Koi Hunting Blogs

Spring 2009 - Blog

2009-04-07T21:23:00.003+01:00

It's that time again for one of our regular buying trips to Japan.

Day 9

2008-11-13T02:24:00.004Z

Dainichi and ZNA Koi Show

It was to be a busy morning before I took the Shinkansen back to Narita. After checking out of the Ojiya Park Hotel I went to visit Dainichi Koi Farm.After buying some very high quality female showas from Dainichi earlier this year I was keen to buy some Kohaku.Amoungst the Kohaku were a few high quality Shiro Utsuri that had to be purchased.

Great quality kohaku and Shiro Utsuri, excellent beni and Marazome Kiwa.

Superb white skin and sumi.

A couple of other farms were visited before going to the ZNA Koi Show in
Ojiya.

The ZNA Grand Champion.

After the show it was back to Nogaoka Station and my journey home.

This trip was not going to be about buying many koi,but selecting koi of quality that will improve and develope.Many of the koi purchased all have great qualities both in their body shape and skin.The koi I had left in Japan were mainly Tosai and Nisai. With one exception (day 1) , I have been very pleased with the growth and qualities these koi are showing.I have already secured some great tosai to buy next year and leave in Japan,the cost of buying Tosai is not that expensive considering the size they will be at harvest time,look for quality of the skin and body then pattern last. Also take advice from the breeder he will always know his best future koi.

The koi will be arriving over the next two weeks, details will be send to all subscribers first then posted on the web site.I hope to see you soon.

Drew
Koi Waterlife

Day 8

2008-11-12T00:00:00.006Z

There is no rush in Niigata,with the Hotel only a few minutes drive to the mountainous area of Yamakoshi , you can take your time to visit many farms.The morning was spent visiting, Torazo, Sakasume, Igareshi and Isa. I will be going to Isa's nisai house after lunch as some superb koi had just become available.

A high quality selection from Sakasume.

I arriveed at Isa's at about 2pm and spent the next hour just looking at the many different grades of Nisai available.Isa's water is crystal clear so bowling koi was not necessary until you had decided on what to buy.

These two Females Showa's were bowled, both having good body line and skin quality.Isa's parents are huge this is one of his oyagoi from my visit to him in May

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A few more farms visited in the afternoon,then a visit to the smelliest koi farm in Niigata,Tazawa, this man is one of the nicest Koi breeders you will meet he breeds some of the best Harawake's, Kumonryu, Shusui,Kujaku you will find.When walking into his fish house it smells like a pig farm, he makes he own food with many special ingredients but mainly eggs! and with the weather warm that day I had to open some of the windows to get some fresh air while looking at the koi.But as soon as I turned to another tank the windows were immediately closed, Im sure he has no sence of smell.

A good selection of female Harawake's. Due to the soft water at his farm, the yellow on these koi will become very bright after a few months in England. Tomorrow is my last day and I will be going back to a different fish house of Dainichi Koi farm and also spending a couple of hours at the ZNA koi show held in Ojiya.

Day 7

2008-11-09T23:15:00.015Z

Arriving in Niigata

Arrived at 7.30pm checked into the Nagaoka Grand Hotel eager to update the blog, only to find that the only room available does not have internet access.I will have to wait until I get to Ojiya.I left the hotel early the following morning for the first of my three days in Niigata,first stop was Dainichi always a great place to start, two hours went very quickly, when there are so many quality go-sanke available to see.

These three Showa have all different qualities to them, one has excellent body shape, another great skin and the third a good pattern.When selecting koi this is the best way to buy Koi, body ,skin then pattern, to get all three is not easy and when you do find it you know the price is going to be high.It is always good to make a compromise and that is down to the individual.video quality not good.

This koi has excellent shape for a two year old,wide behind the gills but not too wide for the tail to pinch in, the weight is evenly distributed throught the body.

This koi has great skin quality, soft beni and good deep sumi,the skin has a very soft appearance which will thicken and improve with age.

This koi has a good pattern beni and sumi.

Pattern still developing but fantastic sumi and white skin. I would not be buying koi from Dainichi today that would come later in the week.

Other farms were visited included Marudoh where two Tategoi Yamabuki were bowled for a customer. His new fish house was superb,mainly stocking Sansai and Yonsai,including Kigoi,Kurasagoi, Kohaku, Showa, Shiro utsuri,Kajaku and Hi Utsuri.

Stunning Yamabuki, both female Nisai and 52cm excellent body shape these koi will grow very big.Parents nearly 90cm.

