3-28-07 This morning we packed 23 boxes of fish. I brought 3 of them to the cargo truck at Miyaishi, but I didn't stick around to help load the truck cause there was so many people there. I figured Marudo would need me more than everybody at Miyaishi cause there was still about 18 more boxes that needed to be packed when I left for Miyaishi. After the rest of the boxes were packed Shinji & I brought them to the shipper in Nagaoka city. After that we returned to Sanbyono to take down and clean all of the prep tanks becuase we are done packing out of Sanbyono for the spring. But we only broke down one tank when we got a call to help out at Sanbusho. At Sanbusho Shinji & I made boxes while Marudo & Takuya helped a customer. When the customer left we packed a bunch of boxes of tosai. While we were packing tosai some famous japanese singer showed up, so Marudo showed him around while we packed. We were so busy today that we didn't eat lunch until after 2 p.m. After lunch Shinji & I continued to break down and clean all the prep tanks at Sanbyono. After that we went to Sanbusho & Muikaichi to do kanri and lock up for the night.

3-29-07 This morning Shinji & I did kanri at both Muikaichi & Sanbusho. Also at Sanbusho we set up a show tank cause a professional photographer is coming to take pictures of one of the oyagoi and a bunch of tosai for a magazine. We help the photographer until lunch time. After lunch it was my turn to be the photographer. I took pictures so we can make certificates of lineage/bloodline later. It took us pretty much all afternoon to photograph around 30 tosai. After that we did kanri and locked up for the night at both Sanbusho & Muikaichi. Tonight I went out with Shinji, his wife, daughter and Keiko also came with us. Our waitress was cute, and I was flirting with her, but I didn't get her number, she said she already had a boyfriend.

3-26-07 This morning we moved some fish from Muikaichi to the shipping prep tanks at Sanbyono. Then Marudo & I went to Ohira to do kanri, after that we went to Nigoro to catch some tosai that are being shipped out today after lunch. After lunch we went to Sanbusho to pack 3 more boxes of tosai. Shinji brought all the boxes to the shipping consolidator while Marudo & I helped some customers. When they left we catch more tosai and moved the to the prep tanks in the front part of the koi house at Sanbusho. Then we headed back to Sanbyono to make up some boxes for tomorrow mornings shipment. But Marudo & I went back to Sanbusho to help some more customers, while Shinji finished making boxes at Sanbyono. When the customers left Marudo & I did kanri at Sanbusho and headed back to Muikaichi to do the same. We needed I new Oxygen tank at Sanbyono, so Shinji & I went to Sanbusho to get a new one.

3-27-07 This morning we got up at 3:00 A.M. to pack 20 to pack 20 boxes of fish. Marudo & I brought them to the load area, but we were and hour early. Marudo wasn't sure we were at the right spot where the cargo truck was going to be (across the street from Marusei's old facility). So we drove over to Marusei's new place in Kawaguchi, and asked him where we were loading. He told us outside of his old facility. So we drove back, and the cargo truck was there when we arrived. So we loaded the boxes and headed home to catch a little sleep. We went to work at 10 A.M., Shinji & I cleaned and reset up the prep tanks at Sanbyono. Next we went to Muikaichi & Sanbusho to do kanri. We worked at Sanbusho until lunch. After lunch and back at Sanbusho we packed some boxes of tosai, a truck came and we loaded them onto it. Along with a bunch of other breeders boxes. After that we set up some prep tanks in the garage at Sanbusho. Then Shinji & I went to Sanbyono to make boxes for tomorrows shipment. Next we did kanri at Muikaichi and locked up for the night. Tonight at home we had a party for Takuto, Toshihiro's son, and for Shigenori, Marudo's youngest son. We throw a party because Takuto graduated 1st grade, and Shige graduated college. After dinner Yoshie brought out some old photo albums and show me pictures. Toshihiro's boys look just like he & Shige did when they were young.

