Chapter 489: Unexpected Admiration
The reason why Xiao Qingkong and his friends were so excited to go back to Akita in Northeast China was to go skiing.
After golf, skiing became the second national sport during the bubble era.
So before this, was skiing considered a high-end sport or high-end consumption?
Of course! Although there is heavy snow everywhere in Northeast China, there are almost no places dedicated to skiing.
However, if skiing is considered as a way for children to sit on a piece of wood on a hill and slide down, then it is also very common for people in Northeast China.
Hey, this is a joke~
For most Japanese, especially those in the south, skiing has always been a rare thing.
Not to mention the difficulty in finding a ski spot, just a complete set of ski equipment, even the basic ones, will cost you more than 100,000 yen.
Before the bubble, this was of course a high-end consumption movement. After all, the monthly salary at that time was only more than 200,000 yen, which was undoubtedly a heavy expense for a family.
But when the bubble comes, everything is no problem.
If Baichuan Feng remembered correctly, there had been similar news reports before.
In the whole year of 1988, the total number of people participating in skiing in Japan was 300 million.
Based on Japan's current population of 120 million, this means that each Japanese has gone to the ski resort an average of 2.5 times this year.
It’s an exaggeration, but what was once a high-end sport has now become a veritable national sport.
There are only a few places in Japan that have the conditions to build ski resorts, except for Hokkaido and Tohoku, and of course there is also one in Karuizawa.
Therefore, most of the 300 million people who go skiing are concentrated in these areas.
Among them, Lujiao, which was built the earliest, has the largest area, and is even used to host international sporting events, has undoubtedly become people's first choice for skiing.
So when Baichuan Feng and the others got off the plane, they were shocked by the scene in front of them that looked like ants moving.
Although they were on a private plane, the airport is public.
On each passenger plane, tourists carrying large and small bags of luggage came down the gangway one after another like ants.
The running airport buses are also tirelessly picking up and dropping off tourists.
"Xiao Feng, I haven't been back for more than a year. Has Akita developed to this point?"
Yuko Tanaka was also shocked by the scene in front of her. The last time she came back to Odate Airport, it was not so lively.
Baichuan Feng himself was a little confused. It was New Year's Day, wasn't anyone going home?
The fact is just as he guessed. Because they have too much money and don't know where to spend it, Japanese people are now going on vacation everywhere during the New Year.
The first choice is Hawaii with its pleasant climate, but only a few people go abroad, and most people choose a vacation spot in China.
Due to the popularity of skiing and the fame of Kakui Resort , Akita is of course crowded.
Some of those who got off the plane did not even leave the airport, but took the train directly to Lujiao from the platform.
Due to the large number of people, a train departs from the Keio Tokyu Line almost every three minutes, and the platform is soon filled with passengers again.
Of course, Shirakawa Feng and the others didn't have to squeeze into the train, as there were already people waiting for them at the airport.
"Xiao Feng!~" Within two minutes of Shirakawa Feng and the others getting off the plane, Kotaro's voice appeared not far away.
Turning around, I saw this guy getting out of a brand new car. Damaru, who got off earlier, brought two people with him and enthusiastically took over the luggage of Shirakawa Feng and the others.
"You guy, you look very cool now." The two men walked closer to Baichuan Feng and gave this close friend a big hug.
If there is one person that Shirakawa Kaede can be absolutely assured of, Kotaro must be one of them.
"Hehe, are you shocked by the scene at the airport?" Kotaro, who was also wearing winter clothes, looked more robust than before.
This guy just got married last year and married the daughter of a local prominent family in Akita.
Just this year he had his first child, Michiko, a very cute girl.
Baichuan Feng attended both his wedding and his child's full moon party.
Perhaps because he has a family, Kotaro's demeanor has become much calmer than before.
But when he got closer and saw his flashy red station wagon, Baichuan Feng couldn't help but laugh.
"How about Xiao Feng? Isn't she beautiful? Since it is our Akita brand, it is of course our duty to support the development of our hometown."
The shameless Kotaro has apparently regarded Subaru as Akita's business card.
That’s right, the car that Kotaro was driving at this time was the new model Legacy launched by Subaru at the beginning of the month.
The slender body, harmonious proportions, and new logo all indicate the luxurious status of this car.
Baichuan Feng walked around it twice with great interest before looking up and asking.
"How does it drive? Does it have its own characteristics? Be honest first."
When talking about cars, Kotaro gets excited . "Xiao Feng, to be honest, I've heard of Subaru before, but I've never driven one.
However, after experiencing this Legacy this time, I once doubted whether it was really a car produced by Japan?
It's really exciting to drive, especially on snowy days in Northeast China. The grip and large body of the car are stable, and there is almost no slipping or stalling.
I have to say this is a really practical car with excellent handling. It is a star in Northeast China nowadays.”
Shirakawa Kaede can just listen to Kotaro's praise; the game has only been on the market for a month so there's no way it will have any reputation.
However, thanks to the extensive publicity before, Subaru's reputation has returned to the Japanese people's sight again.