Superb Fukurin and skin quality.These two koi were priced at £1500 each,there were many available and I will definately be back in February to buy some.

A quick stop for lunch then to a few more farms, A visit to Yagenji and five female Yamabuki were purchased.Great body shape and skin and very good value.

Also bowled was a very nice Shiro Utsuri 45cm Female Nisai.Excellent white skin and body shape. The light was fading now so it was a short drive back to my hotel in Ojiya,arriving back at about 5.30pm there was a couple of hours before dinner to update the blog and reply to e-mails.

Day 6

2008-11-08T10:59:00.008Z

Isawa Nishikigoi Centre

It was a beautiful morning in Isawa unlike last years visit to Matsunosuke when it rained for the whole day and prevented us from seeing everything on offer, Most of Toshio Sakai's ponds are outside so today was going to be a great opportunity to see more koi than last year.I aws taken to a fish house about 10 mins drive from his main facility,this is where he kept many of his customers koi. I was keen to see how the two Kohaku I purchased last year had developed.

Customers Fish House.

The first koi bowled was the Nisai Kohaku,now measuring 65cm and with a much fuller body ,she has developed superbly,the skin quality is very good and she has beautiful soft beni.

Last years picture.55cm

Great body shape and excellent beni

Next a few other koi were bowled to be measured and photographed,

A Yamabuki, yonsai 85cm Toshio thinks this koi will make 1 meter ,it has incredible fukurin and body.

One koi I asked to see was this superb Tategoi Ai Goromo only 2 years old and 52cm, she was superb and is staying at the farm for another year I will be back to see the development.

My other koi was at the main facility and we went there next to see how she had grown, I purchased her at 64cm as Sansai and was hopiong she would be at least 70cm, I was not dissapointed, she is now 73cm and has superb skin and beni,growing this much in one year is good news for future growth.

These were the last two koi I had growing in Japan, there is always a risk involved when leaving koi, but it is also very rewarding, of the fourteen koi that had been left only one had been a dissapointment. There are many factors that determine the growth and sometimes it can be dissapointing but there is always excitement and anticipation when you finally see them.

Also purchased on the day were these female nisai Chagoi and Yamambuki, the Yamabuki are from the same parents as the one photographed above. Great quality and price and excellent koi to grow very big.

My final purchase of the day were these high grade nisai.Goshiki,Gin Rin Goshiki,Kohaku,Showa and Gin Rin Showa.

It had been a good day and at 3.30pm I started the long drive to Niigata.

Day 3, 4 and 5

2008-11-04T14:43:00.013Z

Day 3

Two new farms were visit one in Okayama and one in Shikoku Island, more information about these farms will be available during the next few months.

Day 4

After leaving very early I arrived at Isawaonsen station 6.30hours later to be met by Hajime Sakuma and his brother Hitoshi,I was quickly taken to Hiroi koi farm and spent about 1 hour there looking for some Goshiki but unfortunately there wasn't anything of the quality I was looking for,so it was a quick drive to Sakuma koi farm to have a look at this years harvest as the light was starting to fade I was looking forward to seeing four koi that had been left at Sakuma Farm, two from last years harvest and two female jumbo tosai purchased in May this year.I was shown these koi but it was decided to photograph the next day.

Day 5

I left the hotel at 8.30am and went to Sakuma koi Farm,the first thing was to bowl and photograph the koi mentioned earlier.

The first to be photographed was this 3 year old Gin Rin Showa purchased last year as a two year old.Now measuring 58cm with a much improved body shape.Having only been harvested in the last week, the quality of the skin is very good and will still improve further. The second koi was this excellent yonsai Gin Rin Sanke,now measuring 67cm. The sumi is low due to its time in the mud pond but it can easily be seen under the skin.

Next to be bowled were two Female Jumbo Tosai purchased in may of this year.Measuring 40cm(see above pics)

Both koi had developed well with a much improved body shape and now measured 52cm. After all the photographs had been taken,I was shown the rest of this years harvest,there were some excellent Koi for sale from Nisai to Yonsai, but I explained to Hajime that as he has changed he brood stock and introduced new blood , I would be more interested to see the tosai next year.

So after lunch it was off to Maruyama Koi Farm.

Arrived at Maruyama and selected some excellent Nisai Kohaku and Showa.

I then went to another koi house to select more showa it was turning into a very good day!

Both these Nisai Female Showa have low sumi at the moment but having just been harvested this will improve,both very striking in appearance,with good body shape and lustre to the skin.It was a good day at Maruyama and with still more ponds to harvest i will be back again in the spring.Tomorrow I was going to see Toshio Sakai and see how two kohaku had developed during the past year.

