In de ban van de koi

Ever seen a strapping goldfish in a pond or garden centre that had black, orange and white spots? Big chance that it was a Koi carp. Owning Koi carp is not granted to everyone. The chairman of the Board of Directors of a large bank, a DJ who regularly performs before a packed Feyenoord stadium, a soccer pro with a first-division club: they belong to the happy few who can afford to plunk down amounts of €20,000 or more for a new fish. But then again, a Koi is far from an ordinary fish. Devotees impute mythical characteristics to it. They praise its calming aura and loyalty. The hype “swam” over from Japan. There, high on the sides of the Niigata Mountains, are the mud ponds of top-class farmers like Toshio Sakai, who regularly nets $250,000 or more per fish.