A World Away: Comparing American and Japanese Tackle Shops

I couldn’t begin to estimate how many American tackle shops I’ve visited over the better part of five decades, but I can tell you that I’ve been to about half a dozen Japanese tackle retailers.

I can’t objectively evaluate all of the differences between American tackle retailers and Japanese shops because — for reasons I’m about to share — I was treated differently than the average customer.

And I’ll never really know what it’s like to be a Japanese angler because I don’t live and fish there, but I have a guess as to what it’s like for some.

My Japanese experience is very limited — a single trip a few years ago that lasted just a couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to going back very soon, though, and I have a great excuse for such a trip. My wife is from Tokyo.

If you’ve never been to Japan, you’re missing out. It’s an amazing place with lots to see and do, and the people there are extremely cordial and warm to Americans. In fact, Tokyo is a very American-friendly city. Much of the signage needed to navigate the giant metropolis is in English, and most of the people there — particularly the ones under 60 — speak or read at least some English.

When I was there, I was not yet the Managing Editor of FTR. At the time, I was the Senior Editor of B.A.S.S. Publications, the editor of Bassmaster.com, and my face was often shown on B.A.S.S.’s website next to my bylines or in videos. I can go into any tackle store in the U.S. without being recognized by anyone at all, but in Japan I was spotted right away.

Of course, part of it was that I stood a good half foot taller than the average Japanese tackle patron. It also didn’t hurt that I was wearing B.A.S.S.-branded clothing. Still, it was strange to be noticed and to be treated so differently.

I liked it, too. It was fun. Who knew that someone other than Bill Dance or Kevin VanDam would be noticed in a Japanese tackle shop?

But when I wasn’t fending off rabid fans or signing innumerable autographs (I am totally making this part up), I was noticing the differences between tackle stores in the U.S. and those in Japan. I finally broke it down into five main things:

(1) Japanese shops are — on average — much smaller.

No surprise here. Tokyo — where I did most of my looking — is not only the world’s largest city (32 million residents!) but also one of the most expensive. Retail space is at a premium, and it’s hard for fishing to compete with apparel or household goods or other sorts of products.

But the Japanese are experienced in such things. Working and living in smaller spaces has made them adapt. One of Tokyo’s nicknames is “the Vertical City.” With little room to spread out, they spread up … especially in retail space. The average Japanese tackle store is far more “packed” and has more stuff per square foot than the average American shop.

(2) Japanese shops are typically cleaner and better lit.

Being more packed with stuff is not a particular advantage in my eyes, though it probably means more efficient use of retail space. But being cleaner and better lit is a definite plus.

A clean, well-lighted place, just like Hemingway’s short story of the same name, is inviting. You want to go in and check it out. You want to explore. You want to buy something.

(3) Japanese shops keep longer hours.

Maybe it’s because the shops around them are open later, or maybe it’s because rent is so high, or maybe it’s just a cultural thing. Whatever the reason, Japanese tackle retailers keep the lights on and the doors open much later than we do here … and they have customers even into the late evening.

Part of that is certainly because there are 32 million people in Tokyo, but part of it is because that’s just the way it’s done. I can think of many times I arrived too late to shop at an American store and many more times I glanced at my watch and decided not to go at all because they were closing fairly early. And I’m not saying you should stay open longer. (You need some kind of life outside the store!) Just that any retailer in any industry should think about such things. Later hours might resonate with some customers in some areas. Just about every small retail tackle shop in America that I know closes at 6:00.

(4) Japanese retailers generally treat their customers with greater respect.

Again, my situation was not a normal one. As a big, fat American, I stand out in Japan. Wearing fishing shirts only added to that. I may have been treated very differently than the average Japanese customer, but speaking from the only point-of-view available to me, I can tell you that I felt absolutely valued when I shopped in Japanese tackle stores.

The proprietors there — with the exception of one Japanese celebrity angler and shop owner who was aloof and almost rude — were welcoming, accommodating and extremely helpful. There’s really no reason this kind of treatment can’t be rolled out for everyone everywhere.

(5) Fishing in Japan is extremely expensive.

You know all the expensive imported Japanese tackle we have here? I’m talking particularly about the high-dollar lures. Well, those same baits are just as expensive over there. But what’s eye-opening is that all the inexpensive stuff we think of as domestic tackle here is also super-expensive there, because it’s imported.

In Japan, you need to have some considerable resources just to be an angler. And if you’re a freshwater angler, you better really want it because just finding places to fish can be a challenge.

By the way, I can’t wait to go back.

A rising tide lifts all boats. Let’s be that tide.