Day 2

2008-11-03T13:55:00.024Z

Oishi Day

In May this year I purchased 15 Oishi Tategoi Sanke from a pond of 100, pictures of these koi can still be seen on the website.The remaining koi were kept in one of Masakki Oishi's best and largest mud ponds and harvested a week ago.This pond contains a mix of Sanke and Kohaku,the size of these Nisai are 48cm-52cm.Some of the Sanke I didnt buy in May can be seen in this pond.Click picture to enlarge.

Now measuring on average 50cm the growth has been excellent since putting them in the mudpond as 20cm Tosai,you can see from the pictures that Oishi's main aim is to produce beautiful pattened koi with excellent colour and quality.Two Kohaku from another pond but the same parents were bowled.One is Male the other Female.The Male is 180,000 yen Female 280,000 yen.Priced in Yen due to fluctuating exchange rate.

Two Nisai Kohaku

After spending time viewing more Nisai it was decided to look at this years Tosai.It was a short walk to the Tosai house and after a couple of hours these seven Tategoi were selected.

Other very high quality Tosai were selected mainly kohaku.The rest of the afternoon was spent discussing his sansai and yonsai harvest due at the end of November and viewing more of his Tosai and Nisai.

The main koi facility at Oishi Koi Farm.

Day 1

2008-10-26T23:37:00.085Z

Arrived at Okayama at 9.15am and was keen to see how nine Tosai Sanke I bought in May had developed during a Summer in the mud pond.It was about 1 hours drive to meet with Toshiji San and after a quick coffee and a chat about this years Harvest it was time to see the results.

This koi was 18cm and showing good skin quality and pattern,with plenty of sumi under the skin,much of this sumi will fade as the koi grows leaving a nicely ballanced pattern, the breeder liked this koi alot but at the time too young to sex.

This was a koi that did exactly what the breeder had suggested,the sumi has reduced and the shiroji and beni is outstanding.The growth rate has been impressive also now measuring 33cm.Having recently been harvested the sumi pattern will improve over the coming months when in a concrete pond.

Koi No 2

At 17cm when purchased this koi has grown to 33cm. You can see how much sumi under the skin was showing,I dont like Sanke's with too much sumi over the body but after a discussion with the breeder I decided to buy it.

The skin quality is excellent and beautiful soft beni.With excellent body shape and clear head pattern,this was one on the breeders favourites.It hasn't been decided yet if this koi will stay for another year.This time a Female.

Koi No 3

This Koi has very high quality skin, I was unsure this Koi was for the UK market because the head pattern was a bit far back, but decided to buy as it showed all the qualities for a good future.

I was not dissapointed the skin quality is superb with great body shape.Measured at 33cm and Female I was having a good day so far!! What could go wrong!.

Koi no 4

Not much to say about this koi,it just lost the pigment in the skin but did grow the biggest 35cm.

Koi no 5

This koi has a very nice pattern and good white skin,it was the biggest at 19cm.

The koi had improved well with excellent beni and the white skin is stunning.It had grown well to 34cm.Male.

Koi No 6

Showing good potential as a 16cm Tosai with high quality beni.

Some of the Sumi has gone but this is common when koi are in the mud pond,once moved to a concrete pond the sumi will come back.Excellent white skin and has grown to 32cm. Female.

Koi No 7

This koi has a very full beni pattern,but as it has grown the pattern is breaking at the back and more white skin is showing.17cm as tosai

Harvested at 31cm Male.The skin quality is very good and the pattern is developing very well.

Koi No 8

With high quality skin and good sumi showing on the white body I was looking forward to seeing this koi as Nisai.18cm

The koi has superb skin and excellent beni,a very ballanced pattern and good shape.33cm.Male

Koi 9

With more sumi than most of the other koi,this was Toshiji Sans recommendation.16cm

This koi has developed well with excellent beni,measuring 34cm was one of the biggest.Male or Female the breeder couldnt be sure.

It was a good morning and I was very pleased with the results,these koi had only been harvested a few days before so there is still alot more quality to show through.There are no guarantees with any koi especially Tosai but with good advise from the breeder and some good luck you can end up with great Nisai at a very reasonable price.

Due to late harvesting I have no new pictures of any Sanke from Toshiji so here are a few pictures of last years harvest.

These koi are Sansai and Yonsai and are from 64cm to 75cm.The Nisai above are from the same male parent but a different female,Toshiji feels that similar growth rates can be achieved,under the right conditions.

