Page 27 - Koi Net - On-Line Koi Magazine - Issue 9

City or Haneda Airport, which is a 20-minute monorail
ride to the centre of Tokyo.
Of course, if you take a flight from a local airport to a
connecting airport in Europe there are other airline
carriers offering flights. Wherever you fly from I highly
INTERNAL recommend searching the Internet for the best prices.
And the further ahead you book the better the deals
TRAVEL COSTS you will get.
IN JAPAN CAN Internal travel costs in Japan can be expensive but you
can buy a train travel pass, which is much cheaper than
BE EXPENSIVE buying tickets on the day. Hotels are varied but the
people/company you are travelling with should be able
to recommend hotels. Also, if they are based in Japan
they may be able to get lower prices than those who
are booking from abroad.
As a typical example, if booked well in advance and
planned correctly, a seven-day trip including flights
should be around £1,600 per person. Prices obviously
WHEN IS THE
BEST TIME TO
TRAVEL TO
JAPAN?
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vary depending on class of travel, grade of hotels and
the expenses you incur on your trip, but this is a very
good standard to go by.
Who to go with
This can be without doubt the most important decision
you make when it comes to visiting and buying Koi in
Japan. There are many people who offer trips, but make
sure you ask the right questions before you decide who
to go with.
Maybe the most important thing to decide on is making
sure you go with someone who understands and knows
Koi and can give you good and helpful advice.
Apart from the travel costs are there any hidden costs
like vehicle hire, or daily rate charges if you are not
buying Koi? How many people do they have in the
same week as you, and depending upon what you are
looking for and your budget, when is the best time to
come? If you are buying Koi is there a tour fee?
I would normally have no more than two or three people
at any one time (unless we are asked to have more in
one group) and I would recommend autumn as the best
time to visit for quality and very high quality two, three
and four-year-olds and Jumbo Koi. The early part of the
year and spring is better for Tosai and, again, two, three
and four-year-olds and Jumbo Koi.
Ask about Koi prices and commissions, shipping costs
and importation costs once they reach the UK. Also,
who will quarantine your Koi on arrival? Individual
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