Autumn Harvest Diary 2025

Sunday 19th October 2025

Hope you’re all having a good weekend. Ryan’s just secured a lovely box of Doitsu Kohaku from Maruhide. There are available on the site now.

Tomorrow, Gaz and Kev will be going through Ryan’s last growing pond. These were started a bit later in the season, so sizes are still to be confirmed, but most are looking around 25–30cm+, and quality is looking strong.

Saturday 18th October 2025

Friday 17th October 2025

Early start today at Hiroi, kicking off what’s been another packed day in Niigata. As expected this time of year, the farm was busy, cars everywhere, vats surrounded, and plenty of competition on site. But that’s all part of the game during autumn harvest.

After a quick look round the vats, Ryan had already locked eyes on the koi he wanted. Then came the fun part - chopsticks time. First up to the net, and straight away, he landed the pick of the day: a stunning Doitsu Sanke that stood out from the whole pond.

Next stop was NND to check in on our Azukari Sanke - looking huge and developing just as hoped. From there, it was off to Kanno with Donald, where Ryan picked out an incredible Kikusui and Shusui for him.

While Lee headed over to Maruhide, Ryan held base at Otsuka and managed to select from the first Ki Utsuri harvest, a strong bowl now listed on the website and ready to view.

To top things off, the day ended with a surprise offer, a serious koi shown to Ryan out of nowhere. That one’s staying quiet for now while talks continue, but it’s a special one.

Remember, you can buy any of the autumn harvest koi using the following payment methods:

• Klarna

• PayPal Pay in 3

• Credit/Debit Card

• Bank Transfer

• Cash

If you’ve got any questions, get in touch

Thursday 16th October 2025

Wednesday 15th October 2025

Tuesday 14th October 2025

This year’s trip is proving to be one of the most challenging yet for sourcing koi. Ryan is out early every morning, hitting the farms by 7:30am, focused on finding top-grade Nisai at sensible prices. But with so many overseas dealers and hobbyists on the ground, competition is fierce, and it’s making the job harder than usual.

The main issue isn’t the lack of koi, it’s finding enough quality pieces from a single pond to make up full boxes. As always, the standard remains the same: if it’s an 8-fish box, it needs to be 8 good ones, not 4 good and 4 just to make up the numbers.

Despite the pressure, Ryan’s still managing to pull out some great koi. He stays focused, patient, and doesn’t compromise on quality.

Monday 13th October 2025

Lee Hadfield (better known as Koi Soldier) has just arrived in Japan to join Ryan for the autumn harvest. The next few days will be full-on, with more ground to cover and more koi to hunt down.

Look out for more updates from Japan on Lee’s YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@leehadfield6881

Saturday 11th October 2025

Ryan kicked off the day at the Yomogihira Koi Show - a smaller, local event, nothing like the All Japan, but still a solid little show.

Earlier in the week, he picked up a high-quality male Sanke from NND. Makoto advised it would do well at the show, so Ryan entered it. Truth is, he was buying it regardless - big frame, great condition, and only going to improve.

When he arrived, he was looking round trying to find the fish. Couldn’t see it anywhere. Asked Makoto, and he just pointed to the Grand Champion vat. That’s where it was. The fish took top prize.

Big win for the customer too, Ryan had already sold the Sanke earlier in the week. So, congratulations all round.

After the show, he headed to Sakamaki, a farm we’ve been working on for a few years. Up till now, we hadn’t been able to get the level of quality we were after, but that changed today. 14 koi purchased, and some proper nice ones too.

Weather was against us though, so no photos or video yet. Ryan will head back once they harvest again and get the media sorted.

Rain put a stop to harvests for the rest of the day, but we’re hoping for a better run tomorrow.

If you’re interested in anything we’ve bought so far, just get in touch.

Friday 10th October 2025

Ryan’s starting to get stuck into the autumn harvests now. Things are moving slowly across the breeders, and like every year, some results are strong, others not so much. We’re only after the good stuff though, so it’s a proper challenge, especially with a lot of other agents out here trying to grab what they can. The truth is, it’s not getting any easier. But Ryan knows the game and always has a few tricks up his sleeve.

Today saw the first harvest at Kase. It went really well. Instead of trying to buy everything, Ryan kept it tight and just picked out the best 10 koi from a pond of 140. That’s what we’re about: quality, not numbers.

Ikarashi Ozumi also started harvesting. They’re known for their oddballs and rare varieties. From this first pull, 12 koi were chosen, including two standout Gin Rin Kijiro that look like Golden Corn, both proper stunners.

All today’s purchases are now available online via the links below

Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 8th October 2025

Sunday 5th and Monday 6th October 2025

It’s been a slower day out here in Japan, but that’s not always a bad thing. Gave Ryan the chance to get around a few breeders, check in on how their ponds are looking, and line up some harvest dates. If all goes to plan, tomorrow could be a strong day.

He also dropped in on Takatatsu and managed to put together another box. Really happy with the selection, that now makes five boxes of Gin Rin Aragoke in a mix of styles, including some with that Dainichi Black Zeus look. Serious quality coming through.

These are now available online for sale via the links below 👇

Saturday 4th October 2025

Everyday is a Learning day!

Friday 3rd October 2025

Straight off the plane and into the mud ponds

Ryan flew out yesterday and landed in Japan at 7:15am, record time for the usual flight. He even landed an hour early. Barely touched down when word came through: Takatatsu was harvesting at 1pm. No time to hang about. It was a flat-out race across Tokyo to catch the Shinkansen and get up to Niigata.

Kicking off your first afternoon in the mountains with a harvest is a good way to get your head in the game. Helps you switch on fast and get focused for what’s ahead.

He got to the hotel around lunchtime, dropped his bags at the door, and headed straight out to Takatatsu.

Takatatsu’s well known for his Matsukawabake and Kumonryu, but more recently he’s been producing some cracking Gin Rin Aragoke, turning those patterns into something special.

A few other overseas dealers were already on site, so the picking wasn’t wide open. But once Ryan saw what they’d left behind, it didn’t take him long to spot three real standouts:

1. Gin Rin Aragoke - Soragoi-style

2. Gin Rin Aragoke - Gin Rin Matsukawabake-style

3. Matsukawabake

All Nisai, around 40–42cm. A quick deal was done, koi boxed, job sorted. He’ll head back tomorrow to get proper photos and video.

Lining up the next farms

Next stop was Marushin Koi Farm. A solid breeder, best known for Tamasaba, but also produces high quality Goromo, Doitsu Showa and others. Harvest dates are now locked in.

Then onto Maruhide, who specialises in Doitsu Go-Sanke. He’s not quite ready yet, but one of his ponds will be coming out in a few days. Ryan will head back when the timing’s right.

Right now, things are still warming up, but give it a few more days and it’ll be non-stop. Once the harvests start rolling, it’s literally a race from one farm to the next.

You can buy any of the autumn harvest koi using the following:

• Klarna

• PayPal Pay in 3

• Credit/Debit Card

• Bank Transfer

• Cash

Any questions, get in touch