Promotion Association New Face Interview　Hara Nishikigoi Mr. Junto Hara (Shizuoka)

Aiming to be a Community-Embedded Koi Shop
The Challenge of a 26-Year-Old Just Getting Started

In February of this year, Hara Nishikigoi was established in Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture. As a promising young figure expected to lead the next generation, Juntosan has joined the Shizuoka Prefecture Branch of the All Japan Nishikigoi Promotion Association. Among recent new association members, the 26-year-old Juntosan is particularly young. Currently working as a company employee and active at the forefront of sales, he operates as Hara Nishikigoi on weekends. Using a modern style that leverages Instagram and an e-commerce site, he is engaged in selling nishikigoi and spreading the word about their appeal.
This young koi dealer, who has stepped from being a hobbyist to a professional, has set a vision of creating a system that can support hobbyists from the local area to the entire prefecture, making progress one step at a time. (Interviewed on February 7, 2026)

Covering All of Shizuoka Prefecture Through Collaboration with Other Dealers

Becoming a Supportive Force for Hobbyists

― You joined the Promotion Association on February 6th, but you are quite young, which is rare among recent new members.
Hara: I will be 26 this year. However, I have been active as a hobbyist for a long time; I started keeping small red goldfish around the time I was in kindergarten. Since I was a child then and didn’t have much technical skill for raising them, I could keep them for two or three years, but I had the impression that goldfish tended to die unexpectedly early.
― So you’ve loved living creatures since you were little?
Hara: Yes, I do. We have four cats and one dog at home. I generally love all living things. I kept them like that for a while. I don’t clearly remember when I realized it, but at some point I started thinking that nishikigoi might suit me better. I began keeping small koi, around 12bu to 15bu, in an aquarium. Koi grows so fast, which I found really interesting. By the time I was in high school, I began to think that if I kept them in a large outdoor tank, I might be able to reach over 60-bu, and things just progressed from there.
― And now you’ve even installed a Wakishimizu.
Hara: I didn’t have that much money back then, so I started installing Wakishimizu and expanding significantly after becoming a working adult. However, since this is also my parents’ home, they told me to “give it a rest” (laughs).
― Your parents probably never imagined you would join the Promotion Association and go this far.
Hara: Well, I always felt that the aquarium hobby was interesting, and since I originally liked fishing too, I suppose this was a natural progression. I currently work in sales as my career, so I thought I could use those sales skills to sell koi as well.
― So you’re selling koi alongside your main job?
Hara: Yes. I’m doing both: working as a company employee and running the koi business. Since I basically only do koi sales on weekends, I’d appreciate it if customers could contact me in advance before visiting. The challenge is finding enough time. Eventually, I’d like to focus entirely on this. However, my current space is a bit small, so I dream of building house ponds at another location.