Mr Tanaka's Fishing Hour

Happy New Year, folks. I'm actually back in Tokyo, but I do have lots to share about what I've done during my trip down in the Kyushu area. There'll probably be a small burst of posts within a short amount of time, so heads up!

Mr Tanaka and I.

If I've learned one thing about Ken's father, Mr Tanaka, in the past week, it's that he's pretty passionate when it comes to fishing. The guy's got a whole room serving as a dedicated "fishing closet" and fishing poles tied to the top of his car. "Take us with you some time," Ken had offered one day, and he took us up on that and brought us along.
 "We're going minnow fishing. It's not difficult, nor is it easy, so it's just the right level for you guys," he had said as we were driving.
Mr Tanaka then explained to me how, although it isn't common practice to fish for such small species in America, it is relatively common practice in Japan. Of course, the way to do it is very different, requiring adapted bait and equipment.
He then brought us to what appeared to be a ditch on the side of the road. The weather was colder than what I had come to expect, and it wasn't long before my hands were shaking and red.

"That looks like the bait," you would say.

"This is how you can see if you're a true ninja," Mr Tanaka said, beaming. "A real ninja can resist the cold for a very long time." He laughed as he cast. Holding that thought into consideration, Mr Tanaka is probably a much better ninja than I.
 It was only thirty-five or so minutes in that I heard him excitedly shout "bite! Pull it out!" I didn't even notice at all. See, when a minnow takes your bait, you don't really get very strong feedback. But he had noticed the tiny ripple around my bobber.
 Sure as hell, I pulled my line out and had a minnow.
 "It's a miracle!" Tanaka beamed. "You are a true ninja!"
 Mr Tanaka, within the next thirty or so minutes, then proceeded to catch four of them himself. We returned home and put them inside a small fish tank. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the story of how I became a True Ninja, capital letters and all, complete with running nose and frozen hands.