Chapter 287 Lujiao Resort
"Karuizawa has become a summer resort, and now even has a reputation as an international resort, largely due to its celebrity effect."
There is a royal summer resort in Karuizawa, and this alone is a living signboard.
In addition, a large number of overseas tourists have spread its reputation further and further. Over the years, Karuizawa has gradually developed to a great level.
"Because the royal family, politicians, celebrities and other people from all walks of life have built their own villas in Karuizawa, its reputation as a high-end resort is widely spread among the people.
The reason why so many people choose to buy property in Karuizawa is not only because of its excellent natural scenery.
Its geographical location relatively close to Tokyo is also an advantage that cannot be ignored.
Unfortunately, Shikaku does not have this advantage, which means it is destined not to become the second Karuizawa."
Shirakawa Kaede has always seen clearly that it is impossible to completely copy the model of Karuizawa, even if there is money involved.
This natural geographical advantage is beyond his control alone.
But this does not mean that Shikaku has no chance. Although it is not as good as Karuizawa, it can work hard to narrow the gap between the two.
"Everyone, please look." Shirakawa Feng took out a map of the surrounding areas of Karuizawa and placed it next to the Lujiao map for comparison.
“The straight-line distance from Tokyo to Karuizawa is about 100 to 200 kilometers, and the main means of transportation are the Shinano Railway and a large number of highways.
It takes passengers about two hours to travel from Tokyo to Karuizawa, and the commuting costs can be kept within 10,000 yen.
However, according to the plan of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, in five years, around 1998, the JR line will open a direct line from Tokyo to Karuizawa.
By then, the journey time between the two will be reduced to about an hour.
This will certainly greatly facilitate the travel between the two places, from which it can be inferred that Karuizawa's development will surely reach a higher level at that time.
But please note that this is five years or even longer." Baichuan Feng tapped the map on the table and emphasized this.
"What does Shirakawa-san mean?" Nagata Tadashi seemed to understand a little bit, and he emphasized the intention of the time issue.
"Five years or even ten years is enough time for a lot of things to happen." Shirakawa Kaede looked at Nagata Masaru and the others with a meaningful look.
In fact, as far as he knew, the direct line from Tokyo to Karuizawa was only partially opened in 1987.
The first dedicated direct line operation between the two was completed in the 1990s.
Such a long window of time is the best time for Deer Antlers to catch up and get closer.
Nagata Masaru and the others obviously understood what Shirakawa Kaede said, and to be honest, they were a little moved.
"Well then Nagata-san, Ogawa-san, now let's take a look at the antlers."
Shirakawa Kaede put the pen near Kazuno and Odate. "If the railway from Odate to Kazuno is built, according to the current speed of electric trains, the commuting time between the two places will be roughly 15 to 30 minutes."
At a speed of 80 to 100 kilometers per hour, 30 kilometers, including the stop time, is more than enough in half an hour.
If it is a dedicated line, the time will be even faster.
"This time is very short and very advantageous. So how can we get to various places in Neon from Tai Kwun most efficiently?"
Shirakawa Feng drew a circle on the outskirts of Odate, "This will be the location of Odate Airport in the future."
"Airport?" Nagata Masaru and Ogawa Kazuo looked at each other, and they saw the surprise in each other's eyes.
An airport is an airfield. If there is an airport in this place, the layout of Lujiao will be very different.
“You two may not know that the planning of Tai Kwun Airport was reviewed and approved a few years ago.
However, due to certain process reasons, it is still in the preparation stage. "
Kikuharu Sasaki knew the situation best, because it was with his promotion that the Odate Airport project was finally completed.
The reason why construction has not started yet is partly due to process reasons and partly due to financial pressure.
However, the airport in Tai Kwun is a foregone conclusion, it is just a matter of sooner or later.
"And if Odate had an airport," Shirakawa drew a straight line between Odate and Tokyo, "it would only take a little over an hour to fly from Tokyo to Odate."
“In this case…” Shirakawa Kaede connected Shikaku and Odate again, “It takes about an hour from Tokyo to Odate, and thirty minutes from Odate to Shikaku.
That means it takes about an hour and a half to get from Tokyo to Kazuno, which is less than the time it takes to get to Karuizawa."
Shirakawa Kaede threw down his pen and looked at Nagata Masaru and the others with burning eyes.
"Mr. Nagata, Mr. Ogawa, this is our chance, a chance to develop a second Karuizawa."
According to Shirakawa Kaede's introduction just now, Nagata Masaru and others already know that Kakuzu has advantages over Karuizawa in all aspects.
If the weakest link in transportation can be made up or even ahead, it has to be said that this is indeed an opportunity, and an extremely tempting opportunity at that.
Of course, the premise of all this is that the Odate airport can be completed in the next few years, and the railway from Odate to Lujiao can also be completed simultaneously.
So can this premise be achieved before the opening of the Shinkansen in Karuizawa?
Yes, and the chances are great.
Nagata thought for a long time before speaking carefully, "I just heard that the Odate airport is still in the preparation stage, so when is it expected to be officially opened?"
If the airport is not in place, it will be of no use even if the railway in Lujiao is built.
Although Akita also has an airport, Akita City is more than 100 kilometers away from Kazuno City.
It takes more than two hours to drive there, and at least three hours to take the train.
Such a journey time would be meaningless for Lujiao.
As for catching up with Karuizawa, there is no way to even talk about it.
Obviously everyone understands that if Lujiao really wants to be a tourist destination, the airport in Tai Kwun is the top priority.
