Japan Koi Buying Trip – Day 3: Snow, Selections & Surprises
I’ve never seen so much snow fall in such a short space of time. The mountains of Niigata were transformed into a breathtaking winter wonderland—but with beauty came challenges. The government issued weather warnings, advising against travel, and the driving conditions were horrendous. This inevitably impacted our schedule, but despite the difficulties, we managed to cover enough ground to make the day a success.
Marusaka – Just in Time!
One of my must-visit farms was Marusaka, renowned for its metallic koi. We barely made it. When we arrived, Marusaka himself was in his snow-clearing machine, ensuring the local roads remained passable.
I was looking forward to choosing some high quality nisai like on the last trip, as these became very useful for us as brood fish (see our selection from the last trip). But this year, he had none available!
Nevertheless, it was a productive visit, and I selected an impressive range of smaller Nisai, including Ginrin Kujaku—a variety I have a strong feeling will be popular in our sales room this year. Had we left the visit any later in the week, it wouldn’t have been possible. Marusaka had to dedicate the rest of his time this week to snow clearing and didn't want to risk driving the roads to his fish houses!
Until you witness it firsthand, it’s hard to comprehend how much effort the locals devote daily to keeping the roads open. Without this constant work, the mountain areas would become virtually impassable. Interestingly, while the snowfall was extreme, the temperatures weren’t particularly cold—it was simply the sheer volume of snow that stood out.
Marudo – An Unexpected Opportunity
Next, we stopped at Marudo. They recently won the Nagaoka Koi Show with a superb Sanke, and given that we already have a selection of Marudo koi back at Byer Koi Farm, I was eager to visit and see if I could extend our range into other sizes, ages, price points.
A huge opportunity presented itself with Sanke—both Tosai and Jumbo Tosai.
It was one of the easiest decisions I made all week. I jumped at the chance to select from their best Sanke Tosai pond—the Jumbo Tosai. These koi averaged around 30cm, with some truly outstanding examples among them. I selected 25—the absolute best from the pond.
Selecting high-grade Go Sanke Tosai from Marudo was high on my wish list for this trip, but planning is made tricky because each year, the availability and timing of koi from Japanese farms vary significantly, making it a challenge to source the right stock.
The quality of these Jumbo Tosai Sanke is roughly equivalent to the top few koi from our best Kohaku spawnings in a good year at Byer Koi Farm. This is where our approach of augmenting our own production with carefully selected Japanese koi is working well. Customers who might usually only have access to a handful of koi of this level from us now have a broader selection to choose from.
My plan for these Marudo Jumbo Tosai Sanke is to grow them at Byer Koi Farm over the summer and harvest them as Nisai in the autumn. As with the Tosai I selected at Hosokai, these koi will be available for purchase as Tosai—but only for a limited time, ending when they complete quarantine.
Here’s some footage of the selection process:
The 25 I selected are showed here, in groups of 5:
Over time, we will list them on the website. If you want to get in ahead of that, we will take orders. So, if you see one you want, take a screen shot and circle the koi, and give us a call or send us an email (Contact Byer Koi Farm)
Kaneko – A First-Time Visit
We ended the day with a visit to Kaneko, a well-known breeder I hadn’t visited before.
Kaneko specialises in several varieties, including Shiro Utsuri, Goshiki, and Budo Goromo. He also produces Beni Kikokuryu and, of course, Kujaku—including the super-rare Tancho Kujaku that occasionally appears on the market.
Interestingly, he also breeds a huge range of Tamasaba—a fascinating goldfish/koi cross. I ran a poll on Instagram and Facebook to gauge customer interest, and while there was some demand, it wasn’t quite strong enough for me to justify bringing in sales stock. That said, I might pick up a few for my hobby aquariums!
Kaneko’s Nisai tanks had some excellent options, and I was relieved—earlier in the week, I had struggled to find good stock at some of the farms I had been looking forward to revisiting.
I didn’t waste time. I quickly selected three full boxes of koi, covering Kaneko’s key varieties.
These are now listed for sale on the website in groups of around 5 koi with a picture and bowl video, and you can view them all here:
My reflections following the selections:
Once my selections were complete, Kaneko helped me catalogue the koi in smaller groups, and we had a great time doing so. He’s a tough negotiator but has a fantastic sense of humour—definitely someone I’ll be visiting again on my next trip to Japan.
As always, I only buy koi in Japan when I believe they offer great value for their quality, size, and age. But it’s fair to say that some breeders are simply more enjoyable to work with—and Kaneko is definitely high on my list.
Before leaving, a display aquarium of his larger Tamasaba caught my eye. These are larger older examples of higher value.
We ran a poll on social media, and I've listed on on Youtube too (above). If you'd like to respond and havent already - feel free to email us at info@byerkoifarm.co.uk to let us know your preference!
And for 30 seconds of pure Kaneko Tamasaba - These are kohaku style types, and they also come in other varieties:
Final Thoughts on Day 3
Despite the challenges brought by the extreme snowfall, Day 3 turned out to be an incredibly successful day. We secured top-quality koi from Marusaka, Marudo, and Kaneko, further strengthening our selection for the season ahead.
