Level line diameters range from 1.0-5.0 with 3.5 & 4.0 kind of being the standard diameter. Tenkara USA rods seem pretty well balanced with the 3.5 or 4.0. As a very general rule, the longer the line the lighter the line. The caveat for that rule is that all tenkara rods don't cast really light lines (2.0-3.0) the same.
According to my understanding, several Japanese rod manufacturers design different rods specifically for different level line diameters.
The method these manufacturers use is that the faster the action, the lighter the line. 8:2 being the fastest action tenkara rod being produced right now is designed to cast the 2.0-2.5 lines. That is my current understanding of how the Japanese companies design their rods, I may be wrong and hopefully Chris Stewart will jump in here and correct me if that is the case.
Diawa, Shimano, Nissin, and Sakura all make rods specifically designed for level lines and rods in the same model and length for taper lines.
I am using a 3.6m Nissin Airstage Fujiru in 5:5 flex designed for level lines and a Diawa Sagiri with the 12-24 ft Sempai lines I make. The slightly stiffer tips cast my fluorocarbon taper lines better and both rods handle 2.5 - 3.5 level lines really nice. For me, these particular rods are my best all-rounders. I have also been using a Diawa Kiyose 43MF for these really long lines and it is working great. The faster action will cast my 28, 32 & 40 ft Sempai lines much better. When I switch from taper lines to level lines, I have to remember to speed up my casting with the lighter level lines. I really like 3.0 for long level line (20+ feet) with my Nissin and Sagiri rods and 3.5 for Tenkara USA rods.
Hopefully Chris Stewart will chime in on this. He has most likely spent more time than anyone in the US testing and evaluating tenkara lines with the widest variety of rods and manufacturers.
There are also subtle differences in casting techniques using long lines. You can't use the same rhythm, stroke speed, or hand/arm position that you use for 10.5-13 ft lines. I keep my elbow low and close to my body and slightly raise the tip of the rod at the beginning of the cast to lift the line off the water and the casting stroke is still about 12-1:00 with a very fast strong stop and on the forward cast, I lower the elbow slightly,keeping the rod tip up, as I bring the rod tip forward and as the line lays out I raise the tip of the rod slightly to decelerate the fly and make a soft landing.
Here is a video of me casting a 32 ft Sempai line with a 13 ft Diawa Sagiri: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBrY_lSF6EM&feature=plcp
The back cast is exaggerated because this is a pretty soft rod and in order to get that much line up, I had to load the entire length of the rod.
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