3-24-07 This morning we packed fish around 7 a.m., one big fish at Sanbyono and a bunch of boxes of tosai at Sanbusho. This morning the house was like a mad house cause Kasumi & Yoshie are sick, so everybody is trying to figure out how to make coffee and toast. They really depend on their wifes a lot over here. After breakfast we took down, cleaned and reset up the shipping prep tanks at Sanbyono. In the afternoon we went to Ohira to catch some karashigoi and chagoi to move to the shipping prep tanks at Sanbyono. Today the road along side the Shinano river that collapsed in the earthquake reopened, so on the way back to Sanbyono we took the new road. There was a lot of media and residents there, everybody was celebrating the opening of the road. After all of the fish were transfored out of the truck at Sanbyono we went to Muikaichi to catch a couple more. Next I went to Sanbusho to take a couple pictures of fish, then I did kanri and locked up there for the night. Next I went to Muikaichi to help lock up there.

3-25-07 Today there was an earthquake a little before noon. It hit most of Japan except for Kyushu, Ishikawa was hit the hardest, registering at 6 on the richter scale. Near the hospital in Ojiya it was at 5, and most of the surrounding areas, including where I was, it was at 4. One person died as a result of the earthquake, and about 49 suffered injuries. I was at Sanbusho with Marudo & Takuya when it hit, we were selecting tosai for shipping out when it hit. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that the water was starting to rock back and forth. Then I lost my balance and almost, luckly though, I didn't fall into one of the tanks. We went outside and waited the earthquake out, it only lasted about a minute. It was so weird how the water rocked back and forth in the tanks, it just came out of nowhere.

This morning Takuya & I went to Muikaichi to do kanri. Next we went to Sanbusho to do the same, after that we seined one of the tanks and help Marudo pick fish for shipping out. While we were doing that an earthquake hit. We finished picking fish then went to lunch. After lunch we went up to Nigoro to pick more fish, and brought them to Sanbusho. At Sanbusho we went through a couple more tanks to pick fish. After that we did kanri and locked up for the night at Sanbusho and Muikaichi.

3-22-07 Today I had the day off, in the morning I did bunch of computer work. In the afternoon I went with Shinji to Teradomari koi farm to look at tosai and visit. And after dinner I helped pack fish at Sanbyono and Sanbusho.

3-23-07 This morning it was just Takuya and I working cause Marudo & Yoshie went down to Tokyo again to help there son pack up all his stuff. And Toshihiro and Shinji drove down there this morning with a cargo truck to haul all of the stuff up to here. So Takuya & I went to Muikaichi, Sanbusho, Nigoro and Ohira to do kanri. Also at Nigoro we pulled the boards up and washed down one of the filters. After lunch we headed back to Sanbusho to wash down the Oyagoi tank's filters. Then we cleared an area out in front of the vinyl house for storing Marudo's sons stuff until he moves to Niigata city in April. Next we washed down another filter while we waited for the others to show up. When they finally came we helped unload all the stuff, and after that we locked up for the night.

Random Ramblings...


The other day I saw how they set up speed traps here in Japan. The cops can't just park their car on the side of the road and sit with a radar gun cause you can see their cars from a mile away. I think there was a compition between police departments to see who could make their cars the most noticeable, its that bad. So what they do for a speed trap is park all of their cars in an empty lot. Then up the road the put a guy in some bushes or trees with a radar gun, and then they put a guy in the road with traffic directing sticks by the entrance to the empty lot. So if the guy hiding in the bushes tags you going over the limit he radios the ahead and tell him to direct you into the empty lot so the other cops can write you up a speeding ticket, or even tickets for talking on your cell phone while driving and for not wearing your seat belt. I thought it was pretty funny to see a cop literally hiding in the bushes.

Another interesting tidbit about cops and ambulances here is that they wait at red lights. The signals here don't have that sensor that sees the emergency light and then changes the light to green to let emergency vehicles through.


The other day I saw a really funny commercial on TV, only that it wasn't meant to be funny. I think it was a commercial for cereal, but in it was a mother serving her son breakfast. And on the kids shirt it said "I Love M.I.L.F.s!". The kids mom was pretty hot too, how ironic is that?


The other night I was watching sumo on TV, they wrestle on a raise platform that looks like it is made our of packed soil and it is about 10' X 10'. On the platform there is a rope that forms a circle, and the point of sumo is to knock you opponate out of the circle or off of his feet. And the crowd sits right up next to the platform, like sitting courtside at a basketball game. But, when these big guys wrestle they literally throw each other out of the ring! That means some 500+ pound guy is being thrown on top of about 5 90 pound little japanese guys. Now in America there would probably be a lawsuit, but here in Japan they love it when they get some huge guy thrown onto them. If I every go to a sumo match I'll remember to sit a coulpe rows back.

