In the West, fly-fishing rods were primarily made from wood
, that's heavy, so having long rods to reach spots where fish might be was tricky. Anglers started devising running line systems, where they could use shorter rods and longer lines. Eventually this led to the development of reels and the widespread use of shorter rods and reels. In Japan, bamboo, an incredibly light material, was available, so anglers could make very long rods without much concern for weight. Fly-fishing remained more pure, as it was in its origins, anglers in Japan could continue using the long rods and did not feel the necessity to invent running line systems and reels.