written by Jason

I finally had a chance to sit down and watch this DVD.  I had first heard about it back in January but never got around to ordering one.  Luckily, there were a few available for auction at the Summit so I seized the opportunity and picked one up.  The DVD features Dr. Ishigaki going over a variety of tenkara techniques on stream.  The first question you might have is, "is it in Japanese?"  The answer is yes (and there are no subtitles).  The second question you might have is, "why would I buy a DVD if I can't understand it?" That's a fair question and I'll try to help answer if it's worth it or not by laying out a few points about this DVD.

Production value The overall production value is good, though not as good as the Tying Tenkara Flies DVD I recently reviewed.  The video quality is slightly less, though by no means "bad".  In fact, if the quality of the Tying Tenkara Flies DVD hadn't been so amazing, I probably wouldn't have even noticed the slightly lower quality of this DVD.  Having said that, there are other features of this DVD that give it good production value.

The overall editing is great with lots of different angles, picture in picture, slow motion replays of fish striking the fly, closeups of fish and more.  There's a lot of "action" that keeps the 105 minute video going at a good pace.  It never lags or gets boring unlike some fly fishing videos.

Content

The DVD is mostly on stream.  There are sections where Dr. Ishigaki is simply talking to the camera that you won't be able to understand if you don't speak Japanese, but luckily, the majority of it shows him actually fishing.  Unlike many online tenkara videos, you can actually see the line in this video and despite the language barrier, it's pretty clear to see how Dr. Ishigaki is presenting the fly.  So even if you don't speak a word of Japanese, you can still garner some presentation tips just by watching what he's doing.  Though I still wish there were English subtitles because I just know he's saying something brilliant!

On an educational level, we might not be able to get the full benefit,  yet there is another level to this DVD.  Entertainment.  I just love watching people fish.  And the great on-stream footage combined with Dr. Ishigaki's enthusiasm is certainly entertaining.  At the 2012 summit, Dr. Ishigaki said he likes to think that he is the most enthusiastic advocate of tenkara in the world.  And that really comes through in this video, making it a joy to watch.

Also, if you've ever been curious about what types of rivers Japanese anglers fish, this is a good way to see what they look like.  There are a variety of water types throughout.

Is it worth it?

I really think the answer depends on who you are.

• Yes:  especially if you speak Japanese, are a more advanced angler and want to see a master in action, or want to see what tenkara fishing looks like in Japan (or just like watching other anglers like me).
• No:  if you're a new tenkara angler looking for basic instructional videos in English.  In that case, you'd be much better off with the Tenkara USA DVD.

Tenkara Hit Vision DVD Preview:

If you're interested in getting this DVD, they're available here for 3,570 yen (about $45 USD).