Lets get this party started

Well another truly gorgeous day, so nice that when I awoke and saw the sun this morning at 7am I got out of bed and headed straight for the mountains.  There are many wonderful pictures taken with the valleys shrouded in mist, one day I'll get one too, today wasn't to be the day though.

On my return it was a little bit of work on Mondo to see us reach a landmark, the final little questions to the last chapter were resolved to be handed to the publisher for layout.  At the same time our technical review group have started their read through.  All still on target to be in print during May.

With that weight off my shoulders I headed to Nagaoka to see whether the sakura was in bloom yet, on the 9th April last year it certainly was. This year not a single cherry blossom on the trees yet.  I guess it will be the weekend.

From Nagaoka I headed back to Mushigame as I wanted to catch with Shigeyoshi Tanaka.  I'm not sure if I've mentioned previously but each winter Maruju send their tategoi nisai and above to Saitama prefecture where they over winter in mud ponds.  It's a kind of reciprocal arrangement they have with the dealer that supplied this years All Japan Grand Champion and I wanted find out when they'd be collecting the Koi and arrange to go along.  Not only a chance to have a day of spring harvests but also to see this Goshiki, which I acquired for my friend Andrew in the autumn, before it goes into the Niigata mud ponds for the summer.

Whilst I was there Yasu wanted to show me his tosai Showa, as part of his training he basically started the summer with his own fry to sort through under the watchful eye of his father Shigeo and brother Shigeyoshi.  Having stood studying for 50 or so tosai for around 5 minutes I pointed at the one that I thought was ichiban.  'No, sanban', he said.  That'll do for me, the one I thought was best he thinks is 3rd best, out of 50.

With nothing else planned for the afternoon, and with the mountains opening up rapidly as the last of the snow goes, what else to do but go for a drive.

The only person working in the valley below Maruju seemed to be Shousuke Saito.  In the valley between Mushigame and the breakfast spot the blue truck of Mr and Mrs Ikarashi was clearly visible.  I first met the just under a year ago.  Since they were the subject of my minor prize winning entry in the Yamakoshi Photo Competition.  Mr Ikarashi was busy preparing the mud pond whilst Mrs Ikarashi was starting fires.

Next I took the very cross country route that bypasses the Utogi Tunnel but takes in Izumiya and Marudo mud ponds. 

As I did so I encountered Jobu Kataoka and Ryu Mano, staff and son of Izumiya respectively, clearing a mud pond. 

Readers of last years blog will recall the large new mudpond that Marudo built in the spring. Next to where Jobu and Ryu were preparing this pond the ground machinery was at work again.  As with last year moulding several smaller ponds (these were fry ponds last year I believe) into a new larger one.

I made my way down from Utogi to Kawaguchi.  Along Route 17 the first Koi nobori that i've seen flying around here this year.  Whilst travelling back from the Wakagoi Show last week there seemed to be many already up.

Without a cloud in the late afternoon sky I decided to take one more detour on my way back home, a detour of which I don't have the fondest memories.  Last time I took this road was when I ran out of gasoline.

In taking this detour I also wanted to confirm that the mudpond below was where I though it was.

This pond looked very different last time I saw it back in October.  This is the pond which will soon contain Torazo's jumbo Koi.  I shall catch up with Tsuyoshi san over the next few days to find out when they are due to be released.