I spent more time today with Oomo san than I have in the last 5 years. It did help having Claire here who speaks far more Japanese than me. Oomo san questioned us on entering the koi house about the radiation, and whether we feel safe. I replied that I didn't know, and just wanted to select some good koi!
Niigata Nishikigoi Direct are agents/shippers and main suppliers for at least 6 good sized koi dealers in the UK - this spring only one of these dealers has been out. I have bought from Kaneko and Marusho before, but never NND.
It is very quiet in Yamakoshi right now, with very few people seen out and about, most breeders do seem a little concerned by the lack of customers. I remember 4 years ago, you had to book to get into Nomole, the most famous Nagaoka bar where koi kichi would meet. Now, I would be alone if it was not for Claire.
The long winter is hindering their yearly schedule, with the mud ponds several weeks away from being full. The snow is still around one metre deep in places. This potentially changes the next 4 or five years, as a shorter season means smaller koi. The breeders like to make their pairings as early as possible, so that if any accidents occur, or the pairing produces few koi, they can spawn another set.
With a poor exchange rate (which the breeders cannot really help) and general feeling of recession in the UK and Europe, things could be much tougher for the breeders next year if the tosai harvests in September are not successful.
As a sign of how quiet things are out here, I have not even seen any Chinese people buying nishikigoi!
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