3-20-07 7:00 A.M. this morning we packed four boxes of Sansai at Sanbyono. Takuya is back today, he had influenza for about a week. After breakfast Toshi, Kasumi & I went to Nigoro to catch some Kujaku and Shiro Utsuri tosai to move to Sanbusho in one of the box nets for shipping prep. Next we headed up to Ohira to go through the tanks and cull the fish. Marudo, Shinji and Takuya showed up to help us cull and carry the fish up to the cars. We did one tank before lunch and one after. Next we spilt up and locked up for the night.

3-21-07 This morning Takuya and I we to Sanbusho to seine a pond of tosai, we did the filter maintenance while we waited for Marudo to show up. When Marudo arrived we graded the fish we seined. After lunch we went back to Sanbusho to continues grading more ponds of tosai. After we finished grading a couple more ponds, we took the 2 ton truck out to get it ready for the year. We set up the oxygen system and put together the transport tanks for it. After that we locked up for the night and headed home.

3-18-07 This morning Toshihiro & I got up at 6:00 A.M. to pack tosai at Sanbusho. After breakfast Shinji & I went to Sanbusho to check the auto-feeders and to dump water. The reason we dump water is beacuse the tanks are set up like a vortex. So every morning an night we pull the standpipe from the bottom drain so all of the fish waste gets washed away, its called "kanri" in Japanese. Next we went to Nigoro to do the same. After Nigoro we went up to Ohira to wash down one of the filters and check the heater. Then we went back to sanbusho to wash down a couple of filters there. After lunch Shinji & I drove around looking at tosai at different farms, I finished up most of my tosai shopping today. After that we locked up for the night at Sanbusho and Muikaichi. Then again Toshi & I packed more boxes of tosai and brought them to the consolidater to load them onto the cargo truck. Marudo & Yoshie got home from Tokyo tonight, he looked pretty tired, I think Yoshie dragged him around on a shopping spree in Shinjuku.

3-19-07 Today Shinji had the day off so it was just Marudo, Toshihiro and I. Also Takuya has been out sick since I got here, but I think he is coming back to work tomorrow. So this morning Marudo & I moved some fish from Muikaichi to the shipping prep tanks in Sanbyono garage. After that we helped some customers at Muikaichi until lunch. After lunch more customers came, so we helped them then we to Ohira. At Ohira we rigged up a hose to melt the snow from the drive way leading down to the koi house. Then we locked up for the night and headed home.

3-15-07 I'm back! A little earlier than I expected, but whats wrong with that? I landed here on the 15th, but I almost missed my flight out of MSP because I was in the wrong security check line. The plane I flew over in was brand new, every seat had a TV in the back of it and you could pick whatever movies ect. you wanted to watch. So that made the flight go by fast, also on the flight they served peanuts as a snack(I didn't know they could still serve peanuts on airplanes). After I had got through customs and immgration I went down to the basement of the airport to get on the Narita Express to take me to Tokyo station. I went ahead and bought all of my train tickets at the airport, but the woman behind the counter must have misheard me when I was purchasing them. She printed me a ticket for Nagano instead of Nagaoka, but I didn't knotice until I was down on the platform. So I had to run back up to the ticket booth and change my ticket. The rest of the night was pretty uneventful, Marudo picked me up from the station and I had dinner with his family then went to bed.

3-16-07 This morning we spent catching fish and moving them to the shipping prep tanks inside of the new garage they had built this winter at Sanbyono. After lunch we checked the fish Sanbusho and Nigoro. Then we made up all of the boxes and prepared everything for shipping fish out tomorrow morning.

3-17-07 Happy St. Patrick's Day everybody! No they don't celebrate it here in Japan, which suprizes me, because it is another excuss for them to drink beer. This morning we got up at 5:30 and packed fish at Sanbyono and Sanbusho. After breakfast we helped a bunch of customer fom the U.K. until lunch time. After lunch I went to a couple places to buy tosai. Then I went to Sanbusho to help Toshihiro clean filters and refill the auto-feeders. Then we locked Sanbusho and Muikaichi up for the night.