Unlocking Japan A 7 Day Fishing Adventure.

Oh boy, that's a big carp. Fishing can be a gateway to exploration, excitement, and that feeling you had as a young child discovering something or somewhere for the first time. However, I think the last few months I've played it quite safe with my fishing, going to places that I already know or places where I'm fairly confident I'm going to catch. This trip, this is going to be completely different. I am going to meet someone I don't know, in a city that I don't know, where they speak a language that I don't know. And I'm going to be fishing in ways that I probably have never fished before. Dreams come true. Yeah, they do. They really do. I'm in Japan, Haneda, Tokyo airport. I've got to try and find my hotel and then start asking around and seeing what sort of fishing opportunities I can find. In reality, I'd thrown myself in at the deep end. Later on in the trip, I was due to meet a guy called Yoshi, who I'd been speaking to on and off through Instagram. Hi Carl, I hope you have good luck. But until then, it was down to me to find water, go fishing and see what Japan has to offer. Interesting. Oh my friends, I am so confused. I've never been so lost and confused in my life. I'm trying to go here. Downstairs. Thank you. Well, you never know, this might be fishing spot number one. I can't tell if it's fresh water or if it's salty. There's a lot of drainage channels in the city. There's fish down there. They look to me like they might be mullet or some other kind of small saltwater species. There's a guy fishing a little... Oh, he's got one. Oh, he's catching. What type of fish? Has it? Ah, yes. No, don't eat. Don't eat. It was promising to see people fishing in the city, but the species these guys were targeting didn't exactly set my heart racing. Of course, you make the most of what you've got on your doorstep, but I wanted to explore further before setting up a rod. Wow, this one smells fishy. Although it might look like it, I didn't come here for the fish market. I'm looking for live ones and we are going to find them up these stairs. Japan as an island nation relies heavily on its oceans to feed the population. Whilst famous for sushi and such delicacies as sea urchin, my first visit to the country was in fact for the koi. On my previous trips to Japan, I analysed that the Japanese do things very, very well with a particular attention to detail. This aquarium is no exception. These colourful varieties of carp have become a big part of the culture here. And as I found out, the rare specimens fetch a monstrous price tag. This time though, I wanted to catch a monster. I had visions of me wrestling a giant sea squid or some kind of ultra rare catfish, but ever since seeing Mount Fuji from the plane three or four years ago, I've desperately wanted to catch something, anything with that iconic view in the background. I needed two things, lunch and a man on the ground to help me find some fish. Oh wait, actually I needed three things. I don't know what the sound is for, like the volume adjustments on a toilet. Whilst in this unique American style sandwich place, I checked my phone only to see a message from a local fisherman. He'd heard I was in Japan and offered to take me fishing. Nice to see you. I don't even know your name. Nice to meet you, Toshi. Shall we go fishing? He suggested we visit Ichigaya Fish Center. In his words, the perfect place for us to go head to head in a fishing competition. I've been lost since I got here. I've been lost the entire time. At least you have someone to be lost with. It's very true, mate. It's very true. We found the spot, finally. It's not like anywhere I fished in England. It smells like good stuff. Three, two, one, and fish. Go on, mate. Can you make it one nil? Oh, it's strong. It's no joke. How did you get him so quick? I'm just too good. I lost it. One nil. Toshi quickly made that two nil. And even matey behind us was bagging up. But me? How are you so good at this? I couldn't hit a bite. Nope. You caught none yet. What are you doing? I thought you're fishing a coral. I mean, so far it's more difficult than I expected. Despite having not caught one yet, it was clear that this was about as commercialized as fishing can possibly be. You're fishing two rods, mate. Is that against the rules? No. Some watching this might use the phrase, shooting fish in a barrel. And they'd be right. These ponds were heavily stocked, quite like some of the match fishing lakes back at home. And yes, it might not be how fishing is supposed to