The Japanese Hobbyist Scene

Three Layers of DistributionCHANNELS

First, there are specialist shops dedicated to Thai imports. Direct routes linking Thailand and Japan can be confirmed in primary sources, the Thai breeder Q Dyckia among them.

Second, small-scale sellers on BASE and elsewhere put seedlings and hybrid seedlings into circulation at accessible prices, and brick-and-mortar nurseries also handle hybrid seedlings in higher price ranges. Individual listings by enthusiasts on Yahoo! Auctions and flea-market apps are another important channel through which plants spread, and the sales information and history, including ended listings, form one of the de facto archives.

Third, there are event sales. Dyckia is supplied as one genre within general succulent events, and there are events dedicated to Dyckia alone. SPIKES, the Dyckia-only event held at Tsuboi Kengeien in Nagoya, grew out of its predecessor NEEDLES into a large-scale event in 2022 and ran once a year, drawing breeders and collectors from Japan and Thailand. SPIKES came to a close in 2024, and in 2025 it was held as NEEDLES, taking the predecessor's name back.

Thai Formats, Unchanged, into JapanFROM THAILAND

Much of the notation in Japanese listings and records is the Thai breeders' format, imported almost unconverted. Q Dyckia's individual numbers (Q-01), clone-line numbers that appear in Q Dyckia's records (HU-5 — a line Q Dyckia uses as a cross parent, as in HU-5 × ‘Bill Baker’; its origin is not stated in Q Dyckia's own published material), and selected clone names (‘Bone’ — Q Dyckia's sale lists call it “Bone cv. of Brittle Star F3”, and the BCR entry for ‘Nagas’ likewise states that the pollen parent ‘Bone’ is from the grex D. ‘Brittle Star’ F3) survive on Japanese labels, with katakana readings added. The F1/F2/F3 generation labels and the abbreviation style are also shared between Thailand and Japan (see Names & Cross Formulas).

Japan & the BCRJAPAN & THE BCR

On the registration side, there are registrations from Japanese breeders as well. ‘Jaws’ (#14722), widely grown in Japan while its origin went unrecorded, was registered with the BCR in 2018 by an enthusiast.

What is interesting is that in examples of Japanese registrations, the Reg. Doc. — the registration document — was handled by registration contacts (Sant Komsans, Sant Santi, and others; in the BCR, Sant Komsans for ‘Patriot Crown’ and ‘Voltage Reversal’, and Sant Santi for ‘Crystal Boy’ and ‘Amazonico Super Phoenix’). Likewise, Paradon Sela handled the Reg. Doc. for the Thai-origin ‘Nagas’.

The flow of information, in sum, runs: Thai breeders' blogs (primary information) → importers and auctions (distribution) → a portion into the BCR (institutionalisation). In the reverse direction, from Japan to the world, BCR registration is nearly the only channel.