Koi Tours All Updates

42nd AJNPA All Japan Nishikigoi Show Major Winners Pics

2011-01-28T00:00:00+00:00

Pictures of all the Major Award Winners of the 42nd AJNPA All

42nd AJNPA All Japan Nishikigoi Show Kokugyo Winners Pics

2011-01-28T00:00:00+00:00

Pictures of all the Kokugyo (Best in Size) Winners at the 42nd

42nd AJNPA All Japan Nishikigoi Show Sakura Winners Pics

2011-01-28T00:00:00+00:00

Pictures of all the Sakura (Best in Size excluding Go Sanke and

42nd AJNPA All Japan Nishikigoi Show Best In Variety Winners Pics

2011-01-28T00:00:00+00:00

Pictures of all the Best In Variety Winners at the 42nd AJNPA

Busy Day In Yamakoshi

2011-01-24T00:00:00+00:00

Today was an extremely hectic one trying to get around a lot

Arrived in Snowy Nagaoka

2011-01-23T00:00:00+00:00

After various delays and hindrances I finally arrived in Nagaoka this afternoon

2011 AJNPA All Japan Wakagoi Show Dates

2010-11-28T12:00:00+00:00

It has now been confirmed that the 29th AJNPA All Japan Young Koi (Wakagoi) Show will be held on 9th - 10th April 2011

2011 AJNPA All Japan Show Dates

2010-11-28T00:00:00+00:00

It has now been confirmed that the 42nd AJNPA All Japan Combined Nishikigoi Show will be held on 29th - 30th January 2011