In order to win this crucial battle, Shirakawa Holdings and Subaru invested heavily in publicity and promotion.
The rotating advertising bombardment on TV stations and the rotation on radio and newspapers are all serving Subaru's Legacy.
But the most expensive expense in promotion is still offline promotion.
You can see Legacy posters almost everywhere in the streets of cities big and small, and on the crisscrossing highways in Japan.
After spending billions of yen on advertising, the effect was immediate.
Although the sales volume for the first month has not yet been counted, according to feedback from 4S stores in various places.
The number of people coming to see Subaru's new models is far higher than at any other time in history.
The reason why the current Legacy is so attractive is that in addition to its appearance following the trend, it has also added a lot of new features with the help of Shirakawa Electric.
For example, the most eye- catching surprising thing is that the instrument panel of the top-of-the-line luxury version of the Legacy is actually a color LCD screen.
You don't need to ask to know that this is a product of Shirakawa Electric, the leading display manufacturer in Japan.
Today, in the manufacturing of LCD panels, the Shirakawa LCD Factory is absolutely first-class in Japan, and even in the world.
In addition, in order to support full-color functional display, TSIC also cooperated with Subaru to develop an auxiliary chip.
As a result, information such as fuel level, fuel consumption, cruising range, speed, etc. were all changed to digital LCD display, and even a warning display for door opening was added.
It can be said that the Legacy at this time should be the first car equipped with a full-color LCD display.
Although its functions are still somewhat rudimentary, it already has the prototype of a fully digital LCD display.
However, due to the tight time, the number of deluxe versions with such configuration is still relatively small, and is currently in short supply.
Although it’s just a change of the dashboard, Subaru’s sense of technology is immediately improved.
Besides, this is the bubble era. In order to distinguish themselves from ordinary people, rich people only want to buy unique things without considering the price.
Undoubtedly, the full-color LCD instrument of the Legacy meets this part of the requirements. Of course, in addition to these, in order to match its positioning, the Legacy also has other unique designs.
For example, a telephone system is installed on the steering wheel, which really makes it convenient for people to make phone calls while driving.
There is also an air humidifier in the back row, which is not used by most families.
Of course, this series of luxurious configurations also makes the price of the Lion very luxurious, with the top-end version basically priced around 5.4 million yen.
The low-end and mid-range models have the full-color LCD screen replaced with a black and white LCD screen and a traditional electronic screen, and the power is also reduced to around 2.0 or less.
As for the engine power of the deluxe version and travel version, it can reach up to 2.8L, making it a true luxury car.
Of course, even so, the lowest-end model of the Legacy is priced at around 4.2 million yen.
Since it is positioned as luxury, it must be aware of being a luxury car. The previous price of two to three million is obviously not suitable for the current Legacy.
In terms of mechanical performance, Shirakawa Kaede believes in Subaru's foundation, but as for the aesthetic style, he can still make the final decision for Subaru.
This LCD display instrument is just a first attempt, and a series of new functions are waiting to be added later.
Shirakawa Feng had seen the Legacy when it first rolled off the production line, but now that Kotaro was driving it, he became interested again.
However, considering that his family was still there, he suppressed his curiosity and planned to try again later.
Kotaro drove the car himself, Shirakawa Kaede sat in the passenger seat, and the group set off happily and easily.
It's only about 30 kilometers from Odate to Kazuho, and the roads between the two places are quite developed, so Shirakawa Feng and his friends had a smooth journey.
However, what surprised Baichuan Feng was that in this short journey of thirty or forty minutes, he actually saw more than one Legacy running on the road.
And most of them are extended travel versions, with ski equipment strapped to the roof racks.
If his guess was correct, these pedestrians were probably going to Lujiao to ski.
"Eh?" Baichuan Feng couldn't help but exclaimed when he saw another Legacy speeding past the window.
"Haha, Xiao Feng, I didn't lie to you. In the Northeast, especially in Akita, Legacy is a star."
Kotaro was driving while laughing. This guy didn't believe what he said just now.
The reason why the probability of Legacy appearing in Northeast China is so high is, on the one hand, because Subaru has now been incorporated into Shirakawa Holdings.
In addition, the Legacy itself was designed to be extremely suitable for the road conditions in the Northeast, including snow, hills, and many bends. Isn't this tailor-made for Subaru's three-pronged strategy?
So whether it is based on fellow-township or performance considerations, the Subaru Legacy is a good choice.
In addition, Japan's economy is booming, especially with the Kakui resort in Akita, the economic benefits to surrounding cities are also considerable due to the radiation effect.
Now that people have more money in their pockets, they are willing to spend it. Luxury cars that were once out of reach are now affordable.
It seems that even he himself underestimated the appeal of the Legacy. Looking at another Subaru driving away outside the car window, Baichuan Feng's originally happy mood became even more cheerful.
As for Xiao Qingkong and the others sitting in the back row, they would exclaim in amazement from time to time when they saw the earth covered in snow.
At this age, they are curious about everything they see.
