Page 25 - Koi Net - On-Line Koi Magazine - Issue 9

when deciding to go there is to find the right person or
company to travel with and be shown around. So let’s
look at the pros and cons of coming, or indeed not
coming, to Japan.
Over the last 37 years I have had the pleasure of
bringing hundreds of people to Japan. They have
mainly come to buy Koi but I have also taken many on
our Koi Masterclasses and general tours, which have
BREEDERS included buying Bonsai and Japanese trees, antiques
and general sightseeing. All these trips have given me a
WILL HAVE great insight into what people are looking for.

STARTED The best time to visit
HARVESTING There are two main seasons to visit Japan and buy Koi.
The Koi breeders have specific times when working on
TOSAI IN their farms, harvesting the Koi and selling them. The
most important time is from early October till early
SEPTEMBER December. Then from the beginning of February till mid-
June when realistically it becomes too hot to ship Koi.
Breeders will have started harvesting their Tosai in
September to bring into the fish houses and by mid-
October they are starting to harvest the two and three-
year-old and Jumbo Koi, but over the last few years
some have started to harvest their Koi even earlier due
Koi awaiting to be auctioned
are bagged and held in to the demand for Koi. And everyone is keen to see
floating baskets. newly harvested Koi and now several auctions take
place at breeders’ facilities to start off the autumn sales.
How to get here and where to stay

From my experience it is much better if you pay for all
your travel costs yourself. Some companies offer
packages and an all-inclusive price if you go with them,
but they expect you to buy Koi whilst you are there. It is
much better to know exactly what the cost of your trip
is and of course to get the best travel deals at the time.
Whoever you decide to go with should also be able to
help you with your travel arrangements.
From the UK, London Heathrow is the main airport
offering direct flights to Japan. The main airlines are
British Airways (BA), Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon
Airways (ANA). Flights from Heathrow go directly to
Narita Airport, which is a 45-minute train ride to Tokyo

25