Tomorrow I will be going to Oishi Koi Farm to see how the Tategoi I viewed in May had developed.

Autum Harvest 2008

2008-10-18T14:19:00.003+01:00

Watch this space........

Day 10 Dainichi

2008-05-23T09:04:00.023+01:00

I woke up to a beautiful day and the views across the valley were stunning.I was already packed and ready to check out as my final morning would be spent at Dainichi Koi Farm.

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It was a morning coffee and a chat with Futoshi Mano before taking the short walk to his tosai house where one pond of about 200 koi would be netted for me, all these koi were sexed recently and all were female but they would be checked again after my selection.

I had fifteen koi in total and then it was time for the sexing to be done.I wanted to learn more about sexing of koi as this is a very big issue at home at the moment,I watched carefully as each Koi was checked first the gills and pectoral fins.

Then the vent is checked after this any doubt and the Koi is rejected, only one koi out of fifteen was rejected.

The reject a shame because the quality was excellent.Here are the fourteen that are female, all these koi will come with certificates and photographs.

Buying high quality koi at Dainichi always gives you a good feeling, you know the quality of the koi you are buying and the potential they have,there have been many memorable days on this trip buying Koi, but also alot of time spent talking with many breeders in the South and in Niigata more information about these meetings will be made clear in the next few weeks and will be posted to all subscribers.Detailed information on customer trips to Japan and new products will follow.

The start of my journey home.

Day 9

2008-05-22T09:16:00.022+01:00

I checked out of my hotel as tonight I would be staying at the Hotel Sanrolla,I had not stayed here before as it is set in the Hills and not close to any shops , restaurants or train station. I went to several farms today, but I shall list the main ones of interest.

Oofuchi had many nisai available and I selected the following koi all between 30 and 40cm and great value.

Next it was to Maruju a high quality farm for Goshiki, Budo Goromo ,Showa and others. In his main Tosai house he has some stunning Tosai unfortunately these were not available to select today but we did have time to chat and discuss many things including his parent koi which he bowled some for me and details of he spawning practice which he will start later this month.

Parent Koi

Later that day brief appointments were made at Igareshi Kazuto, Hirasawa and Yagenji,then it was back to the Hotel to collect my bags and go to the Hotel Sanrolla Rolan a popular hotel with the Japanese lying in the hills in Kawaguchi.

Tomorrow is my final day and will be meeting Mano Futoshi of Dainichi Koi Farm at 9am

Day 8 Going to Niigata

2008-05-21T06:10:00.007+01:00

I Left the hotel very early for the last time to take the 7am flight from Okayama to Haneda. It was only a one hour flight and on arriving was met by Nobuaki and Yasushi two people I first met at the Oishi Koi Farm auction last year, who would be arranging for me to spent more time with some breeders in Niigata to gain better knowledge and to improve my search for very high quality koi during future visits.

On arriving in Niigata it was lunch at a noodles bar then a visit to Izumiya one of the most famous men in Niigata and the current President of the Shinkokai after a good meeting with him and arranging for some Yamabuki at this years harvest it was off to his Tosai house..

It was very good of Senichi Mano to personally select some koi for me and I learnt much about selecting small Tosai

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Next it was to Isa Koi farm a breeder of very high quality Showa.After a drink and a chat he showed me his best Female Oyagoi (parent fish) and gave me some information about his breeding schedule and said he will contact me regarding the best times to arrive during the Harvest.I thanked him for his time and then it was to Shinoda for some tosai that had been arranged for me to select. There were about 200 koi in total and I selected one box.Isa's best Female parent Showa

Shinoda Tosai

After a busy day it was back to the hotel and straight out for diner. Tonight I would be meeting with Hoshikin, one of the youngest Koi Farm Presidents in Niigata. There was much discussion about Hoshikins koi and a possible visit to England later this year.

One of Hoshikins parent koi

Hoshikin is very famous amoungst top hobbyists in Japan for producing superb pattened Jumbo Tosai Kohaku with excellent white skin. I was shown some of his tosai that will be going to the mud ponds later this month and was very impressed, he then took me to his main fish house and showed me some of his Oyagoi, you can see the pride he has in these koi and the determination he has to produce better and better koi.

I hope tomorrow brings results as pleasing as today.

Day 7 Momotaro Auction

2008-05-18T14:52:00.011+01:00

It was only a 30minute drive to Momotaro Koi Farm and the Auction was due to start at 10am,just enough time for a chat with other dealers as we looked over the 60 koi that were to be sold.

