Hello from Japan!! I’ll be here with my host, Tony Prew of All Japan Koi, for a bit over a week. We’ll be visiting a number of  Koi farms in the Niigata and Hiroshima and attending two agricultural shows where koi breeders show off some of their best stock. We’ll also be visiting two public aquariums and meeting with the curators and veterinarians at these facilities. Along the way we will also have the opportunity to visit some tropical fish retail facilities.

My goals, as they were with previous trips, are to gain a better understanding the Japanese koi industry,  health management practices within the Japanese koi industry, improve my knowledge of koi quality assessment, continue to develop opportunities within the koi industry and public aquarium sector for collaboration in research, education and outreach.

I would also like to express my continued gratitude to Tony Prew and Mr. Hoshino Masaharu of Koda Koi Farm in Niigata and Mr. Joji Konishi of Konishi Koi Farm in Hiroshima for their hospitality and ongoing patience with my endless questions.

Below are a few images from our first full day in Niigata at the koi farms. We also visited a tropical fish retail facility with some beautiful planted aquariums!!