End of The Autumn 2010 Trip

2010-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

Well after a fantastic few weeks in Japan I am finally back

More New Signs In Yamakoshi

2010-11-04T00:00:00+00:00

Well it seems that this year new signs in Yamakoshi are the

2010 Kato Harvests Day 2

2010-11-03T00:00:00+00:00

This morning we arrived at Nogamis koi house just after 9am ready

2010 Kato Harvest Party

2010-11-03T00:00:00+00:00

Having spent the remainder of the afternoon closely looking at Kato sans

2010 Kato Harvests Day 1

2010-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

Today was the first of the annual two day event when Masao

New Signs In Yamakoshi

2010-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

As I drove up into Yamakoshi this morning I finally came across

50th Niigata Nogyosai 2010 Day 2

2010-10-31T00:00:00+00:00

Fortunately the weather today was much better than yesterday meaning the second

50th Niigata Nogyosai 2010 Major Awards

2010-10-31T00:00:00+00:00

As promised here are the pics of all the major award winners

50th Niigata Nogyosai 2010 Day 1

2010-10-30T00:00:00+00:00

Today was the first day of the 50th Niigata Nogyosai 2010, one

50th Niigata Nogyosai 2010 Banquet

2010-10-30T00:00:00+00:00

As soon as I left the Niigata Nogyosai show I had a

Koi Breeder Interviews

2010-10-29T00:00:00+00:00

Today I spent most of the time visiting breeders to gather information

Tategoi Lesson

2010-10-28T00:00:00+00:00

Today was another wet and miserable day which unexpectedly turned into a

2010 Yagenji No 1 Harvest

2010-10-27T00:00:00+00:00

This morning I was up and ready bright and early as it

A Day With Sugarloaf Koi

2010-10-26T00:00:00+00:00

Having had to rearrange my plans a little following my aborted trip

Nishikigoi Niigata Direct Super Jumbo Nisai Harvest

2010-10-25T00:00:00+00:00

This morning my plan had been to head down to Isawa to

44th Ojiya Koi Show 2010

2010-10-24T00:00:00+00:00

Today was going to be a busy day, attending 2 koi shows,

57th Nagaoka Koi Show 2010

2010-10-24T00:00:00+00:00

After leaving the Ojiya show a little later than planned I made

2010 Matsunoske No 1 Harvests

2010-10-23T00:00:00+00:00

Today was another one of those special days during the Autumn trip,

2010 Yamakoshi Earthquake Celebration

2010-10-23T00:00:00+00:00

As I've mentioned in the past each year I like to attend

2010 Matsunosuke Banquet

2010-10-23T00:00:00+00:00

Having left the Earthquake ceremeony I had to make a rapid drive

Yamanaka Oya

2010-10-22T00:00:00+00:00

Today we had a few specific things to do as Gene and

Shintaro No 1 Harvest

2010-10-21T00:00:00+00:00

Although I am fortunate enough to be able to attend many harvests

Nishikigoi Niigata Direct Champion Pond

2010-10-20T00:00:00+00:00

Early this year Oomo san had emailed me in the UK inviting

Sekiguchi

2010-10-19T00:00:00+00:00

Today we made our way over to Uzawa which is about 80km

Yamakoshi

2010-10-18T00:00:00+00:00

Well a very hectic day today beginning with a bit of running

Local Koi Shows

2010-10-17T00:00:00+00:00

Today was the opportunity to visit a couple of the local koi

Shintaro Nisai Harvest

2010-10-16T00:00:01+00:00

As I mentioned in the last blog entry from the Marudo harvest

Marudo Harvest

2010-10-16T00:00:00+00:00

This morning Gene Winsted from Koi Village joined me along with one

First Harvest Of The Season

2010-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

When I woke up this morning it was raining heavily so I

Arrived in Japan

2010-10-14T00:00:00+00:00

Well I've finally arrived in Nagaoka for another Autumn visit after quite

Autumn 2010 Japan Trip

2010-10-05T00:00:00+00:00

Our dates have been finalised for the Autumn 2010 trip

50th Niigata Nogyosai Show Dates

2010-09-09T00:00:00+00:00

It has now been confirmed that the 50th Niigata Nogyosai will be held on 30th - 31st October 2010

Yamakoshi With koi Village Day 5

2010-04-09T00:00:00+00:00

Had a very busy day today selecting koi from a few breeders

Selecting Shintaro Tosai

2010-04-08T00:00:00+00:00

Today was great day from the moment my alarm went off, despite

Yamakoshi With Koi Village Day 3

2010-04-07T00:00:00+00:00

This morning we left bright and early at 08:30 as we had

Yamakoshi With Koi Village Day 2

2010-04-06T00:00:00+00:00

First stop this morning was the camera shop in Nagaoka where Read more...

Back In Niigata With Koi Village

2010-04-05T00:00:00+00:00

So now I am back in Nagaoka and this morning I went

Maximum Exposure at the 2010 Wakagoi Show

2010-04-04T00:00:00+00:00

Well after a great night last night at the show party and

28th All Japan Young Koi Show 2010 Winning Koi Pictures

2010-04-04T00:00:00+00:00

I am struggling to find time to sort through all the pictures

28th All Japan Young Koi Show 2010 Day 1

2010-04-03T00:00:00+00:00

This morning I had a quick breakfast before making the short walk

An Exclusive Evening With The Breeders

2010-04-03T00:00:00+00:00

After returning quickly to the hotel to drop of the camera equipment

Destination Tosu City

2010-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

This morning we were in no rush as we would be spending

A Visit To Takigawa And Yamatoya

2010-04-01T00:00:00+00:00

Today we were going to be visiting two koi farms which I

Spring Ike Age

2010-03-31T00:00:00+00:00

Today was certainly something I wasnt expecting to be on the itinerary

Momotaro Auction

2010-03-30T00:00:00+00:00

What a great way to start my tour of the breeders in

Travelling Down South

2010-03-29T00:00:00+00:00

Well today was a pretty sad day from a koi point of

An Update On The Nexus At Shintaro

2010-03-28T00:00:00+00:00

Spent a couple of hours with Saito san this morning as I

Second Day in Yamakoshi

2010-03-27T00:00:00+00:00

After yesterdays bad weather I woke up this morning expecting to see

First Day in Yamakoshi

2010-03-26T00:00:00+00:00

Surprisingly I managed to sleep through until 6am this morning, however when

Arrived in Japan

2010-03-25T00:00:00+00:00

Once again I had a pretty uneventful journey to Japan

April 2010 Full Booked

2010-02-26T00:00:00+00:00

We have now confirmed the dates for our April 2010 trip which is already fully booked !!!

A Visit To Tani Koi Farm

2010-02-12T00:00:00+00:00

This morning I checked out of the Grand Hotel and made my way

Shintaro Tategoi Tosai

2010-02-11T00:00:00+00:00

So today was my last day in Niigata as I am travelling back

Last Day Of Koi Hunting

2010-02-10T00:00:00+00:00

Today was our last day of general hunting for koi, as tonight Joachim

A Day of Wet Nets

2010-02-09T00:00:00+00:00

Following on from yesterday Joachim and I spent another day today looking at

Always Take Your Camera

2010-02-08T00:00:00+00:00

Having spent a very intensive three days taking pictures and video at the

And So Another Show Ends

2010-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

This morning I was once again at the show early for the same

An Intensive Day Behind The Lense

2010-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

This morning I was up bright and early to get to the show

Kato San Wins The 41st All Japan Show 2010 With a Dainichi Kohaku

2010-02-05T00:00:00+00:00

Today I was up bright and early full of excitement for judging day

A Special Invitation

2010-02-04T00:00:00+00:00

This morning we were spending a few hours in Yamakoshi before making our

Heavy Snow Today

2010-02-03T00:00:00+00:00

Well it was snowing when I left Nomoles last night and it was

What A Difference A Day makes

2010-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

Yesterday whilst I was driving around a significant amount of snow had disappeared,