If there is no guarantee, it would be unrealistic to expect Nagata Masaru and others to spend real money to support the development of Deer Antlers.
There is no doubt that the pressure on the construction of Odate Airport lies with Kikuharu Sasaki.
The Akita governor, who was nearly sixty years old, frowned and pondered for a long time before finally gritting his teeth.
"The Odate Airport will definitely be completed within four years, and it will definitely be opened before the opening of the Shinkansen to Karuizawa."
The reason why the current airport has not been implemented is partly due to process promotion and partly due to financial pressure.
But the cost of building an airport is actually not terrible, and it is even cheaper than building a railway.
That's right, taking Odate Airport as an example, its total construction cost is estimated to be around 40 to 50 billion yen, which is much lower than the 90 billion yen budget for Kazuno Railway.
Because apart from the runway, the airport has infrastructure such as towers and terminal halls, and there are no other high additional expenses.
However, in addition to infrastructure such as stations, the cost of railway tracks and electrical lines is much higher than that of runways.
This is why the cost of railways is higher than that of airports.
Now that Shirakawa Feng has almost solved the railway problem, it would be a bit unreasonable if he fell behind in building a cheaper airport.
Therefore, Kikuji Sasaki made up his mind that he would personally communicate the process to the higher-ups, and there shouldn't be any major problems.
As for the funds, there is no doubt that the bulk of it will come from the national treasury and county finances.
If it really doesn't work, the worst that can happen is to set up the Tai Kwun Airport Committee and seek support from local capital.
As a member of Akita, shouldn't we contribute our part to benefit the people of this county?
After silently estimating in his mind that it shouldn't be a big problem, Sasaki Kikuji gritted his teeth and agreed.
"Great! Mr. Sasaki's courage is admirable. If the construction of Odate Airport starts, then the railway to Kazuno will also be built at the same time."
After getting the assurance from the Akita Governor, Nagata Masatsugu finally gave in on the railway project.
"But the premise of this matter is that the antlers are indeed as naturally gifted as Shirakawa-san said.
Regarding the investigation of this part of the data, Keio Group will personally send people to conduct a comprehensive on-site investigation, which is expected to take 2 to 3 months. "
Changing the subject, Nagata Masaru turned the question back to the actual situation of Shikaku.
After all, such a large investment cannot be decided in just a few words, and necessary investigation and analysis are naturally indispensable.
"This is only natural. Lujiao also welcomes any companies with investment intentions to come here for research."
Baichuan Feng welcomed him generously. How could he attract other people's attention without showing his antlers?
Seeing Shirakawa Kaede's sincere attitude, Nagata Masaru and the others felt much more relieved.
"Regarding the development of antlers, Shirakawa-san, do you have any plans?"
Although a detailed investigation has not been conducted, Kazuo Ogawa has already considered the development of deer antlers in advance.
Whether it is Keio or Tokyu, in addition to the transportation industry, tourism is also one of their businesses.
However, this was the first time they had experienced a project like the development of Lujiao, which involved developing an entire city.
Once this is accomplished, the future benefits will be even more terrifying than the revenue brought by building a railway.
And like the railway, its revenue is long-term. Even with the development of the times and the rise of economic level, the tourism industry will become more and more developed.
After realizing this, both Nagata Masaru and Ogawa Kazuo began to get excited.
“As for the development of antlers, of course we need to make use of its two main characteristics.”
Baichuan Feng had actually already thought about this in his mind. Adapting to local conditions is always the most effective way to solve problems.
"The most distinctive seasons for deer antlers are winter and summer. Winter is just as you can see." Shirakawa Feng pointed to the snow outside the window.
“The snow season in Lujiao can last until around March of the New Year, and the abundant snowfall makes it a great skiing paradise.
If designed according to the rolling hills, the ski resort here could even meet the standards of international competitions.
As for the boost to the reputation of antlers brought by hosting international competitions, I’m sure you can imagine it.”
Nagata Masaru and others nodded, this was indeed the quickest way to increase Kanojo's international reputation.
“At the same time, Kazuno has abundant hot spring resources, and Hachimantai Hot Spring has been famous for a long time.
The acidic nature of the spring water is very beneficial for the treatment of physical diseases. This alone has attracted many celebrities to build sanatoriums here."
As long as it is advertised as prolonging life, those wealthy people will definitely be willing to spend a lot of money to build their own hot spring villa in Lujiao.
“This is the winter feature of Deer Antlers, now let’s talk about the summer.
The average summer temperature in Kazuo is around 20 degrees, which is very similar to Karuizawa. In addition, the local vegetation resources are rich and the air quality is fresh and pleasant.
In addition to these, Shikaku is also dotted with streams, with seven or eight waterfalls alone, and a large number of ancient shrines hidden among the mountains and forests.
What is rare is the existence of the Hanawa Basin, which is suitable for the development of a fully functional cluster resort, a large summer resort integrating tourism, shopping, sports, leisure and food.
The North and South Lakes, the Datang Ring Stone Array, the bicycle path that passes through the forest and around the mountain, etc. will all be part of the scenic spot.
Even in autumn, the colorful flowers in the mountains and forests are a beautiful sight in themselves, and aerobic exercise here will surely be popular with many people. "
The fact is just as Shirakawa Kaede said, the natural resources in Lujiao are indeed very rich, and it is not a foolish dream to develop it into a resort.
If Lujiao’s transportation problem is solved, it may become the next famous tourist destination.
