fabric shopping and koi farms in japan

Try Yuzawaya store for fabrics. Stores all over Tokyo and Japan

http://www.yuzawaya.co.jp/company/brochure3.html

Don't know about Koi but am sure someone else will

Aloha!

Thanks for the link! It looks great! I will pass it along. Maybe kim will chime in about the koi?

I'd chime in if I could...but I have no idea about koi farms. Sorry.

Am wondering if a stop at a used kimono store might be in order for your friends. I recall stopping in a small shop in Kyoto that sold lightly used kimonos and kimono-pattterned silk fabric.

Hope these sites are useful to you. Perhaps you also want to visit the dog boutiques in Tokyo to provide some new business ideas to your friend--dogs now outnumber children aged 10 and under in Japan and the dog boutiques are more chic and posh than those in Beverly Hills. There is a dog park and a dog cafe on the top floor of Takashimaya department store in the Nihonbashi branch in Tokyo.

http://www.fulbrightmemorialfund.jp/shopping.html#kimonos

http://www.pingmag.jp/2006/02/22/dog-fashion-gone-crazy/

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/08/27/in_dog_we_trust_japans_childless_turn_to_canines/

I also want to add aother useful link:

http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+23979

It mentions that Nippori is the best place to buy fabric.
There are over 70 wholesale stores in south exit of JR nippori station.
http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~nippori/map/map.html

Wow! Those links are perfect!!!!!!!!!! She will LOVE the dog place!

I think I found out where to go for the koi farms, once I figure out where they are, I will ask you all how to get there!!!!!!

You "found out where to go for the koi farms"? Where?

Well, thats a good question. I am a member of several koi boards, and found out that many of the people there take annual trip to japan just to buy koi. These are people with WAY more money than we have! I mean these people drop $10,000 US ona fish like its nothing! Anyway I asked around on those boards and got some good info. Its a pain in the butt because some farms want you to come out and others it is forbidden. Also most are in the middle of nowhere! I have someone here in the states that cantake care of all the importing of the koi once he picks the ones he wants.

Interesting information. I did not know that live pet fish could be imported to the US.

Are there koi beauty contests like AKC dog shows?

Yep, there a lot of koi shows all over the world! The winner of the the all japan show is called the grand champion and would sell for over a million $$$$$$$! I once paid $300 to get a true japanese koi but that's as high as I go, last year a huge blue heron ate a ton of my fish!