The First Nexus 310 in Japan

2010-02-01T00:00:00+00:00

I was once told that I would never see any "bubbling beads"

Picking The Breeders Brains

2010-01-31T00:00:00+00:00

After meeting with Mark Gardner for a couple of beers last night I

First Day in Yamakoshi

2010-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

Well once again my first nights sleep was pretty much unsuccessful, I'm going

Arrived In Nagaoka

2010-01-29T00:00:00+00:00

Well I'm finally in the Grand Hotel in Nagaoka after over 24

Maestro and Cirrus Cards no Longer Accepted at 7 Bank

2010-01-15T00:09:55+00:00

We recently learned courtesy of Mark Gardner from Niigata Nishikigoi that the cashpoint machines at Seven Eleven convenience stores in

Finally Back Home

2009-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

Well at about 3pm this afternoon I finally arrived back home after

Destination Narita Airport

2009-11-16T00:00:00+00:00

And so ends another trip. As I write this I'm just about to check out

45th ZNA All Japan Show 2009 Day 2

2009-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

The final day of the 45th ZNA All Japan Show 2009 and for me it

45th ZNA All Japan Show 2009 The Winners

2009-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Apologies for the delay, I've finally managed to sort through all the pictures

45th ZNA All Japan Show 2009 Day 1

2009-11-14T00:00:00+00:00

Well today was one of the highlights

45th ZNA All Japan Show 2009 Benching

2009-11-13T00:00:00+00:00

After returning from the Izumo tour it was time

A Day in Izumo

2009-11-13T00:00:00+00:00

Today was a fabulous time, and really unique experience, courtesy of Takigawa san, president of

Travelling To Izumo

2009-11-12T00:00:00+00:00

Well its farewell to Nagaoka until next January, as today I checked out of the Grand

Saying Goodbye To Yamakoshi

2009-11-11T00:00:00+00:00

Today was my last full day in Niigata as tomorrow I will be travelling South

Another Great Day

2009-11-10T00:00:00+00:00

Today was part 2 of the Cooper's whirlwind tour and we were off without delay

Just Another Day

2009-11-09T00:00:00+00:00

The title of this post is a little tongue in cheek, as there is no

The Whole Family In Action

2009-11-08T00:00:00+00:00

Today Saito san decided as it was Sunday he would arrange a family afternoon outing

A Lads Afternoon

2009-11-07T00:00:00+00:00

As many people will know, Saito san from Shintaro koi farm is a very good friend of

Pictures of Breeders

2009-11-06T00:00:00+00:00

One of my tasks for this trip was to collate a number of pictures of

Visit Niigata Campaign

2009-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

Last night I received a phone call from Fujio Oomo to make an appointment to

Kato San Harvests 2nd Day

2009-11-04T00:00:00+00:00

Today was the second day of the Kato san harvest and

Kato Sans Harvest Party

2009-11-04T00:00:00+00:00

After today's harvest were finished it was a mad dash to get back tot he

Kato san Harvests 3 Ponds

2009-11-03T00:00:00+00:00

This morning was the first day of the Kato san harvests, something I attend each

First Snow in Yamakoshi

2009-11-03T00:00:00+00:00

As I mentioned yesterday it had started snowing as I left Yamakoshi, and this morning

Taking The Scenic Route

2009-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

Having had a well needed early night last night I was in no rush to

49th Niigata Nogyosai 2009 Day 2

2009-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

My initial intentions to arrive at the showground very early were somewhat thwarted by my

49th Niigata Nogyosai 2009 The Winners

2009-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

And here are all the pictures and details of the winning koi

49th Niigata Nogyosai 2009 Day 1

2009-10-31T00:00:00+00:00

This morning something felt wrong. I looked out of the window to a

You Call That a Firework Display

2009-10-31T00:00:00+00:00

After leaving the Niigata Nogyosai I headed off to find a good location along the

An Evening With Takigawa san

2009-10-31T00:00:00+00:00

After the "firework" it was a mad dash back to the hotel to get changed