This morning we started out just round the corner from our hotel at Marudo koi farm .After having a good look round at the tosai which looked better than ever this year we moved on to the larger koi .Marudo offered us some amazing prices on large sansai ogon , chagoi and karashigoi .Feeling it would be rude to turn them down myself and Jerone from Holland bought 8 between us . They are all female and around 60-65cm . One yamabuki is already sold and im thinking we may have to return to buy some more ! From here we went to Nogami , he had some very nice jumbo tosai we could select from , but couldnt get the right deal so we passed on and moved onto his nisai fish house , here a very nice maruten showa was bowled by one of our customers who is thinking this option over .Next appointment was at Torazo , this is one of my favourite go sanke breeders , and again he diddnt disappoint . With many fish bowled and again being thought about over the next  day or two and some nice offers being made on tosai .Now people in the party had the kohaku bug we kept the the theme going by going to Mano .Here we found some very nice kohaku at very good prices but not quite the quality we were looking for , so it was decieded to try Marabushi koi farm .Here the quality was outstanding , with nisai koi around 55cm mouths were drooling every time a net come up ! One of our party has looked at a very serious kohaku , skin quality was awesome matched by a perfect white head , this koi may end up in the uk yet !!!!! Once again we were offered the chance to hand select tosai but it wasnt really what we were looking for so we moved on to Kawakami . If im honest i havnt bought here in three years as i have felt that the quality hadnt matched the asked prices , but you have to keep going back in case that changes , and today it did .The first koi that caught may eye was a 65cm yonsai female gin rin matsukawabaki , and when he gave the price i shot out my hand so quick to shake his i think he nearly jumped with fright !! Then followed  50cm sandsai female gin rin ki goi , more matsukawabaki , goshiki , aka matsuba and even a sansai shusui .Thats one of the things i love about Niigata , nothing is constant , what may be your favourite breeder one day is not the next .Where you hoped to buy koi you cant , where you thought there ws no koi theres plenty , im not getting all soppy about things , thats just the way it is !!! Im hoping soon that kevin Ellis will be making a video of this trio so ill make the link available as soon as it is ready .For those wondering how me and Kev are getting along , i can honestly say wonderfull , he is calm, caring , sharing  , patient and the perfect company for me and Tom , i just hope that he doesnt find out about the valium we slipped in his tea last night ..................pics in order four sansai all female 60-65cm please note that these are bigger than they look , thats one massive bowl !, three nisai high quality kohaku from torazo , two individual pics of same fish , 4 step stunning kohaku from Torazo , Marabushi yonsai maruten yondan kohaku ! 60-65cm gin rin matsukawabaki and various sansai and nisai from kawakami .