Japan meets, Southern Missouri is something you don't hear very often (unless you are talking about foreign exchange students that don't know what they got themselves into) and then add France, Spain, and Czech Republic in there and your head is probably starting to spin. But lets start from the beginning....Tenkara. Tenkara is a Japanese fly fishing technique that found it's way to the states a few years ago. In short, all that is involved is rod, line, and fly....no reel. The rods are telescoping rods, much like the old fiberglass telescoping crappie "dappling rods" 
but with modern materials they come in at a mere 3.6 ounces...and that is the heaviest rod they have. Best fished in smaller, moving water the main style of fishing with this technique is high-sticking dry flies but heavy, big water and high sticking big nymphs kind of go hand-in-hand....enter France, Spain, and those Czechs. The first time I had a chance to fish a Tenkara rod was with a French/Spanish nymphing rig, leader of probably 20+' with 2 flies and the point fly being the heaviest that was handed to me by Kyle Kosovich, a guide buddy and general awesome fisherman. I was amazed at how much 'feel' that kind of fishing had. It is a lot like the first time a person really GETS a czech or polish rig on a regular rod....lightbulbs going off everywhere only all of this was happening all over again with this awesome new rod.
The conventional style of fishing these rods like I said above leans more toward dry fly fishing. But unless you have been under a rock for the last several years there is a craze toward "Czech Nymphing." Turns out Czech Nymphing in it's actual form is actually Polish Nymphing....but that is a different story. These forms of fishing were completely designed for the Fly Fishing World Championships because, basically, the rules state you cannot attach anything to your line besides knots and flies....no split-shot and no indicators. The competitors use a long rod up to 11+' and it is a total sight and feel type of fishing. Starting to see how these two totally different types of fishing could come together for awesomeness??
Meshing these types of fishing together is the 
easiest thing in the world and actually is so easy it is pitiful. Czech, Polish, Spanish, and French nymphing can wear on the shoulder as they are all a glorified version of high sticking....but a Tenkara weighing in at 3.5 ounces and NO REEL to add a ton of weight makes it so easy to work with a rod that is even longer to help that much more--again, up to 13 feet long!
Do yourself a favor and check out these Tenkara rods, starting at $135 you can'g go wrong. While you are at it be sure to check out Euro Nymping (I even Googled it FOR YOU with that link)
Nice report, and you are absolutely right. First time users are surprised by the "feel" you can get with a long rod and no heavy reel to deaden the sensitivity. For nymphing they beat a 9' fly rod hands down. You owe it to yourself to try one the way they're fished in Japan, though, - with a single unweighted wet fly. Then you'll really see what these rods can do.
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Great report! In doing research for an upcoming project, I find it odd how folks can't see that all fly angling owes something to a stick, string and fly.