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If you've followed this site for a while you'll have seen pictures of the large fireworks displays that take place annually in Ojiya and Nagaoka in August.

Tomorrow sees the first of the big local displays, one I've not visited previously but will be going to tomorrow evening, in the seaside town of Kashiwazaki, about 20km away from Ojiya.

The video below is one of many that appear on Youtube of the Kashiwazaki fireworks.

No, I haven't realised my dream of flying over Yamakoshi by plane, helicopter nor hot air balloon yet.

However, I did find a pretty cool site which gives a 'virtual' flight.

I've been using a site called MapMyRide.com to record my cycle rides, it also has a pretty neat feature utilising Google maps to generate 3D interactive maps of routes you plot.

The map below takes you from Nagaoka station to Nishikigoi no Sato, via Yamakoshi.  Sadly the image quality in Ojiya and Yamakoshi isn't as high as Nagaoka, hopefully one day Google will increase the resolution.

I headed out on my bike late yesterday morning to find some Koi action.  As I stepped out of the door it was like walking into a furnace, you can see the current weather here - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/131 - thankfully it seems it's going to cool a little over the coming days.

It amazes me how the weather here can be so extreme, metres of snow in winter, just 3 months ago we still had snow, and now 30+ degrees centigrade.

I headed the mile or so to the area of land just by the expressway interchange where many breeders have mud ponds, amongst them Hiroi, Oya, Isa, Torazo and Mano.

When I arrived the only person who seemed to be about in the midday sun was Taro Kataoka who had just finished the 1st cull of some Sanke.  Following a quick chat with Taro and Takehiro Furuya, who was also there, Taro advised that Isa were culling at the fry ponds where they undertake all of their spawning - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/412 - so it was back on the bike to head out there.

Hajime and Mitsunori Isa, Hide Hirasawa and Sato san, some who can often be found helping with the early culling at Isa, were busy sorting through Sanke fry as well.  Takehiro, the person standing, had also made his way to Isa to make some video.

Below Hajime Isa flicks a 'keeper' into the white holding net at the end.

As the cull neared completion it was out into the full heat of the day to net another pond for Mitsunori and Hide, hard work in 30+ degree heat.

Meanwhile Hajime Isa and Sato san returned the keepers to an adjacent pond to grow for another couple of weeks before they are sorted again.

The 3 pictures below show the range of different types of fry generated from a Sanke spawning.  The individuals in the net in each picture being keepers, there are probably only 5 or 6 keepers across the 3 photographs.

These mountains seem to contain rather more biting insects than Yamakoshi, I can't for the life of me recall what they are called.  Tiny in size the first you know you've been bitten is a small speck of blood on the skin.  New English phrase of the day was 'drama queen', applied to Hide who made an incredible amount of fuss about the bite (arrowed) on his toe in the minutes after it was delivered.

...go out in the midday sun, or so the saying goes.

During my visit to the UK I got a bit of a cycling bug, fuelled by several things.  Firstly ownership of a car in the UK is a distant memory, as I detailed the other day I've hardly been in the UK since late 2007 - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/821.  Second to that is a desparate dislike of the local public transport.  Thirdly I picked up one of the dozens of Japan related books that sit unread on my bookshelf back home - 'The Sun in my Eyes' by Josie Dew, sequel to 'The Ride in the Neon Sun', a book I'd read years ago about her escapades cycling around Japan - both are recommended reads along with 'Hokkaido Highway Blues' by Will Ferguson - I think I've read it 3 times, I don't have a copy, they've all gone on to others who were interested to read.  Finally, needing to get some exercise the Tour de France, which filled the gaps between the football World Cup and Wimbledon, provided the last inspiration.

When I arrived back in Japan as well as being without clothes - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/822 - I knew my bike's tyres were beyond their sell by date, one had died completely just a few days before I left for Malaysia, it was as bald as a coot and the walls simply gave way when I 'hopped' a small bump along the Shinano River in Ojiya.

On Friday I replaced the completely destroyed tyre.  When I purchased the bike back in March 2008 the owner of the shop had replaced the 'knobbly' mountain bike tyres with road tyres at my request.  Knowing he doesn't carry stock of such I set about tracking down replacements, when I did they were scarilly expensive.  By Friday evening my bike was back on the road, the rear tyre fixed, the front tyre would wait for another day, it was solid to the touch, good enough for me.

As I mentioned the other day I'd intended to visit Yamakoshi on Saturday - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/823 - something I abandoned in view of the heat. 

On Sunday this mad dog Englishman set off for Mushigame at 12.30 in the midday sun, equally as oppresive as the previous day.

I have to confess not making it the full 8.56 miles to Mushigame by bike, I quit at the red arrow, although I did a little more a bit further up.  I did however push my bike the rest of the way.

The image below showing the incline makes me feel better! Something interesting in the map above is Mt Dainichi, something I was previously unaware.  Whether this is something to do with the naming of Dainichi Koi Farm I'm not sure, I'll try and find out.

The route above shows the journey as far as Shintaro Koi Farm, my intended destination.  On arrival the only vehicle was one that I knew belong to Masaru Saito's brother, someone I've not seen since he resolved my problems getting a driving licence appointment earlier in the year. What this told me was that they were out netting fry for their first cull.

The water in my rucksack was a rather unappealling warm temperature and, having tried to cool myself under the outside tap, I headed for the local store in Mushigame to get some cold drink.  I also fancied an ice cream, sadly the store was closed, only the vending machines outside, the only ones in Mushigame.

I sat under the car port waiting for Saito san's return still trying to rehydrate and cool myself.  As I did so Shousuke Saito, Masaru's father, returned and advised me they were in Kawaguchi.  That meant one thing, Showa fry, Shousuke confirmed Showa.

With the sun still pouring out of the clear blue sky I was happy sat under the car port with a little cool breeze coming through, certainly with the prospect of some month old Showa incoming.

When the truck arrived Saito san was a little surprised to see me, not as surprised as his brother who was amazed that the bike was mine and I'd come all the way from Ojiya.  I was just grateful that he didn't inspect the front tyre as I'd done whilst waiting.  It was changed as soon as I returned to Ojiya!

It transpired that the tank on the truck in fact contained Sanke from a new oyagoi, not Showa as I'd hoped.  We set about sorting through the fry, sadly the oyagoi hadn't delivered the goods, it reminded me of a lesson that Saito san had taught me back in summer 2008 when he felt I considered breeding 'easy'.

It was a quick cull.

At around 5.45pm with the sun sinking I headed out of Mushigame back to Ojiya, that hill a whole lot easier, but equally scary in a different way, on the way down.

I stopped to grab an updated version of the panorama from the usual spot, such a change since I was last here.  Click to get the full 6000 pixel wide version.

I received a call from Saito san this morning advising he would be doing senbetsu today, I'd actually planned to go to Nagaoka to do some bits anyway so that was handy.

Rather than using the bus I decided to take the bike, it transpired it was a 'marathon' ride, literally, 26.5 miles, the route shown by the red line.

Tomorrow I'll be heading back towards Mushigame.