While this has been very different for many of us, we have taken the decision to carry on as normal as we have been able to and go to Japan.
It was not an easy decision, for myself or my family but it is what I do. I haven’t missed a Japan trip for 27 years, and it’s my business.
As a Koi company than sell many high-class Koi and have done for many years, we have responsibilities to our clients who have bought Koi from us and left them growing in Japan. We have a lot of Azukari Koi that need looking at and assessing.
I also pride myself on finding Koi that my clients are looking for. It’s easy to get video sent over from the breeders but in most cases its myself who knows what that client is looking for, and this can only be done when I am standing over the Koi, in the flesh. Its important.
This has not been an easy process and it’s taken weeks and weeks of back and forth with paperwork to the Japanese embassy and my suppliers in Japan. We have missed the harvests but that is a small price to pay to get over here and see our clients Koi and pick new Koi for the shop back in the UK. We also have dealers in other parts of the world who are relying on us to find Koi for them for the start of their season in 2021. We finally got the correct business Visa to travel to Japan.
I have many friends in Japan as I have been going there for so long, and I want to make sure I support them to the best of my ability as they are also struggling with lack if visitors etc. After the terrible Earthquake in 2004 I made sure I got out to support them and I want to do the same now.
The Koi business is used to change and over the last decade it has changed many, many times. Earthquakes, virus’s and more… The breeders have always instantly adapted to any situation, the Japanese people are a very strong and resilient and they will overcome all situations. This is something I, as a dealer have to do too.
We have travelled to Japan to make sure we find the exact Koi we, and our clients are looking for.
I have been buying Koi for a quarter of a century now and I have clients I have supplied for that long. Over the years we have built up a massive client base who we regularly find Koi for. As you can imagine when dealing with a customer base like mine, for so long, I know exactly what that client wants. I can walk round the farms in Japan and see a Koi and think of a certain client. That’s why we sell so many Koi direct from Japan, we know our market. We know what our clients want. Buying from lists and online websites etc is just impossible for us. We are a small business and we need to know exactly what our clients need. That’s why we are in Japan doing what we do and will continue to do so.
We are now in Japan and we will be of course putting Koi on the website and all our social media platforms. The YouTube channel has grown really well this year so we will be adding mainly Koi videos for the next month. I know many are used to the ponds we are involved with, but we will mainly be Koi and Breeder/Japan videos.
We have had to follow strict guidelines in Japan. Quarantine, masks and hand washing everywhere we visit. The breeders expect it and we will respect their rules.
We will be posting Koi for sale on the channel too so please make sure you follow the instructions for buying on the video.
Our Facebook page is still as strong as ever with over 17,000 likes and growing. We will be putting real time video as we are at the different breeders and you can see exactly what we are buying.
The Instagram page is also doing really well, and we will of course be adding to this over the course of each day.
This trip will be Nisai (2Yr old Koi) and larger. We will look at some tosai for next year but will be concentrating on the bigger Koi for this trip.
Please be aware of the different ways you can contact us.
info@qualitynishikigoi.com – This comes direct to my phone.
07793819945 – Whatsapp or any other message services.
Our Facebook page – You can use thew message feature.
All these methods are direct to me in Japan. I can answer any questions or Koi information.
I do not know what the situation will be this trip as it’s a massive unknown for us all. We usually sell Koi extremely fast when we post them so if you do want me to look out for anything specific, contact me on the above methods and I can send you direct pictures and videos when I find what you are looking for.
It will be a new experience to us all this trip. I will document the changes as we go along. With the YouTube channel doing so well I hope you can get a really good feel to how we work in Japan. Should be a good experience to watch.
So, let’s go and visit the mecca of Koi.