be. But I was quite keen to catch something before I had to say goodbye to Toshi. Right, here we go. Yes! I mean, it is actually quite amazing that people who live in the city and maybe work in those offices, they can still come after work and have some fun. You were a great match, but I think it was too little, too late. Finally. You caught one before in Japan? No, no, that's my first fish ever in Japan. That was quite fun. That was good. I was glad to have met Toshi, and my first day in Japan had ended on a high. He'd mentioned a lake in the shadow of Mount Fuji, and to my surprise, he showed up at my hotel the next day, enthusiastically offering to help with my quest. Today's the day that I use my proper rods and go fishing with the carp gear. So you can write your catches in there. And how do you call a taxi in Japan? Is there a... Just wait. The reason for the discussion was because, unbeknownst to me, this was about to be the longest taxi ride of my life. Had I have realized that Mount Fuji and the lakes which surround it were almost two hours away, I might not have chosen a taxi, but I had seen a fishing shop on Google Maps, and this seemed like a good place to start. Oh, it's colder. Thank you. Thank you very much. I think he's taken me to the only carp fishing shop. I didn't even know they had carp fishing shops in Japan. What? No way. It's like being in England again. Apart from the slippers at the door, and this fella called Kyosuke, who can fix any item of tackle and probably make it better than it was to start with, it really was like being in a tackle shop back at home. Japanese... Japanese carp fishing magazine. Yes. So carp fishing in Japan is popular? He explained, with a little technological assistance, that carp fishing is just getting started in Japan, and people like him and Yoshi are doing their best to promote the hobby. Ah, good. Thank you. Maybe this video will help a small amount. I was touched by Kyosuke's passion. It's easy to be branded as a weirdo or an outsider when your interests differ to the masses. This is where we fish? Yes. Cool. Traditionally, fishing in Japan revolves around saltwater, and if you're inland, it's usually bass or perhaps trout that are the target. Okay, weed close or weed far? Or everywhere? Weed is close. I've observed a similar process unfolding in the United States, where carp were previously considered not worthy of catching. But over time, anglers have begun to discover that they grow large, fight really hard, and everyone is unique. In line, three ounce lead. I shouldn't have been bringing leads on the plane, but I did because I thought I wouldn't be able to get any out here. Turns out, mate, he's got a tackle shop next to the lake. Could have just bought some leads off of him. Anyway, here goes nothing. Kyosuke had taken me to a large bay, one of his favorite spots on Lake Kawaguchi. It's a shallow, weedy zone with immense views of Mount Fuji. Or at least, on a sunny day, you might see the volcano. This, unfortunately, was not one of those days. I'm not really one for natural history or understanding or knowing facts and stuff, but there's no denying that Fuji is an integral part of Japanese culture. You see the mountain depicted in their ancient artworks, in their media. It's everywhere. I mean, Fuji is on the stamp that I got when I was at the airport, and you can kind of see why. Or you can't see why because it's cloudy. It's easy to lose confidence fishing a 1,500 acre lake on a cold day, when the only sign of life was this not very alive fella. Kyosuke suggested we watch the rods from the car, a chance to stay warm and share some stories. When I came to Japan before, I had way too much sake. Miss Matt wants to buy me. He also told me that when he's not fishing, he's a mixed martial arts fighter. Who would win, me or you? One other key communication was that November, the timing of this trip, is a poor month for fishing here, with very few fish being landed. Bad season. I'd found the right lake to achieve my dream catch and photo, but the weather and the time of year were completely wrong. I've never had to do this before, but I'm actually quite enjoying it. I've got one. Maybe now is the time to teach me rude words in Japanese. Yes, yes. No, you, you, you, you, you. On? I'm freaking out. It's happened, guys. It's happened. He's got one. Yes. Yay. Thank you. Quite frustratingly, night fishing is not permitted on this lake, so our time was up and we had to pack away. Thank you. I'm nice guy. Yes. Although my fishing up until now had been rather