I first visited Tokyo when I was 15 years old and knew little about fishing and even less about what it felt like to have two coins to rub together. I didn’t do much tackle shopping on that mid-80s trip.

My brother was only 11 at the time, but perhaps that brief visit sparked something in him. Yes, we got scolded and shushed in Narita Airport for playing a spirited game of Nerf football, but he returned in high school through an application-only exchange program. Then he studied Japanese in college, returned there most summers, and got a job working in Kyoto straight out of college.

He returned to the US to get his MBA, but a few years later – now with a wife and infant daughter – he headed back to Tokyo to open a new office for his company. He stayed long enough not only to get that office up and running, but also to see the birth of two more kids (code names “Rob Roy” – because he was conceived in Scotland – and “Sashimi” – because she was conceived in Tokyo).

While they were there, his company provided a spacious (by Japanese standards) apartment in a desirable Tokyo neighborhood. Hanna and I headed over in February 2007. Although I did not yet have the disposable income for an epic shopping trip, nor did I have the virtual fishing Rolodex that I own today, I still managed to make it an epic shopping trip.

That started in Tokyo. One day while walking from the Rippongi Hills neighborhood back to our temporary home after a long day of sightseeing, Hanna and I came through the bustling Shibuya crossing. As I scanned the tall buildings, I saw a sign reading “Sansui” with a fish chasing a lure. It was almost too good to be true. It had to be a mirage, right? It was not, and I made a beeline for the shop. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the painting was a bass, inside there was only saltwater gear.

Sansui fishing tackle shop Tokyo Shibuya

Fortunately, many people in Tokyo speak passable to fluent English, and they made clear that the bass-specific shop was just a couple of blocks away. We were tired, but we soldiered on and gently broke the seal on a new credit card. I couldn’t go hog wild because I knew that more shopping was coming.

Through an article I wrote for the now-defunct Bass West magazine, I had met Matt Paino, CEO of Optimum swimbaits. Matt had attended college in Japan and ended up importing products from companies like Ima and Deps to the US. Somehow we realized that we were going to be in Japan at the same time, which also happened to coincide with the Yokohama tackle show. He had business to do, but offered to let me tag along.

So a few days later I met Matt at the Shinagawa Train Station (he was easy to identify) and we took the train out to Yokohama for a show that mixed the best aspects of ICAST and the Bassmaster Classic Expo. While I didn’t speak a lick of Japanese (migi and hidari, at most), Matt made countless introductions, I handed out business cards, and generally reveled in all of the new products, many of which would never be sold directly from US shelves. We met booth bunnies, lure designers and Japanese pros like Jun Shoji.

But wait, there’s more.

Matt had more time in Tokyo after the show, so much to Hanna’s dismay – she hadn’t really developed an interest in fishing at that point – we made plans for a “grown man playdate” — aka, tackle shopping. We met up early and joined forces with Hideyuki “Michael” Nomura, the editor of Lure Magazine, as well as Daisuke “Dodge” Katayama, a former fishing journalist I met through my friend Terry Battisti.

We made the rounds of six or seven tackle shops over the course of the day, including shops like Casting Kicker and Tackleberry, the latter a specialist in lightly-used but heavily-discounted gear. We also went to an outlet of the Popeye Chain, which I’m told no longer exists. Imagine going into the best tackle store you know in the US, only you’ve never seen two-thirds of the products. That’s what my day was like.

Tokyo Sunrise tackle shop Japan gary yamamoto baits

We stopped for a ramen lunch and then got a special treat in the form of Tokyo Sunrise, a small shop where Matt had worked (and honed his Japanese) during college. I spent and spent and spent until I’d laid out what seemed like a fortune, but which would likely only be a good starting point over 13 years later.

Tokyo Sunrise tackle shop Tokyo jdm fishing

At the end of the day, Matt and Michael took me to the Lure Magazine offices, where they gifted me with a number of magazines and DVDs, as well as a collectible Megabass Griffon. If I had to choose from all of the days of my life that did not involve my wife or actually making a cast, that was one of the best.

But it still wasn’t over.

Next we headed to Hakone and Hiroshima, and then on to Kyoto. Through my still-young writing career, I’d met industry veteran Curt Arakawa, who at the time worked for Jackall Lures. He arranged for us to head out to the Jackall factory for a tour.

Jackall’s main man was Seiji Kato, a legendary lure designer for companies like Lucky Craft and Team Daiwa, but we were picked up from our hotel by Toshiro “Ty” Ono, one of the country’s best tournament anglers. He brought us out to the factory on the shores of Lake Biwa. Manabu Kurita had yet to catch his record-tying fish, so I didn’t know what I was missing by not asking for a day in the boat. Nevertheless, despite that missed opportunity, we had a fantastic day learning about how they designed, built and tested their lures.

Ty Ono and Seiji Kato at Jackall Lures factory in Japan

Afterward, Ty took us out for lunch, and then we hit a few more tackle stores. Luckily, I had some extra room in my baggage, because by this time I’d accumulated quite a stash.

In the ensuing years, I’ve become much more interested in JDM tackle and much more financially able to travel. Unfortunately, my brother’s family moved back to the US about a decade ago (while I’m happy to see them more frequently, the loss of a Tokyo crash pad is debilitating. I’ve had offers to go back, and recently I’ve talked to people like Ish, A-Mart and Dennis Shew about the tackle-shopping experience.

In some respects it’s probably a good thing I haven’t returned – the baggage fees, let alone the credit card bills, might be enormous – but just writing this and reliving the experience has me anxious to hop on a big ANA or JAL jet and make the trip. I don’t technically need more tackle, and a lot of the more “exotic” gear is readily available stateside, but I still feel a compulsion to make another pilgrimage.