Hi all , thanks for all the messages and sorry for the dealy in getting back to you last night , with the website crashing i had to work late into last night , and tonight i got in at 5 so i could catch up and then promtly fell asleep on the bed untill 8 , was just way too tired to work . As im out for dinner soon  ill probably do the blog today in two halfs as i know many people are waiting to see what we have bought today .First stop today was Yamamatsu koi farm , or Sakai as most people know him . This place has to be one of my favourite farms , they guy is just so nice and helpful and the fish range from nice to incredable ! Today Sakai was quiet so i wanted to try and get a koi of high enough quality to leave in Japan for three years to compete at shows in the uk . Although the farm wasnt completely stocked yet , i soon found a sanke that i felt fit the bill . We bowled her and she was beautiful , and Sakai gave me the price and i nearly choked , before i knew it we  had the fish moved into better light and Sakai gave us an intereasting talk about the koi explaining the points between this and another sanke someone in the party had shown an intereast in . The other sanke diddnt really do it for as i felt it was too finished and the body was no where near the quality of the one i was intereatsed in , in translation by the agent the breeder was telling us what i had already thought and my mind was more or less made up . This sort of koi is now way beyond koi that we have bought for the shop before , but i didnt mind as i considered it a major investment for my company , but i still needed a day to think it over , so the breeder agreed to reserve it for a day . This koi will be left in Japan for three years when she is hoped to be shipped at 75-80cm , her skin is very good and the body shape is already excellant ! From here we drove down  to Kaneco , another really nice guy but diddnt really have an awfull lot in yet and is harvesting some higher quality nisai in the next day or two so  we will return later in the week . Next stop Torazo , if im honest i was a bit worried about this visit as his quality just gets better and better , which obviously means higher prices understandably , as they say about Stella , reassuringly expensive ?!!!!!!! This time i was very impressed with the quality AND the prices , and soon we were bowling many koi , i found a koi that a cutomer i knew would like so asked to take a picture and email him , as soon as i bowled the koi , i said sont worry i think i will buy it anyway , as no sooner i had uttered the words heather had said , i think i will buy her , i said you told me not to let you buy any more kohaku , she said i know but we are at Torazo and it would be rude not to . Feeling a bit miffed i found a cheaper kohaku with a nice pttern and great skin , while Gary purchased an incredable tancho , with super white skin . All nisai , female and around 50-55cm , very good quality koi ! Torazo then showed me another koi that fitted the pattern wanted by another custiomer but was way over budget so that photo will be sent to the client for him to think about . Just before leaving i thought while Torazo is in a good mood , id have a look in the sansai pond , as i did a three step maruten sanke came into view , i laughed startight away it was one i nealry bought as nisai last year , Torazo gave me a price and was duly bowled and purhased , or so i thought as Gary hovered and showed intereast , i got a feeling of de je vu as this happened on a trip before , but as you all know , customers come first in Japan and Gary is now the owner of a great sansai sanke . Now having two fish bought from under my nose i thought it was time to take complete advantage of Taorazos seemingly good mood , i bowled a stunning sansai kohaku , i knew this koi like the sakai sanke was out of the class i normally buy , but i asked anyway and was surprised , alot of money ,  but well worth it  , she has a massive frame and when i told Torazo about my plan for leaving two or three very good koi in Japan for shipping when much larger , he said that he would happily return her to the mudpond for me . So photo taken i am again having to take a day to consider as this represents another considerable investment on my behalf ! With so much to think about it was decieded to take an early lunch and then i had to return to the hospital to pay the bill for my visit . On arrival at the hospital it was discussed that today was the first day i hadnt had a major incident , the agent then looked at me and said , bloody hell may be the bill is going to be todays one , with a scan and xray , two differant docters i suddenly saw two great koi slipping from my grasp . I was handed the bill and was well happy , one hundred and twenty pounds , and i can claim that from the travel insurance ! Happy days as a close friend of mine would say , and was i back on it ???? like you cant believe !!!! Im off for dinner now and ill add this afternoons episodes on later , meanwhile here is some terrible photos to wet your appitite ! In order , sanke at sakai i may leave in Japan for two to three years , Another sanke we passed on ,TORAZO -- heathers nisai kohaku , body and skin stunning , kohaku we are thinking about (nisai ) , nisai tancho , kohaku nisai , another kohaku i am thinking about , three step maruten sanke sansai , simply stunning sansai kohaku that i am considering buying !