Thought id mention some of the winners of best in size . Best 15cm , a cracking lttle tancho showa . Best 55cm , a flowery patterned kohaku . 25CM was given to this superb little sanke , this fish grew and grew on me everytime i looked at it . Maruten kohaku best in 50cm .60 cm was another kohaku of outstanding quality , i really loved this koi . Best 85cm , this kohaku was again of a superb level , skin fantastic , and increably good kiwa and sashi , would hope hope for even better things for this koi in the future. One koi i forgot to metion , this outstanding kohaku took superior champion ( male )80cm , absolutley incredablle fish , the fact that it is a male adds another dimension to the male and female argument , one im certainly not getting into here ! A great day at an event that is a must for all hobbyists ,and was nicely finished off by a very intereasting conversation wiith whom i think will very soon ( if not already )become one of the leading hobbyists in the uk . It was a very refreshing conversation about the koi industry and how supportive he is off it , kind of made the day for me as im tired of the bashing that the koi industry seems to be taking , i wish him all the best for the future as he is aiming very high in his hobby . Then it was time for the trian journey to Ojiya city in Niigata , to the hotel which is to be my home for the next six days . On arrival i was shocked to see the hieght of the snow , 12 feet in the town , and ive been told its higher in the mountains , this could be very intereasting .........................