Dear Dan,

Thank you so very much for trying to find a way to obtain some Komoriya beauties for us. Your efforts are sincerely appreciated.

Best regards,

Blanca

Thank you for doing that, Dan!
I try to figure out, the mind set of a breeder/producer, that they are not interested, in spreading their glory worldwide.
The Japanese hybrids that had caught my attention, were those with upright flowers, "heavenwatcherZ", in the shape of H.aulicum, notably 4 florets per umbel. These are beautiful!

The only way to obtain something from such a company would be to know someone who lives there and can get their hands on some bulbs... it would have to be an "under the table" deal.

I don't know why the Japanese wouldn't want to ship worldwide, though... oh, well.

Hi Jodi, I actually contacted one of the other people (actually 2 people) that I have sold to in Japan to see if they were willing to get me some bulbs in exchange for other bulbs of mine or seed and they just did not want to do it. Seems as though this nut is too tough for me to crack :o) Dan

Japan has very strict quarantine laws (both ways), but it can be done. You will need to find a broker or customs agent IN JAPAN to secure and provide phyto and CITES permits to ship. This will fall under the general permit to allow endangered species to travel across international borders. If you have a broker he/she can fill out the necessary paperwork to get these to the US.
More than likely the growers in Japan does not want to do or know what to do in filling paperwork. A bonafide customs broker will be your best bet, but expect to pay for their services, as they are not cheap. It is why people bring in large quantities in per shipment to help defray the costs of the paperwork.

Does the broker actually buy the bulbs for us and then ship them?

We have similar situation for Vietnam, too. Ordinary people here don't know how to fill out paperwork for plant shipping, either way! Sigh!

I have imported well over a ton of bulbs, but have only used a broker twice and so can provide limited experience. I found that until you get to around 100Kg it is actually cheaper to import express rather than freight, which is when you need a broker. This is because the broker I found that deals with plants and can therefore get through the USDA charged $500 and then you still have to pay the trucking charges to your final destination unless you want to drive to one of the 5 import sites where it is legal to bring in plants. The broker had absolutely nothing to do with either getting the phyto certificate in India (where miine were coming in from) or dealing with Indian regulations. The broker simply navigated the issues associated with getting the bulbs in through the US Customs and USDA and then on to me. I honestly think it is as simple as Komoriya can sell plenty of bulbs in Japan and they do not want to deal with the hassle of getting a phyto to ship overseas....this is all that is required. Once you have that and my import permit and appropriate stamp for the box (supplied by me) you can drop them in the mail and forget about them. As a large business I do not think they would have any problems dealing with their plant inspectors if they really wanted to, but if you can sell all you want in Japan why bother with the world market. Hey, they are not tougher than OZ and many people, including myself, have imported from there. Oh well, not to be :o) Dan

"IF" the exporting country would strictly follow the rules of USA, the exporter's growing area will need to be tested for nematodes first..."Globodera rostochiensis" in Japan.
This is declared in the Japanese Phytosanitary Permit under "Part II Additional Declaration". After they get their Nematode Free Certificate, then they can bring the plants to be exported in to the Japanese Plant Protection Service to be inspected. If the plants pass inspection, ONLY then will they be issued a Phytosanitary permit. Inspected plants are wrapped and sealed by Japanese Quarantine before they are packed in the box. Even seeds are inspected and sealed. Once the box is sealed, the box is stamped as "Passed", not allowed to be opened anymore, and gets shipped out. This is how strict Japan is but they ship out the best quality and cleanest plants I have ever imported.

Inspected and Quarantine sealed seeds
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Plants are individually inspected and Quarantine sealed
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Whole shipment is again quarantine sealed before box is closed and all necessary paperworks included.
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Box is closed and stamped before shipping out.
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I won't be surprised if Mr. Komoriya won't export.

Oh what a pitty! I did think, i can enhance my collection a little bit. :-(
Thanks for all the effords!

Some other companies sell his hybrids in Japan, I wonder if any of these would be willing to ship to the US?

I do not think this is all that different from many countries. In both India and South Africa the bulbs must be taken to the inspector and boxed there. Some sellers I have purchased from sell by the ton of course in shipping containers and in those cases the inspector comes out to them as they are shipping 10s of thousands of bulbs at the same time and not practical to do as shown above. Even in some states here in the US the nursery has to be inspected for various bugs if they are going to ship out of state. Honestly, this is no big deal and just part of normal business hassle if you are going to export. If Komoriya can make a tidy profit and sell all they can grow just in their own country the question becomes why bother and put yourself through the trouble.

The problem with buying from another seller is that you are now buying retail instead of wholesale so paying way more for the same bulbs.

If anyone has any ideas and wants to share please let the rest of us know :o) Dan

"If Komoriya can make a tidy profit and sell all they can grow just in their own country the question becomes why bother and put yourself through the trouble."

EXACTLY!!! Did you think of offering to purchase the bulbs from Mr.Komoriya at a higher price instead of asking a discounted wholesale price? Perhaps if you can offer him a decent price he might consider the situation and agree to export instead of just supplying most of his bulbs to this retail company in Japan.
Having his bulbs prepared, inspected, packed etc. IS a big deal for someone who does not need $$$.

Hi Maria, I never discussed price.....simply asked if was willing to sell some of his more interesting stuff to me and some of his Hippis to people on the forums I know. I have no qualms at all about spending well over $100 per bulb for something rare and exciting so that would never end the conversation about purchasing bulbs (for those of you that have gotten my lists from Charles in RSA you know what I mean)......he was never willing to give me prices, but was willing to buy my seed. Your last sentence is spot on :o) Dan