Page 12 - Koi Net - On-Line Koi Magazine - Issue 78

A KOI MARATHON

Part 1 – Kyoto and the 60th ZNA
International Koi Show 2024.

Kate McGill-Andrews.

Our epic journey this year began a few months
ago when I received an invitation to judge at the
forthcoming 60th anniversary ZNA International Show
in Japan, scheduled this year to be held near Kyoto, at
the edge of Lake Biwa. I was delighted. Both Ian and I
had hoped we would be able to attend. The event
NOT LONG promised to be something special – 60 years – a very
AFTER WE long history!

ACCEPTED Not long after we accepted this Show, another invitation
arrived – to judge the Taiwan International Koi Show –
THIS SHOW, the weekend after the ZNA event! Head-scratching
time! We haven’t been to Taiwan in over 10 years, and I
ANOTHER was very keen to judge this Show. However, two Shows
INVITATION on consecutive weekends did not seem possible, with
a return to Sydney in between. Too short a time and too
ARRIVED expensive on airfares. We puzzled over a decision for a

while. Still, remembering Alan Nementzik and Rene
Schoenmaker were attending the ZNA Show in Japan,
and also knowing they usually went on to Niigata
afterwards Koi shopping, Ian had the idea of asking if
we could go with them? Spend the intervening days
between Shows in Japan and tick a major item off Ian’s
bucket list simultaneously – he has always wanted to
look around the farms on a Koi shopping trip in Niigata.
I have been before, but many years ago.
This is how our marathon Koi trip began. Alan and Rene
said they were quite happy for us to join the group
going to Niigata, and everything was duly booked. My
acceptance to judge at both Shows was sent, air travel
to Osaka, Taiwan, then home organised, plus hotels in
Majestic Champion,
Over 90bu Taisho Sanshoku Kyoto (we joined the group before the ZNA Show for a
owned by Ryuhei Tanaka. day’s sightseeing around Kyoto), bullet train journeys to

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