A brief introduction was made explaining that all the koi will remain with Momotaro until harvest time when they will all be judged and the trophies will be provided by one of Japans most famous pottery artists.

The auction started and the Sanke were the first to go, followed by Kohaku and Showa, the procedure is very simple,you are given a wooden spoon with your Auction number and you all raise your spoon and the last person to keep his hand raised buys the koi, it all happens very quick. You dont have to worry about understanding the price it is easy to follow`with all the prices on a board and somebody pointing at them as the price is called, but turn away and you may have missed the koi you want.

The koi are pushed up and down between the customers while the bidding takes place

It didnt take long and the auction had finished in just under two hours, other cheaper koi were also sold and were taken by the dealer.

I will be returning later this year to see the development of these Tosai and the judging. By 12pm everything had been sold the barbeque was lit and then a couple of hours of koi chatting before I left to go back for my Tosai Sanke.

I thanked President Maeda for inviting me to the auction and to have the opportunity to buy some fantastic koi

I selected this small Tosai from a pond of about 80 koi, growing small Tosai is only possible from some breeders if you buy their best, so only time will tell how well I have done,all Tosai have a risk involved but if you buy well the the reward can be superb.After a superb day it was back to the hotel as tomorrow I would be leaving early for Niigata.

If you want to see any of the koi in the auction they are still on the Momotro website at http://www.momotaro-koi.org/english/

Day 6

2008-05-18T13:13:00.003+01:00

Not a koi day today had a few appointments in Hiroshima but I did have time to go to Matsue Nishikigoi Centre in Shimane, he had some superb Tategoi Tosai and Nisai but they had all been sold, he did however take the time to bowl a couple of Tosai and a Yonsai, and we had a good chat about his koi and discussed my return later this year .

After lunch I purchased some smaller tosai and looked forward to visiting again .I arrived back at my Hotel late that evening and managed to spend a few minutes looking at the Momotaro Auction web site before the internet failed again!

Day 5 Sanke Day

2008-05-14T23:50:00.027+01:00

Woke up to a beautiful day and a great view of the Momotaro Stadium,

The first farm to visit was Oishi Koi Farm,I would be here most of the day as he had several tosai ponds with some superb koi for sale, First selection were these high quality Sanke and a few Kohaku.Thirty Eight in total were purchased and more pictures will be available soon.

I have been to Oishi koi farm many times over the past 18 months and have wanted to buy some of his best koi for a while, he is very famous in Japan and sells out very quickly,I was fortunate to have one pond of about 100 left for me to select from, the remaining 85 would be graded and a high percentage would be put into the mudpond until November.The quality of these koi is superb anybody who has seen the Oishi Koi at the shop we know how good they are..More Pics Click here

All the koi were photographed and measured and certificates will be issued.Further information about these koi will be sent to all subscribers during June

After an excellent few hours at Oishi Koi Farm it was an hours drive to another top quality Sanke breeder.He also has one of the largest collections of Bonsai's I have seen.

My last two visits here were ok but I was looking for some very high grade Sankes I knew he produced. I did see some high quality San sai and Yonsai and an amazing (hachisai) 8 years Sanke 92cm

There were some nice tosai and nisai but not what I was looking for so after about 40 minutes it was time for a coffee, with no where else to go there was no rush ,so plenty of time to look at the koi magazines and chat.After a few minutes a showed him pictures of the type of Sanke I like and asked him the best time to visit him at harvest.He liked the Sanke I showed him and then got up and said this way. Twenty minutes later I had photgraphed and bowled 4 superb Sansai and Yonsai ,the quality in these koi was stunning and everything I hoped to see.I told him I would return in the Harvest and look forward to buying some Female Nisai from him.Then he asked would I like to grow on a Tosai from his Tategoi tank.My answer was an immediate yes and it was decided to return after the Momotaro Auction on the 15th as the light had now faded.

The yonsai

It was a long day but a good one , its just a shame that it has taken me so long to load this Blog,I am now in Niigata staying in Ojiya,with excellent connection.So i hope to update a lot more over the next few days.,

Day 4

2008-05-13T14:43:00.010+01:00

A few pictures today as I travelled from Okayama to Ehime on Shikoku Island,I have been to a number of farms in this area and today I would be meeting with Garyu, a very friendly and genorous breeder who produces superb Kumonryu,Harawake and Showa and has offered to take me to a good friend of his who produces many top show winning koi.

