[Tenkara! Long Trail!] Outdoor Gearzine Membership Schedule for June and July
Written by Yasushi Hisatomi
table of contents
About the "June/July Membership" activities
Outdoor Gearzine has launched a new membership-based community this season, "Outdoor Gearzine Membership." Based on the results of a recent survey, we have planned our activities for June and July, so we would like to share them with you right away
June offline event "Let's do Tenkara!"
Date and time: Saturday, June 22nd *Cancelled in case of rain
Location: Okigawa River, Nikko City, catch and release area for Tenkara fishing (planned)
Minimum number of applicants: 2 people
Maximum number of applicants: 8 people
Participation fee: 1,000 yen (free for "Standard Plan" members)
The June membership activity was about "Tenkara," a Japanese style of fly fishing that originated in Japan and is gaining popularity overseas. I usually go fishing with bait while climbing streams, but I have always wanted to try this ancient Japanese style, simple yet profound, to connect more freely and directly with the stream
It's no fun to practice little by little on your own, so if you have the chance (if there are any readers who are interested), it would be more fun and you would improve faster if you could get instruction from someone who is good at it and practice while sharing information with everyone
Let's all enjoy the fun of using simple tools to catch a fish
This time, I, a near-novice, and Chiba-san, an outdoor writer with five years of tenkara experience, will be experiencing and practicing at the "Tenkara Fishing Catch & Release Area (planned)" in the Koraigawa River in Nikko City. Of course, on the way back, we'll also stop by a special hot spring and a spot for a meal after descending the mountain
Complete beginners are also welcome. Come and practice Tenkara fishing in the mountain stream with the help of experienced anglers!
Enter the June event (entry form)
The meeting and departure times will be decided by the members, but we can meet at the location, at JR Nikko Line Imaichi Station, or Tobu Nikko Line Shimoimaichi Station. If the group is small and the route works, we will also consider carpooling in a car provided by Outdoor Gearzine
What to bring: You can participate even if you don't have a fishing rod or tackle (limited to the first three people)
Basically, you will need to bring your own fishing rod and tackle. As this is a managed fishing area, please use barbless flies
However, there may be some beginners who would like to try it but don't yet have a tenkara rod
After doing a quick search, I found that most of the places that offered rentals were bundled with tours or classes, so I wanted to do something about that
Therefore, for this Tenkara event, we will be offering free rental of rods and tackle on the day for the first three people
Even if you don't have any equipment, feel free to join us!
If you are interested, please apply early. We will make an announcement as soon as the spots are filled up, but we apologize if you miss the deadline
Other clothing and belongings you should prepare
1.Clothing
The same clothing as for hiking or mountain climbing is fine. Since the lower half of your body will be submerged in water, choose pants and shirts made from quick-drying fabric
Also, there are a lot of insects, so we recommend wearing long sleeves even in summer
A fishing vest is not necessary for tenkara, as you only need simple equipment
Please bring rain gear and light winter clothing just in case
Also, it's fine to wear waders specifically for mountain stream fishing. I don't have any, so I plan to wear what I wear for mountain stream climbing, specifically Montbell's Light ClimaPlen tights, with shorts or long pants
2. Shoes
Wear waders or wading shoes specifically designed for mountain stream fishing. These are high-top shoes that are designed to keep out gravel and feature felt and special soft rubber soles that prevent slipping in water. They are essential for mountain stream fishing, stream climbing, and other activities in mountain streams
These are then paired with neoprene socks to protect and warm the feet
3. Other items to carry
It's good to have a pouch of any shape to put your fishing gear in
If you also pack rain gear, a smartphone, a camera, a map and compass, a whistle, emergency food, drinks, a hand towel, a first aid kit, a pocket knife, etc. in a small backpack for day trips, you should be safe for the time being
Other items you may choose include polarized glasses, fishing gloves, and a cap
Enter the June event (entry form)
July offline event: "Let's do a thru-hike! ~Mt. Fuji Long Trail Edition~"
Date and time: Saturday, July 20th *The event may be cancelled in case of rain
Location: Mt. Fuji Long Trail (planned)
Minimum number of applicants: 2 people
Maximum number of applicants: 8 people
Participation fee: 1,000 yen (free for "Standard Plan" members)
Our membership activities for July will see us launch a "Section Hike" project, in which we will all work together to complete a long trail little by little
The first event is the Mt. Fuji Long Trail, a relatively new long trail that opened in 2021. The route is approximately 170km long and consists of four areas to the east, west, north and south of Mt. Fuji
In addition to the catchy appeal of "walking while viewing Mt. Fuji from every angle," the route is not particularly deep in the mountains, so a variety of iterations can be planned, from day trips to overnight trips using campsites and accommodation facilities, and participants can choose a course that suits their level, which was also a key factor in its selection
The theme of this thru-hike project is to complete the entire Mt. Fuji Long Trail, which would take several days to complete in one go, in several sections (section hikes). From now on, I will walk each route of the Mt. Fuji Long Trail every month for several months, with the ultimate goal of completing the entire trail by going around the entire trail
Why not enjoy the long trails that act as a "bridge that deeply connects nature and humans" as you walk along the mountain trails surrounding Mount Fuji, taking in the beautiful scenery, rich nature, and the history and culture that humans have carved into them?
Enter the July event (entry form)
Please register for the Outdoor Gearzine Membership
Therefore, we are still accepting registrations for the "Outdoor Gearzine Membership." All support will be used to cover the costs of running these projects and events. Please think of it as crowdfunding for Outdoor Gearzine, and we appreciate your support
How do I sign up for Outdoor Gearzine Membership?
Outdoor Gearzine is a participant of OFUSE, a web service for supporting creators. The first way to support us is through the Outdoor Gearzine Membership (hereinafter referred to as Membership), which utilizes OFUSE's monthly membership function
With Membership, we don't just want you to support us; we want to provide our supporters with new content and services that are unique to Outdoor Gearzine, allowing them to enjoy the outdoors even more than ever before
*To use OFUSE, you must first register a new account (Sozi ID). Please follow the instructions to create an account and then join the membership
There are two types of membership: "Light Plan" and "Standard Plan"
is available Light Plan that provides only operational support and access to exclusive content Standard Plan that also provides free participation in various events, including offline events
Various events are planned to be held at least once a month from now (scheduled to start in late May), and in addition to talk events like those held last year, we are considering inviting speakers to hold workshops, study sessions, screenings, etc. We also plan to provide live online broadcasts and archived content for those who are too far away to travel or who were unable to attend on the day, so we would appreciate support from people all over the country
In addition to these offline events in Tokyo, we also plan to hold meetup events for camping, hiking, running, and other outdoor activities about once a month. We would like to decide how to proceed together with the members who have actually joined us in the future
| Support plan name | Light Plan | Standard Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | 500 yen/month | 1000 yen/month |
| Operational support | ◯ | ◯ |
| Access to member-only content | ◯ | ◯ |
| Free participation in offline events held at least once a month | × | ◯ |
We are also currently accepting support via fan letters using OFUSE
The second way to support is by using OFUSE's "fan letter function."
In this case, we would appreciate it if you could log in to OFUSE using the 2D barcode above or the link below, and send us a message to support us. We will carefully read all messages and send you a reply
We welcome both individuals and corporations, so we would appreciate your consideration and support
Related reading
[Outdoor Gearzine Membership] May Schedule
June offline event: "Let's start mountain stream fishing this year!" [Beginners welcome!]
[Important Notice] To all regular readers of Outdoor Gearzine
The first offline event in September: "Walking along the source of a river, fishing, having a bonfire, and staying overnight" [The joy of mountain stream walking]