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Koji Yamazaki's Small Beauty World

The 100th Odd Eye Plastic Cut

Before getting into the main topic mentioned in the title, there is something I would like to talk about. Just after I returned to Japan from my usual spring stay in Thailand, on the morning of June 11th, I received a call from my Thai friend Tong. He told me that there had been a fire at about 4am in the area around Chatuchak where all the betta fish shops are located, and that it had all burned down. Fortunately, it happened early in the morning outside of business hours, so there were no casualties, but all the betta fish in their cases were burned.
I immediately checked the news on the internet and found that a fire had broken out at Chatuchak Fish Market in Bangkok early in the morning, destroying 100 stores. It was a blessing that no one was injured, but the area was not only home to betta fish shops, but also chickens, ornamental birds, and reptiles, all of which were apparently damaged.
I was connected with some of the beta shops on LINE, so when I contacted them, they sent me pictures of the scorched and horrific scene. I have been going to this area called Soi Pakat, where the beta shops are concentrated, for decades, and it was an important place for me to find models for my shoots and a source of material.
It was quite a shock to see such a devastation there.
The official cause of the fire is believed to be a short circuit from electrical appliances such as electric fans that were left on at night because it was too hot inside the store. Many people have a different view, but since there is no evidence, it is not good to make arbitrary claims.
I asked Ton about what had happened since then, and it seemed that the betta shop had found an alternative location and resumed business there. Well, unlike a regular tropical fish store, a betta shop can operate with just shelves and a small glass case for the bettas, so it must have been relatively easy for them to be reunited.

Under these circumstances, I visited Bangkok in mid-September. I immediately went to Chatuchak and checked out the Betta shop.
Ton had looked up where his favorite stores had reopened, so I was able to go and say hello to everyone there right away.
Although things have become scattered, I am glad to see that most of the stores I know in Soy Pakat have reopened safely. Although the store will be different from the previous one and the customer attraction will be different, I hope they will continue to do their best.

Now, on to the main topic. This time, I started taking pictures of bettas as soon as I arrived in Bangkok, but something bothered me a little.
It seems that there are many opportunities to encounter individuals with odd eyes, which are different colors in each eye.
Odd eyes refers to a trait in which the eyes of each animal are different colors, similar to heterochromia in humans.
A famous example is that many people have seen cats with different eye colors.
In the case of betta fish, most have heterochromatic eyes, one black and the other red.
As I have written in this column before, in the case of bettas, red eyes often have poor eyesight, and you can tell by observing their behavior whether they have no vision at all or some with some ability to see.

In the case of odd-eyed fish, one eye is black and there is no problem with eyesight, so even if the other eye is red, it can compensate, and the body shape is comparable to that of normal fish. Therefore, it is easier to raise them than fish with red eyes in both eyes.

This time, I was able to find three beautiful heterochromatic individuals over a two-week period. I don't know if it was just a coincidence or if I'm just used to finding heterochromatic individuals, but this was an unprecedented success rate.

People seem to have mixed feelings about odd-eyed bettas, but I personally find it a great pleasure to search for beautiful odd-eyed or double-red-eyed bettas, as it's like a treasure hunt.
You can enjoy different fish with different charms on each side, so the viewing value is doubled.
This time, I will be introducing some beautiful odd-eyed specimens that I have found over the past two years in images on the left and right, so I hope you enjoy them.

The color is typical of Candy, and the yellow on the sides of the body is a nice accent. Red Eye is on the left side, but he seems to have good eyesight on that side too, and is growing beautifully and healthily. The shape of his fins is also excellent.

This individual has a slightly irregular pattern, with an exquisite balance of blue, white, yellow, and black. Its body shape is flawless, and the way its fins spread is beautiful. Even if it doesn't have odd eyes, this individual is likely to be popular with enthusiasts.

This is a Koi Betta odd-eyed fish with a white body and black and red patterns. The pattern is a little subdued, and it would probably be more popular if the pattern was a little more flashy. However, the red eyes stand out even more against the white body.

This is a typical heterochromatic eye of Candy. Individuals with heterochromatic eyes are often seen in Candy, but this is thought to be simply due to the large number of Candy's production. This individual's left eye is quite clearly red.

They have pale, pastel-toned heterochromatic eyes, with the right eye being red. Although they are collectively referred to as red-eyed, there is a wide variety of heterochromatic eyes, including some with vivid red eyes, some with dark wine-red eyes, and some that appear red depending on the angle.

This is a tiger betta fish with a deep blue body color and a bright red right eye that stands out against the yellow body color. It also seems to have good eyesight, as evidenced by its sturdy body.

This is a beautiful Candy odd eye decorated with many colors. When Candy first came out, these were sold at very high prices, and I remember that I couldn't afford them, but now they are mass-produced and can be obtained at a reasonable price. With such a flashy body color, the red eye becomes hazy and doesn't stand out very much.

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