The main bridge linking Shikoku Island and the main land,Completed in 1988 the construction went on for 9 years and costing over 1 trillion yen making it one of the greatest engineering feats of the century. The bridge measures 12.3km in total with the part of the water measuring 9.4km.The railwayline runs beneath the main road.

The gardens and shops

Arrived at Garyu koi farm after lunch and selected a few tosai

Not a busy Koi buying day today but a good one meeting new people,tomorrow I will visit 2 farms the first being Oishi Koi Farm where I have some very interesting tosai Sanke waiting for me.Then on to see a very good Sanke breeder near Okayama,very famous for his Bonsai's also!.

Day 3

2008-05-11T15:58:00.027+01:00

Back to Sakuma's first thing to photograph my customers koi but they were proving a little difficult to find........
the search continued!...

and continued.....then finally they were bowled.

A superb Gin Rin Showa Nisai and Gin Rin Sanke Sansai.Both these koi will be remain in Japan until harvest time.

Time for a quick chat and coffee

Back to Isawaonsen station at 12.30pm for the journey to Okayama,unfortunately there wasnt time to experience the new foot spar built outside that was being enjoyed by Japanese travellers.

Arrived at Okayama at 6.30pm and went straight to the Hotel which would be my base for the next 4 days.

Day 2

2008-05-10T17:22:00.045+01:00

Woke up far too early, just didnt want to miss the 7am Train to Isawaonsen where I would be meeting Toshi Nakamori and Hajime Sakuma.It was raining heavy but hoped it would be the usual sunny weather when I got to Sakuma koi farm.

Yes it was still raining and first I would be going to Hiroi Koi farm for small small Tosai

I left Hiroi's at about 10.30 and had a 5 minute drive to Sakuma Koi Farm, Sakuma had already selected his best Jumbo Tosai for me and also recently harvested one of his Jumbo Tosai growing on ponds,I was really looking forward to seeing some great koi his Jumbo Tosai are getting bigger every year ,average size this year is an amazing 40cm.

A few of the Tosai Selected.More Pics Click here

Last year I selected 2 Jumbo tosai to be grown on until the Harvest, this year I have done the same, both of these Showa are female and 40cm, Hajame Sakuma estimates that these could be about 55 to 60 cm in October,The First showa has a great body shape and good development already, the second in Hajame's opinion will be the bigger Koi who am I to argue but I look forward to the results in 6 months time.

We would return the next day to bowl and photograph a customers koi purchased during last years harvest trip and to select a few more cheaper Tosai, these pictures will be shown on the Koi Waterlife website under "blog". It was then back to the Hotel (some of you will be familier with this Hotel),to check e-mails and get ready for dinner at the Local Chinese, during this meal Hajame told of some new parent koi he will be breeding from very soon.Another early start the next day and then the long journey to Okayama.

More Pics Click here

Day 1

2008-05-10T14:47:00.002+01:00

Day 1

Arrived at Narita Airport early evening and after a short journey on the Narita Express arrived at my Hotel in shinjuku at about 10pm,Just time to sort out a few e-mails before going to bed as tomorrow would be an early start.

DAY 1

Customer Trips To Japan

2008-05-06T20:12:00.002+01:00

Customer trips to Japan

Nishikigoi

2008-05-04T00:34:00.001+01:00

Nishikigoi, commonly referred to as "Koi" are the national fish of Japan, therefore the fish's name is derived from the Japanese language.

"Nishiki" is the Japanese word used to describe a highly coloured cloth. "Goi or Koi" is the Japanese name for carp. Together, therefore "Nishikigoi" is derived from coloured carp.

However, as koi keeping has become more popular throughout the world, people now refer to these species as "Koi".

Nishikigoi, commonly referred to as "Koi" are the national fish of Japan, therefore the fish's name is derived from the Japanese language. "Nishiki" is the Japanese word used to describe a highly coloured cloth. "Goi or Koi" is the Japanese name for carp.

Together, therefore "Nishikigoi" is derived from coloured carp. However, as koi keeping has become more popular throughout the world, people now refer to these species as "Koi".Nishikigoi, commonly referred to as "Koi" are the national fish of Japan, therefore the fish's name is derived from the Japanese language. "Nishiki" is the Japanese word used to describe a highly coloured cloth. "Goi or Koi" is the Japanese name for carp. Together, therefore "Nishikigoi" is derived from coloured carp. However, as koi keeping has become more popular throughout the world, people now refer to these species as "Koi".

2008-04-30T00:29:00.001+01:00

2008-04-29T23:38:00.001+01:00