spontaneous, I did have my planned session with Yoshi to look forward to. He'd sent me a message explaining that the heavy rain in Osaka, where he lives, had completely flooded his fishing spots. This wasn't great news, as I was due to be meeting him the following evening. Without a solid plan, I didn't know if I'd return to Lake Kawaguchi. That said, Kyosuke encouraged me to put out a little bit of pre-bait back in the swim which I'd started in, just in case. Very delicious. Octopus? Well, I was in Japan, so I thought I ought to start doing things the Japanese way. The problem was I'd got too confident, and my actual knowledge of the language was still very poor. And when it came to say cheers, let's just say I got it completely wrong. I see. Well, the next thing I said when holding up my drink was, chin chin. Kind of wished I'd checked the translation first, but thankfully Kyosuke just laughed. Horse. Horse? Number one, horse is the best. Ah well, when in Japan, eh? When in Japan. Chin chin. No. Morning wasn't amazing. Not only was I somewhat hungover, but also leaving Kawaguchi just as the sun began shining. To make my onward route more easy on the public transport, I found a service which would post my rods directly to Yoshi's house. Once I'd made my way back to Tokyo, I caught an internal flight down to Osaka, Japan's second largest city. It's kind of mad actually that I'm even doing this, here in a new city, on my own, in the dark, going to meet someone that I've only ever spoken to on the internet. To think that around five or six years ago I was having panic attacks every time I went into town, just being here right now was actually quite something. And I think that growth has been due to stepping outside of my comfort zone, little bit at a time. Nice to meet you. Hi. Gentle exposure to the things which I once found very difficult. Yoshihiro, short name Yoshi. I'm Kimiko. It obviously helped that we could chat about fishing, but beyond that, Yosh and Kimi were just lovely people and I was so happy to be spending the next couple of days with them. It would have been fantastic to see that fish on the bank, but it was a good sign for the days to come. Oh! Okay, nice one. See you tomorrow. 9 o'clock. 9am. Here? Yeah, here. See you tomorrow. Oh, that was brilliant. Seeing Yoshi hook into that fish in the city centre had me desperate for a chance at one of these powerful river carp. However, with the tide pushing back in hard overnight and the river remaining quite flooded, Yosh decided that we'd start the following day somewhere on the outskirts of the city. Somewhere very unique and home to a lot of fish. I think all carp are here. Oh my god, you are joking. Yoshi, there's a hundred. Feeding, feeding, feeding. This is unbelievable. Oh, Yoshihiro, this is like nothing I've ever seen. In between the mullet, sunfish and even a random snakehead, these carps seem like they'd be easy to catch. Look, look. My bait carp. Wow! Like this one hour. He's shaking time. I know. It's the wrong time. Why? Why so much thinking? It was clear I needed to try something else, so out went a little piece of bread. This time. Yep, yep. I'd finally hooked one, but Yosh was about to set up his rod and cast into the slightly deeper water where we were to find you could catch the fish a lot more easily. Yeah, we did it. Uh, Ichiban. Do you want, yeah, do you want Ichiban? Thank you. Nice car. Look at that. Carp take. Run! During this day with Yoshi, I learned that before carp fishing, his passion was skateboarding and he, like Kiyosuke, a part of a carp fishing movement in Japan, popularizing a species ignored by so many. Along with some friends, he organizes regular friendly carp tournaments in Osaka, writes for some magazines and also shares his incredible photography on Instagram. White squid. All of this in his limited spare time, usually working hard as a sales rep and product designer for the Japanese saltwater brand Nakazima. Nice. If you happen to fish for squid, you would have heard of them. Storage car. Bye bye. Sayonara. Little nuclear power station mutant fish. Do you watch The Simpsons? Bird? Bird. Cat? That's just looking like a dog. Meek. Yeah, I recognize that one. Oh yeah, nice. Very nice. It's always nice to have some easy fishing, relax a little bit and have a laugh. We solved the mystery. I did of course want to catch something to write home about and maybe the river by my hotel could throw up something big, especially with no more rain forecast. Ramen. Good fishing and good ramen. Yeah. What is that? Big