All the details from my trip to Japan on the 17th Oct 2008

Heading back down the mountains we stopped at Kawakami to see if they had any matsuba ogons for an order i need, the ones they had were just to small but saw a very nice shusui yonsai that i have put on the go back and look at list. Into Ojiya city and a visit to hasegawa famous for his kohaku, but we still could find the elusive 4 step that our customer wants. With a large shiro on the order book we then went to hosakai round the back of ojiya and was shown a stunning sansai but again just out of our range. Over the top of the mountain and a visit to Oofuchi and things went very well. On our trips the customer always has first choice so when i saw a great sansai shiro one of the group wanted the koi bowled, but it wasnt quiet big enough so into my box it went along with a stunning doitsu platinum ogon.

After that it was every man for himself, steve bought a stunning 40cm tancho sanke, graham an exellant sanke with a superb lustre. not to be undone i found a few orders and koi for the shop, all femake and all sansai, matsuba ogon, tancho sanke, two doitsu hariwakes, then Oofuchi showed us a pond with nearly a dozen tanchos all around 40cm and made me an offer i couldnt refuse so we came away with more koi than we had bought in a few days, HAPPY DAYS as a good friend of ours would have said.

Someone wanted to look at Asagis so we were near otsuka the home of niigata asagi, he had stunning examples but again was out so we popped into Torazo and were not disappointed, one of our party bowled a stunning sansai kohaku, myself I found a tiny 3 step and a 2 step that looked great but it was too late in the day to make a choice so we have reserved all untill the next day when we can return in good day light to see the koi properly. Although a few koi were bought there was a definate sign that the koi were getting cheaper as the week went on and i think from now on there should be lots of pics on the blog.

Sunday started off with a bit of headache as we had the new group arrive so they all wanted to go to the nogyosai show, so one hire car with 5 and a mini bus with 7 it was off to the show, as usual superb koi with an amazing kohaku taking gc.

Great to chillout and walk around the koi and meeting the breeders so many varietys and and most koi of very high quality.

After browsing around the fair for a couple of hours we then moved of to Dianichi and was surpised to find that some of the koi were affordable, expensive but affordable. I think this was one of the best breeders we had visited and being a showa lover i couldnt be any more at home!! A few hours were then spent around many differant breeders premises waiting for them to come back from the show to give us prices. Then it was time to return to Torazo to see the koi we had reserved in the day light, we were not to be disappointed. The quality was what we had come for and the prices were not to bad. First in the bowl was the little 3 step at around 35cm she looked superb, and duly purchased for the shop. The larger sister came in at around 50cm and just glistened and again was purchsed straight away.

We needed one more for the box when i remembered the tataegoi that one of the lads had been offered, so i asked if it was still available, that was bowled and i asked about any more tategoi and a massive 60cm nisai maruten was placed i front of us, the maruten had so much presance i loved it but we now had to many for the box and i was being greedy and none were going back, so I thought if these two are genuine tategoi he wont mind growing one on and ill take the three home with me, he instanty agreed and the deal was done. Which one stayed well, id have liked to have left the maruten at 60cm it had the chance to go through past 70cm and that would suit me, but it was agreed that the smaller one was better quality and would gain more value with a trip to the mud pond.

The larger two step like her lttle sister both show quality

New week new customers, Ron from kent, our nearly yearly regulars Rod and Diane and some new guests BKKS judge Heather and her husband Rodger. Now this was going to be interesting, as in the fact that roger has in my opinion so much knowledge and a great eye for koi i was worried that every time id bowl somthing would i be looking over my shoulder for an approving nod, or even a scowl and sharp whisling through the the teeth, the forth coming week would tell.

As per usual 1st visit was to see the agent and have a look around his facility. he really has an eye for the unusual and the varietys in stock were amazing including a whole pond of ki goi, doitsu kigoi, ki ustsuri, gin rin ki ustsuri and female and sansai, although not what we are looking for in the autumn, it was nice to see. A quick visit to Kase where we admired his lovely doitsu and metallics, then on to aoki who certainly knows how to charge for koi so we diddnt stay long. Then it was up to mushigame wherewe stopped to see Nagashima, this really is a nice guy and always has time to bowl a koi or two. I saw a nice showa with a near maruten head pattern to it before i knew it, it was bought from under my nose (thats right customer always has first option on our trips) feeling robbed i had a look at his bigger koi and found quiet a reasonable shiro utsuri, 65cm 4year old, when the price was given every ones head turned and said how much, it was one of those moments when the price was too low we thought there must be somthing wrong!!! but after checking the koi over and getting the seal of approval from roger and heather koi was purchased. Turns out the breeder sold the koi as jumbo tosai and the customer never returned to pick it up and he just wanted it out, well i guess one mans loss is another ones gain ! Afew fish in the main pond where priced and they really took your breath away, but with massive prices to match it was too early in the week for major purchses but i will try and get a few photos of these fish.

