I try to put a lot of information on my site http://www.tenkarabum.com but you should also look at http://tenkarausa.com not only for basic information about tenkara but also a very active forum. One of the better blogs is http://www.tenkaratalk.com/. I also look at http://www.tenkaraonthefly.net/ and a few others that are partially tenkara and partially other topics. Both of those blogs have links to others that are worth a look as well. Being from Virginia, you also ought to look at Tom Sadler's blog http://middleriverdispatch.com/. Tom also offers guided tenkara trips, which would be a good way to see what it's all about.

Rods run anywhere from $45 to $80 at http://tenkaraflyfish.webs.com/, $85 to $100 at http://www.tenkara-fishing.com/index.html, $140 to $235 at http://www.tenkarausa.com/index.php and $345 to $415 for the rods I sell on TenkaraBum.com. Lines are roughly from $12 to $25. You can use the tippet and flies you have now as long as the tippet is 5x or thinner and the flies aren't particularly heavy or wind resistant. The average tenkara fly in Japan is probably a size 12 wet fly, although people here fish everything from beadhead nymphs to hoppers. Wet flies are deadly, though, so even if you're a died in the wool dry fly guy, give the wets a try.