mouse. All of these river systems for Osaka are all connected. Yeah, there's some sluices, there's dams, there's pipes and tunnels but I bet you a carp could swim halfway across this city without too much difficulty. So at any given time, these fish could be miles or kilometers in either direction. So giving them some food and trying to draw them in, it's kind of essential to give ourselves any chance of catching. What do they eat? Fish? No, all fish can eat the same carp. Oh really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Boilies. I've never seen one of those before. Yeah, see you tomorrow. See you, man. Your English is getting much better. Thank you. Feels a lot like we're leveling up here. Josh is putting on much larger hook baits. I'm doing the same and fishing a boilie with a bit of fake corn on. I'm thinking apparently they got a lot of crabs in this river and if the crab were to nibble my boilie away, it's nice to have a bit of plastic on there that you know is still gonna be on the rig. I've just been told that this particular river system has produced carp to 35 kilos. I'm not very good at converting but that is... Wait, hang on. That's like a 65 pounder. No, 30... No. I didn't even realize that there were fish this big in this river system. I thought I was fishing for sort of 15, 20 pounders maybe. Oh no. There'll be monsters living in here, boy. Super telescopic. What? Tonight? What? Okay. Very quickly. Strong fish. Dreams come true. Yeah, they do. They really do. My first carp from the middle of Osaka. This is what they're made of out here. Super long and lean, muscular fish. Not very similar to the carp we have in Europe which are a lot shorter and fatter. But I tell you what, I love these. These fish are incredible. No! Why? Uh, in English, WTF. Yeah, that works. I change my target, black sea bream. Black sea bream? Yes. No carp. WTF! With Yoshi's carp luck obviously running dry, we tackled up with some smaller hooks and some worms. Fish! As the day progressed, the carp seemed to vanish. Nigoi! But some little nigoi, bluegill and even a channel catfish kept us busy. Hey. Welcome to America. Coming back to America. Yoshi headed off to go and see his wife Kimi and whilst he was gone, my carp rod finally burst into life. What? I think that this might be what he was trying to catch earlier. Oh, it's got teeth? Oh no, it doesn't have teeth. Oh no, ow! Oh, it does have teeth. Whoa, there's spikes on this thing. Look at that. I can't believe my luck. This is a crazy looking creature. I don't even know what it is. I'm bleeding bad. All right, let's put it back. Goodbye. Let that be a lesson to you. If it looks like it's got teeth and you're thinking, shall I put my finger in its mouth to find out? You just, just, just don't do it. Don't do it. That was really silly, wasn't it? Oh, brook seabream. And I put my finger in its mouth. Yeah. Bite you on the finger. Okay, I give you 3.5k. You give me what? Recovery tape? Oh, arigato. Okay. I still can't believe I'm leaving my stuff behind. I'm just going to get food. You smell? Good smell. What? Fish and chips shop. The British pub. Of course, in a country so obsessed by fish, dinner was always going to incorporate seafood, but maybe not in the way I was expecting. Okay. Oh, this. This is a boat. And that's the ocean. Sort of. And then the waitress brought out starters and fishing rods. My eyes in a different style. No hair rig? Yes. Let's start. So here I was, with a bunch of new friends on the other side of the world. Yes, yes. Fishing indoors for our dinner, which was swimming around our table. I got it. Brilliant. You want bite alarms? I think I need bite alarms. It's interesting. It really brings up an interesting thought in my mind about the differences between the West and the East. How they're not afraid of where their food comes from. Whereas back home, we often package and brand our food with different names, like beef instead of cow, or venison instead of deer, disassociating it from its true source. It stole the bait. A visit to a British supermarket is certainly a cocooned experience compared to this. Anyway, at this moment I was hungry, so I needed to get a move on. This is something that could only ever happen in Japan. To be totally honest, compared to most places I'd eaten throughout this trip, this wasn't the best food. Bad. Yeah. It was in fact the closest I'd come to a tourist trap since I was in central Tokyo, especially when I saw the bill. But you know what? That dinner in Osaka is one that I will always remember. And as for the