good sized Bass. I started with a Jointed Claw 178 tied to some 20lb G-Blood fluoro which was wound onto a Gan Craft T-3 Mago that had found itself seated on a Gan Craft Killers series Dead Sword Rod. We made plenty of casts with not a lot of activity. I made the quick Change to a Kilelrs Melt and Luvius spin outfit and had a crack at Gan Crafts new prototype 10 inch worm rigged weightless whackey. 

After the change I managed to get a solid hook up on a good fish, it was at his point we realized we left the net back at the marina and after a short fight and lots of jumping by the fish it came unstuck at the boat, I am sure we got it on film for later reference. Nothing really happened for a while after that so we continued further south to some 30meter water with artificial concrete structure on the bottom coming up through the water column to about 7 meters, we switched outfits and went to the Jointed Claw 230mm Magnum sinking model, big casts and lots of sink time  was needed to get the lure down. After a short time we could not see any fish on the sounder and could not raise any interest so it was time to change that plan we had.

 The sun was coming up so we headed across to a bank that had plenty of shade covered area's. Although we had some heart pumping follows we could not get the fish to commit to eating a lure. All hungry we decided to pack it up and head off to lunch at a nearby restaurant. for a feed, we tied the boat up jumped in the car and went and sat in a nice Air conditioned placed for lunch - I cant remember what I ate but it was pretty nice. On the way out I could not help but notice a soft serve icecream shop glistening on the promenade so I had no choice but to get icecream, on a nice warm day with the sun out who can refuse it, not me that's for sure. The restaurant was located in a tourist spot that showed a significant interest in the native Ayu fish and statues and fountains adorned the exterior. It amazing how much influence this native fish has in some regional area's.

All fed and with icecream stains on my t-shirt it was time to head back to the water, all pumped for a fresh session on Biwa. This time we bolted straight out and North under the bridge to the upper lake section. We fished a section of the lake that is massive meadows of grass. We both decided that a worm was the best option so back to the 10" whacky worm. We had only been there for about 10 minutes when a few boats around us started to bang a few smaller fish, we stuck with what we knew would work with some bigger models and kept at it. 

Mr Hasegawa was first to pull a fish with a cracking mid 40's fish pulled off the grass, I was having a bit of adjustment time getting used to the feel of the take from a bass on a 10inch worm pattern lure. Its not like most other plastics takes as you get a series of bites and then you need to wait until you have a solid take before setting a hook, for me that is a fair adjustment as over here you normally strike as soon as you feel a fish and was was struggling a bit to be fair. I felt a lot more comfortable with the Jointed Claw tied on my outfit so we made a short burst out to the middle of the lake where in 4 m of water you could see the weed touching the surface. This looked much better for me and kind of reminded me of the timber at many of the lakes at home that we would cast around in the hope of pulling a Cod or a yella from. We made a few drifts along one bank and we both experienced follows but again fish not committing. Another short move to another bank of weed and more casting. The water clarity was amazing and I could clearly see the bottom in 4 meters, it had a saltwater feel to it with the weed being very much like the Kelp forest we get in southern Victoria.

I kept punching away with the Jointed Claw, we cam across a nice patch of tall weed and I had the perfect cast opportunity between 2 sections of weed, I could see some timber in the distance on the bottom laying on the sand, it just looked good. About 4 cranks into the retrieve 'BANG' this little bass took this 178mm Jointed Claw like it was its last feed, it made a good account of itself and fought to the end, this time I decided that i was not waiting for a net, the rod and line was much heavier than previous so I just pole lifted the fish straight in and high 5's were issued all round. The pressure was off I had a fish in the boat, that's the thing about fishing, you can go from the struggling low to a confident high in a matter of seconds. We worked this area for another 1/2 an hour or so, the only real interest we had after that was from a stonker 60cm model that nudged Mr Hasegawa'a Pink Jointed Claw 230 Magnum. The sun had slightly hanged its position and the conditions back on the grass meadows seemed  favorable so armed ith a new sense of confidence we headed back to the field of grass to rig some of the new prototype worms

We punched these things around for a while and got lots of attention, we ended up landing a few more for the day. For those who have not experienced Bass fishing in Japan or the States it is something worth doing, they do not fight like our bass, they do not bite like our bass and they grow a lot bigger than our Bass. There are plenty of places in Japan that you can simply pull up and target Bass but the price of a guide is reasonable and Flashpoint with Koji Hasagowa who is located central or Masaki Onaka who works in the Northern reaches of Lake Biwa. They both have an incredible knowledge of the Biwa system and work very hard to keep the punters happy.

We finished up for the day and made a quick trip back to the hotel for a freshen up before heading out for dinner at a traditional Japanese eating house located near the hotel, because much alcohol can be consumed during your dinner the eating house was kind enough to pick us all up from the hotel and take us for the feed. Upon arrival it looked just like you would imagine in a movie scene, dark timber building with bonsai all around, we slid the rice paper covered door open to a large open area where hard wood met the tatami mats with wall mounted pigeon holes for shoes. We were ushered into a small private room where another sliding rice paper door was closed behind us for privacy. Kotaro explained that this restaurant was one that was traditionally designed to feed Sumo wrestlers and that the meal we would be eating was a staple part of a Sumo diet, this sounded like it was going to suit me down to a tea.

We took our seats (yes seats) that were very low to the ground at a low table that had a hot pot, a large tray of veg and a large tray of meat sitting next to it and more sauces and spices as you could poke a stick at. An older lady came in and put a fire under the hot pot and took our drinks orders. It was beers all round. When she returned with the beers the hot pot was beginning to boil so the tray of veg was added to the pot - I am not sure how she got it all in but she did. she returned a short time later to top up drinks and added the meat to the pot after the veg had reduced. The smell was amazing with the stock veggies and meat bubbling away. 

Now that smell was only to be short lived as Kotaro had decided to order dish called Funazushi, this dish is fresh Funa that is scaled and gutted through their gills keeping the body and roe of the fish intact. The fish are then packed with salt and wrapped in fermented rice, a traditional lacto-fermented rice dish and aged for a year before being repacked annually in rice for up to four years.  The fermentation of the rice prevented the fish from spoiling. The fermented rice was discarded and fish was the only part consumed. Now this thing looked terrible and smelled like old sweaty socks so I kept my chopsticks well clear of this dish and stuck to the hotpot. After smashing the first one I thought that was it but the staff returned with yet another tray of meat as there was still broth bubbling away you need to use as much as possible up for the next process of the meal. We destroyed that tray of meat and polished off the last of the vegetables. The staff returned and took the pot away with the small amount of liquid remaining. They then added rice to form a savory style kind of porridge out of the remaining broth. Now I have to say that I am not too bad on the chew but I was getting full. This dish knocked me around a bit and must admit that I had to stand and pace around the room for a bit to make room to finish it off. 

All in all an incredibly memorable day on Lake Biwa with some great company in Kotaro and Koji Hasegawa. I can not wait till I return to this place to give it another crack.