January, 2010

It's just occured to me that the 1st anniversary of the launch of Niigata-Nishikigoi.com has passed, in fact it was 26th January 2009 that my blog officially moved from www.yamakoshi.blogspot.com to here.

I'd just like to say a very sincere thank you to all those that have supported Niigata-Nishikigoi.com since it's launch, I really believe that the site will go from strength to strength through 2010 and beyond as it continues to attract Koi 'people' from around the globe.  The image below shows a snapshot of our last 100 visitors' locations, perhaps you are on it.

Again, a big thanks for visiting and supporting the site.

Back in the summer I made a very enjoyable visit to Malaysia, my first experience of an Asian country other than Japan and one leaving me wanting more, one thing is for sure, there are some serious Koi Kichi in Asia!

In November I wrote about my meeting with a group from Malaysia - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/589.

Their visit was one of several that had taken place in relation to establishing a new dealership in Penang, somewhere I didn't visit on my trip.

Since that time I've kept in touch with 'Soo', the managing director of 'Yamakoshi Mura Sdn. Bhd.' and today received these pictures of the companies opening day on 8th January, an event that attracted in excess of 200 hobbyists I'm told.

The Niigata contingent (Futoshi Mano, Mitsunori Isa and Hisashi Hirasawa) wearing red, Hiroshima (Omosako and Sakai) in navy blue, Futoshi Maruyama alone in black.  The rest of the pictures speak for themselves.

To find out more about Yamakoshi Mura Sdn. Bhd. visit their website www.yamakoshi.biz 

I hope to visit more of Asia over the coming year, not least to see more of Malaysia, certainly somewhere where the Koi hobby is in the ascendency.

I arrived in Ojiya on 28th December 2007, to the best of my memory, the next day it started snowing, and snow pretty consistently thereafter for a month or 2.  It was fun, it was an adventure, I'd never been in real snow before.  I don't recall ever really tiring of it.

The winter of 2008/2009 saw less snow, however it started to become tiresome towards the end of winter and start of spring, despite the fact it was a good 2 weeks ahead of the previous winter in receeding.

The end of 2009 was generally mild, snow was almost non-existent until the end of December, the forecast was for a mild winter.  As you'll be aware we've been deluged.  I just spoke to Deron Simmons of  Select Nishikigoi International who arrived in Ojiya today who stated despite what he'd read he wasn't quite prepared for what he has seen.  Whilst there are occasions when the sun comes out and the landscape is wonderous -  http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/646 - they are few and far between.

As dawn started to break I heard the sound of cars running on a wet road and thought that it was raining.  On opening the curtains my neighbours trees were precariously supporting about 10-15cm of snow on their branches.  Big fluffy snowflakes continued to fall from the sky, they've still not stopped as I write this 12 hours later.

My plan had been to visit Mushigame to get some more video of snow so, nothing ventured nothing gained, I continued as planned.

I have to state something that is starting to annoy me, driver consideration for pedestrians, or lack of it!  On virtually all roads there is nowhere to walk but in the road along the edge of what snow is washed away by the sprinklers.  I've lost count of the number of times a vehicle has passed, even on small side roads, with complete disregard to the fact that if they don't slow down pedestrians, i.e. me, gets sprayed with water and slush.  Just slowing a few K/ph makes everyone a lot more comfortable!

Anyway, I caught the 9.30am bus in the knowledge it only went to Iwamagi as learned the other day.  Sadly what I didn't realise was that you have to ring and book the 'love bus' to ensure it's there, it wasn't.  Effectively I was pretty much in the middle of nowhere, the snow falling heavily, what the hell, Mushigame it was, it's not like i've not walked there a number of times before. Today there was a difference!

Walking along the main road towards the filling station was easy, relatively, a number of vehicles were using it and compressing the snow as it fell creating a track, albeit a slippery one, to walk in.  Upon turning up towards Mushigame the tracks were less than obvious as my glasses steamed up and were covered in water droplets.  In no time I was trudging through 20cm+ snow and if I'd though Iwamagi had previously been the middle of nowhere now this certainly was, little point turning back.

With Mushigame in sight I heard the noise of a vehicle behind me, on glancing around it was one of the JA-SS (Japan Agricultural Service Station) mini filling trucks.  On my last weekend here before returning to England for Christmas I attended a band concert in Ojiya, the drummer being someone I know.  A couple of days later I was sat in Shintaro's Koi house - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/617 - and outside the JA-SS truck arrived to fill the oil tank that fuels the heating system.  The guy walked into the Koi house and said hello, he'd been at the same concert.  Mushigame is obviously his 'round' and I was grateful to accept his offer a lift to complete the last kilometre of my walk today.

I mentioned briefly the other day how it's normal to sit on the floor in Japanese houses.  Most houses would probably be considered incredibly modest compared to what would be the norm in the UK or USA and other western countries.  There is no central heating, no piped gas, it's supplied from an oil boiler or LPG cylinders, in rooms heating is by individual electric or parafin heaters.  One luxury some have are heated roofs, simply to keep them from being covered with too much snow.

Having had coffee at Shintaro I headed off around the village in a bid to try and capture on video just how hostile the weather can be, compared to the picture postcard shots I often post.

Whether I managed only time will tell!!

On returning to the Shintaro house to collect some bits I'd left there I was met by Saito san, who was suffering from the onset of a cold, ready to take me home.  I flatly refused insisting I could walk, despite repeated shakes of his head in disbelief and with a departing 'take care' I set off home, well to Uragara, where I'd catch a bus, the snow still falling.

It was around 2.45pm that I reached Torazo feeling somewhat damp as perspiration from the inside started to meet water from the outside as my waterproofs surrendered to the constant barrage of snow.  With that, and no sign of life, I continued straight past to the bus stop by the exit of Uragara Tunnel.  It was with some relief that when I got there the next bus was due at 2.57pm.

Back in November I wrote about what it must have been like for the Koi breeders who had to carry their Koi on foot from the mountains down to Ojiya in order to sell them.  As I walked home I couldn't help wonder what life must have been like in the mountains a few decades ago.

I was speaking to Saito san the other day to try and get an idea of what life must have been like before the arrival of snow clearing machines.  He stated that in those days, without any real roads anyway, people would just flatten tracks in the snow by foot.  As a child he would go to school on skis or wearing snow shoes to help walking.

I posted a picture yesterday of a 1971 Koi show - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/652 - from a photo book I have.

Here are a few more pictures also from 1971 which show winter life in Yamakoshi.

The couple below making traditional snowshoes, these are still used and readily available to buy in Ojiya.

Shall we build a snowman?  Pah, no way, let's build a snow house!

Consider, when these pictues were taken the Nishikigoi boom was starting, the 3rd All Japan Combined Nishikigoi Show was held in 1971.

At the end of 2005 the All Japan Nishikigoi Promotion Association Niigata District produced a DVD to promote the area and the Koi it produced following the problems presented by both KHV and the 2004 earthquake.

Following discussions with them at the 2007 Wakagoi Show we were given permission to duplicate this DVD and show it on Nishikigoi.TV.

I decided to dust it off and give it another airing here, some may not have seen it before.  You'll possibly see a number of familiar faces on it, and some familiar Koi, see if you can spot the 2007 Niigata Nogyosai Champion, and a tougher one, the Isa Showa named Marumitsu which Mitsunori Isa described as the best Koi they'd ever produced in Issue 2 of Niigata Nishikigoi Digest - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/344

Anyway, hope you find it interesting....

Video by the AJNPA Niigata District from Nishikigoi.TV on Vimeo.

Quality video bandwidth costs money, if you enjoy the video please consider a small donation - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/633