fishing afterwards, let's just say that pre-bait was doing its work. On the way back to the river, we got talking about the UK, and Yosh explained that since England was basically the birthplace of modern carp fishing, it's been his dream to visit one day. That said, due to the Japanese yen being very weak, the currency conversion to pounds makes the flight unrealistically pricey. Cash the big one. Let's abduction! I love to see it when people come together because they have the same hobby. People that wouldn't be friends normally, they can become friends because they like carp fishing. Yes, we are one team. One team. Yeah. And fish as a team is exactly what we did that night. Both of us quite tired and to be honest, quite ready to fall straight to sleep. We decided that we should make the most of this session together as at the time, I thought it might be our first and our last. We shared the rig tying, baiting up, and each time a carp screamed off, we'd be up helping each other with the net. Depending on the river level and the tide, sometimes it was a long way down to the water. Yosh had quite a clever drop net system that we could use when it was just too far down to the conventional net and pole. I did. It was time for a tactical change. Losing a fish or two is normal, but four in a row, Yosh decided to put on some larger hooks. I think tonight we might not get very much lead. Thank you so much Yoshihiro. Yeah, you're welcome. We've had an incredible session so far. And it didn't stop there. I think the flood water subsiding and that pre-bait had really switched the fish on. This is what we came to Osaka for. Powerful, big, common carp like this. They're absolutely scrap. Double, double. Oh my gosh. Run, run. I think that'll go down as the most intense night of carp fishing of my life. Okay. Hard to start. The fact that the fish kept coming till around 9am meant that packing away was quite hard. Not least because I didn't really want to say goodbye to Yosh. In a way, this could have been just the very start of a whole trip to this incredible city. But no, it really was time to pack away. I never thought I'd have a favourite city, but Osaka has grown on me. It's a little bit calmer, less hectic and less tourist driven than Tokyo. I've actually really enjoyed my time here with Yoshi, his family and friends. The fishing's been good. I've only got about 24 hours left in Japan and I've got to head back towards Tokyo now. But on my way, Mount Fuji's definitely calling. Thank you for good memories. Hopefully, I'll see you again. Bye-bye. Only in Japan would you have goldfish graffiti. I think this is a good omen. It's a good sign. Everybody in England knows this. Just feeling so grateful for the help that I've had this trip. Just so appreciate this room, dinner, a bed, you know. At this stage in the trip, it's kind of needed. With a night at Kiyosuke's house to recharge, I felt ready. Ready for one last go. If you catch anything, please call me. I'll come right away. Cool. I will call you very soon. But I didn't call him. Not that day as once again, the fishing was very hard. Sitting there in awe of Fuji, I felt something quite hard to describe. I felt deeply appreciative of my life and this career. No way, no way, no way, no way. I considered that when I quit my job in 2019 to make films about fishing, there was no guarantee it would work out. Oh dear. But just like the last two days here at Fuji, at the end of a struggle, there is very often reward. And just like seven years ago, I was glad to have taken that risk. That is the fish that I came here for. Oh, it's beautiful. I've done it. I've actually gone and done it. From the glistening waters of Lake Kawaguchi to the city lights and welcoming eyes of those I'd met, this had been one of my best trips ever. Yes, congratulations. Yeah. In a world so torn by people's differences, fishing can be such a wonderful common ground. At 95 centimeters, it was a big fish for the area. But whilst those numbers will likely fade, I will always remember that this capture, this film and these moments would never have happened without three fanatical carp fishermen from Japan. Thank you so much for the help. I thought of Toshi and decided he could have my carp rods en route home. You can have all of my rods. Kyosuke is still managing the tackle shop at Kawaguchi, so please call in if you're visiting the area. And as for the lovely guy that is Yoshi, I just had to invite him to England. Yeah! Got it! Biggest fish in this whole lake. Oh, unbelievable. Biggest one. Perfect.