Avid Bowhunter in Japan

[Barry Wensel]

This might be a strange request but I'm looking for an avid bowhunter in Japan. Either an American that lives, works or is stationed there. Or a Japanese native that speaks good English. I'm also interested in talking with any avid hunter who speaks fluent Japanese and English. I have a "yen" for this information. Thanks. BW

[Swamp Pygmy]

don't know that it helps much but many japanese go to hawaii to hunt. My friend on kuai sees them all the time.

[kurtbel5]

Do a search for "HERA" he lives in Tiawan and is a great guy and a killer boyer
          Kurt

[Montauks]

Barry,
  Perhaps you can ask that same question on these sites...

 http://www.kyudo.com/kyudo.html

 http://www.hdrjapan.com/photo-essay/hdr-japan/traditional-japanese-archery/


Gene

[BodarkOkie]

こんにちはバリー叔父さん、

何述べたいと思うか。細い棒稀な日本のイースタ 540;バニーをハンチングを起すか。  
       


Sorry Barry,

I just couldn't help myself.

[Rick McGowan]

I spent a lot of time in Japan and there are not many hunters there of any kind. I even thought about trying to organize some bow hunts there, they do have some game such as wild boar and on some of the smaller islands. They do have a lot of avid fisherman though and archery is popular.

[pucci]

I don't think bowhunting is legal in Japan. I wonder what do you have in mind?    :rolleyes:

[alligatordond]

Well ol' Don here is 1/2 Japanese and I still have family in Kyushu. Just looking for a reason to go back. Beautiful island.

[p1choco]

Not sure about any hunters but I know there is an Archery club and range on an Air Force base in Okinawa.

[bbassi]

After spending a week with Barry in Quebec I can only imagine what he's got cooking up in his head. Can anyone else see "I survived a Japanese whitetail boot camp" reality show in the making?    

[Barry Wensel]

Thanks for the feedback. My timing isn't very good. I'm driving back to Iowa first thing in the morning. Many moons ago I went to Tokyo and spoke with the All-Japan Hunters Club and the Tokyo Hunters Association regarding bowhunting (I had an interpreter). I lost all my contact info in my fire in '99. We were considering possibly doing an audio overlay in foreign languages of our pro-hunting DVD Primal Dreams to promote the sport in some less fortunate countries, where hunting is very restricted. Since there are no talking parts in the DVD/ production, lip-syncing wouldn't be necessary to share the prohunting message. Thanks. BW

[slivrslingr]

Hi Barry,
I live in Japan and have looked into hunting there extensively.  Bowhunting is illegal, rifle/shotgun hunting is not, although owning a gun is very restrictive.  Most Japanese don't know that owning a gun and hunting is even possible and there is very little recruitment of new, young hunters into the sport, most the hunters I've met are over 60.  I like your idea of promoting hunting there, but doubt they will ever change the law to allow bowhunting, you never know though.  I don't personally speak much Japanese, but know several Japanese that speak excellent English, so if you are interested in moving forward with your project, send me a message and I can contact you via E-mail.  

Chris

[Benny Nganabbarru]

There's that German chap living there. He makes selfbows and arrows, and wrote an article in TBM years ago about hunting goats on a visit to Australia.

[aromakr]

Uncle Barry:
I speak fluid Japanese! Sake !!!
No all kidding aside, my neighbor is Japanese. Born and raised in Hawaii but I'm not sure if he speaks the language, he is an archer and flint knapper also, I'll ask him.
Bob

[JohnV]

Uncle Barry, I'm kind of suprised that your expertise does not extend to speaking Japanese.  I remember your story of how you helped law enforcement at an airport when they were trying to understand what an irate Chinese man was screaming about.  You stepped forward and said "I speak Chinese" and then proceeded to translate...

[Rick McGowan]

Dang, John, I just realized Barry looks like he could have posed for the Budda statue I have on the shelf!

[Bard1]

*sigh* no he couldn't  Buddah wasn't fat.  He was skinny.  the fat statues that people see and mistake for buddah are in fact the chinese god of wealth and abundance and luck.

[Rick McGowan]

Well, I wouldn't tell a couple billion asians that, cause they got a LOT of fat Budda statues and EVERYONE I have met in asia calls them statues of Budda.

[Kevin Bahr]

Bard1, that explains a LOT!  Apparently Barry posed for the Buddha statues, after all he IS the American God of wealth, abundance and luck!

Do you think maybe "Barry" in Japanese translates to "Buddha"?

[DanB]

BW, I returned from Misawa Japan in April after four years there as a "family memeber" and retired Navy Chief.  We had a small group/organization of hunters on base at Misawa AFB. Bowhunting is illegal in Japan.  The only weapons allowed for hunting are rifle, shotgun, airgun and trapping. Since there is a requirement to have held a Blue Book for 10 years without incident before one could own a rifle, all americans hunted with shotguns and slugs. I did hunt for 3 years after spending the first year getting my "Blue Book" gun registration certificate and my hunting liscence. Japanese law prohibits citizens from owning/handling guns before the age of 21. Then there are a series of tests (shooting, game laws, and safety) that have to be completed before you can own a weapon.  Each Prefecture (state) has it's own liscense which runs about $350-400.

We did have great success hunting Sika deer on the northern island of Hoddaido.  The deer population there is not quite out of control but close.  They damage the crops and don't have a natural predator.  Average age of the Japanse hunters I knew was about 60 and it appears that hunting is not as popular with the young folks there.

DanB