JAPAN
maria hayward
some parts of the world. It’s a very busy operation – the koi must be packed in the middle of the night at least three times a week, with no time off the next day to sleep. Some breeders have many Japanese clients who can call up at weekends or through the week to chat and indeed select koi. They can spend an entire day going from breeder to breeder and then buying koi for their home ponds. Many Japanese and Asian clients will have
koi growing on in Japan so they will go to visit those fish, see how they are doing and get pictures. This is the best time to see them when they are not in the mudponds. There are many Japanese hobbyists who don’t even own koi ponds. They just own koi that they keep growing and growing. It is the size of the Japanese garden that dictates this.
life is busy in the
and done mainly with larger koi which include parent koi and such, but it does still go on, even with some of the biggest breeders.
catering for koi keepers
throughout the world Sometimes in the UK and Europe we forget that in other parts of the world it’s very warm. Asia is a huge market for koi and in December, January and February they are scouting the mountains looking for fish. That’s the beauty of living in a warm climate. They are also much closer to Japan so it’s mostly a short hop over to Niigata, or even a short weekend to see a few koi before flying home. Europeans are very envious indeed! Some breeders who operate in Niigata also accommodate the consolidated koi market and must have stock available 356 days a year for shipping. The numbers of koi they need to produce is massive. Hirasawa ships each week, every week to
mountains Foreign dealers from Europe start visiting the Yamakoshi area in very late February or early March. Tosai are plentiful and stocks of general grade koi are high. Now is the time for breeders to sell off their Tateshita and make room to select Tategoi for growing on in the summer. Pond after pond will be bought at many breeders all over Niigata and it’s a very busy time in the mountains. There are cars all over the place and there’s a real buzz in the air. It’s great to see and experience. Many dealers are back and selling the koi in the UK at the end of March and early April. This is when the breeders will start to select koi for the final cull to decide which will be kept to grow as a Tategoi and which to sell onto dealers and hobbyists who are also waiting for the final selection. The very thin line between Tategoi and Tateshita at this final stage is so close, the chances of getting a real Tategoi is better than any other time.
There are many Japanese hobbyists who don’t even own koi ponds
46 KOI CARP
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