Higher up the mountains we found ourselves at Yagenji. I know i crow on about these place but it really has to be one of my favourites, there is always somthing for somone whatever the budget. Ron was first in with a great shiro with very good skin and again great price, even with the yen so bad still under 200 pounds out here! he then picked an unusual kindai showa and another shiro for his friend, so three koi in as many minutes ,another happy camper. Just as we were about to leave my eye caught an a 4 step kohaku, i pondered for a while as it had a large shimmie at the back, one group discussion later the koi was bowled and it was then dicussed that the shimmie could be dealt with, the koi was very nice and rogers 2nd, 3rd and 4th opinion where duly noted so the koi was purchased. if i make jokes about roger please exuse me as we go back along way and i have great respect for the man and his knowlegde but we have to have a laugh as well. Looking for somthing to go in a box with the kohaku ron finds a very very clean hi utsuri over 60cm, he really is on a roll and ticks another one off his list. As i look over his list i say, that wasnt on your list, you crossed off hi showa and wrote hi usturi and then put a tick next to it, he just replied i know it was just nice and i wanted it, cant argue with that can you! from there to sakai and another fav of mine, the dad is so friendly but now i think he is just there to cast an eye over the son whois know taking over. Im afraid this is where the trip took a bit of a dive and im including this so people realise. One of our group left an imposing kohaku in japan with sakai, we are now told that it has been lost, sakai im told will replace it, and im sure it will be as good or even better as i know he is a manof his word, this obviously doesnt help our customers disapointment but we have been asked to return and discuss when he has harvested later in the week.

This is the risk when you leave a koi in japan, when this happens its nobodys fault and everybodys loss, we just have to work for a good result for our client, which knowing sakai im sure we will.

Leaving the hotel and out onto the high way we came to our first stop Nogami. I have to say there where some nice kohku but i was desperate to see some showas, although the quality was there, nothing really jumped out at me, and this was felt amongst the group so nothing for us and off to kazuto to find a nice sansai sanke for one of the group. After much soul searching one was picked while everyone else just stood in awe at the serious quality of this guys koi. i think we are going back to look at the tategoi as most of the group may consider leaving one out there. Flying visits to maradoh, marasaka, hirasawa, all proved fruitless but had great koi just nothing shouting out loud. Just after lunch we went to visit mr hasegawa, he had stunning koi, and not to bad prices we saw excellant kohaku, then our agent pointed to a little 30cm male showa, its qualitys were excellant and was certainly show quality. Seeing a few other tasty little showa i saw a very good box of koi springing up, but before you could say "show qaulity" ron put his hand up and stated his intension to invoke the customers first rule and so it was good bye to said little showa and with that ron took one of the best other showa, so none for me again!!!!!!!!!!!! From here to jimbe where we priced up some nisai and sansai, our agent explained that how expensive jimbei koi are and we couldnt probably buy here, well one jumbo nisai sanke later and garys a happybunny, at nearly 60 cm not so expensive and one agent put in his place.

Before it got dark we thought we would visit hosakai once more, again the naisi were a little disappointing, but then he took us to a pond of sansai, what looked like nice quality, we got some prices but will return again tomorrow when it is light and the fish can be viewed correctly.

The last day today, so a little down in the mouth it was off to hoshikins to see his beautiful kohaku, and beautiful they were, but way out of reach for us. So we thought we would shoot over to kaneco and have another look at his kujaku, i thought a little over priced and couldnt see any i really liked, but it had given me the taste for a box of kujaku, so the hunt was on!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Up to masaki right up at the top of the mountain and he had one really nice one and other wise everything else i wasnt looking for. So down to tsuna he had none but some lovely gin goshikis, then round to hirasawa he had some 35-45cm ones at a giveaway price but i wasnt keen on the body shape. Every one now is laughing and to make it worse i am now driving the battle bus and its automatic which i have never driven in my life, stress level 6 and rising fast. Hirasawas son then takes me to a pond full of little kujakus around the 20cm, they are too small I cry much to the amusement of the group with me, they have spent all there money and find this hilarious. I have now made the quest for a box of kujakus the next most important job to finding the holy grail! kawakami, he had none, marasaka has some 65cm, ther are to big I scream, even the agent thinks its funny and is now making up made up breeders, stress at 7 and moving up fast. With three people trying to tell me how to drive an automatic and the lack of kujaku im through all levels of stress and now on self destruct the agent says, hmmmm, I believe Mardoh has kujaku shall we try there, I stare at him with disbelief and say why didnt you say before, he said you didnt want to go to maradoh today, I said that was before he had kujaku!!!!!!!!! oh well, its off to maradoh and a great selection of kujaku within ten minutes we have a box of very good quality kujaku, worth chasing around the mountains looking for, at this point I must say a big thanks to all on the trip, its been a great week and with heather and roger on board i think we have all learnt a bit, i now can pick a good kujaku..............lol.

Its 4 o clock and we are finished and driving back to the hotel, i wonder so many things as i drive back, i wonder how the shop is, how the wife and kids are, i think about beans on toast, the british economy, the yen rate, but as we drive back looking at the mountains for the last time the thing i really wonder is when will i be back to place that i love so much, the mountains dont answer, only i can, and i hope its soon......................

Gary