The fresh green adds to the richness remarkably in May, which make people feel strength of the breath of the life. Soft breeze is gentle and pleasant as an errand of summer, which will rob us of a jacket. May is one of the best months to visit in Japan. This Golden Week allowed us to take 11 consecutive holidays during April 26 (Sat) to May 6 (Tue) if we take 2~3 days off. There were many people enjoy such long holidays?
I also took 2 days off and I went for a drive in my car to Hakone for an overnight trip after a long time. It took one and half hours by car from Yokohama. It just takes around one hour if you take a train. Hakone used to be 10th post-town on the road from Edo to Kyoto in Edo period. The mountains of Hakone was steep and it was famous for a mountain path hard to pass which has consequently left lots of nature untouched by humans.
Hakone has been known for a hot-spring resort for a long time and it has been developed as a sightseeing spot and a health resort from the Meiji period. Nowadays, a railroad, a network of highways, expressway lead to Hakone and it has been one of sightseeing routes for one-day trip from Tokyo.
During this Golden Week most of expressways had been congested with the cars escaping out of town, crawling along bumper to bumper for 30~40km intermittently on the date of departure and return as usual. As a result, departure and return of driving takes one day job. It has been repeated every year that a driving trip makes holiday a kind of hell. I was not involved in the traffic jam because my trip was in the middle of holidays.
People used to enjoy a hot spring as a place of recreation and relaxation when they are free from farm work. A hot spring has many effects and used for recuperation of health for a year in the old days. There is something special taking an open-air bath. I am glad to have been born Japanese when enjoying an open-air bath.
I heard before that one Asian Businessman as a frequent visitor to Japan used to go to Hakone or Atami in order to fresh up at hot spring every time he came to Tokyo and then started working in Tokyo. I believe there are many pro-Japanese who make greatly use of a hot spring to make themselves refresh. I also arranged to get several Americans and Asians stay at Japanese inn in Hakone and Atami. I remembered that most of them showed strong interest in an open-air bath. They were relaxed and enjoyed it more than Japanese. There are hot springs more than 3,000 in Japan. If we could get foreigners know the effect of the hot spring and to make more foreigners tell how to enjoy the hot spring for recuperation they would be effective measure to attract foreigners more coming to Japan. It would be great if we could make many foreigners feel happy in enjoying a hot spring in Japan.
5% consumption tax rose to 8% in April onwards. Meantime, its repercussion seems to have been reported within the assumption. The consumers had prepared for it beforehand. It proved that people understood and cooperative with its raise. Therefore, politicians are responsible for it. I strongly request them to not waste the taxpayers’ money. People do expect that the growth strategy of Abenomics as the 3rd arrow will encourage the private investment and lead to the raise of wage and employment.
Japanese 3 Major Shipping Lines (NYK, MOL, K Line) published their financial result forecast for the fiscal year of 2015 ending March on May 1. The gist is as follows:
Financial Result Forecast for Fiscal 2015
NYK Liner business expects 2.5 billion yen of the ordinary profit, MOL is 14.5 billion yen in red figure, K Line is no loss and no gain. We could understand how difficult the Liner business is. Meantime, their non-liner business have been active and profitable. It proves that how Japanese 3 Major Shipping Lines are sound and safe in structure.
Japanese 3 Major Shipping Lines have been starting procurement of Mega-Container ships.
NYK
8×14,000 teu to complete from Feb. 2016 to Jan. 2018.
These will be to replace 4×13,000 teu chartering from OOCL.
K Line
5×14,000 teu to complete in 2015.
MOL
5×14,000 teu to have chartered from APL for 3 years with last ship put in service in April this year.
10×10,000 teu to have chartered this year and to complete in 2015.
NYK expect the cost saving of up to 23billion yen and 13 billion yen at the least.
Nobody can deny that pursuit of the scale of containership will strengthen competitiveness. It would be inevitable for major shipping lines to be a member of consortium and to adopt the latest and most economical mega-containerships.
New containers stock in China seem to be over 600,000 teu of which 70% has been ordered by Leasing companies as speculation. It is said that production lines have been occupied till July. New container price is $2,200 per 20f and in upward trend. Shipping lines try to book them in an anticipation of market. Leasing companies have been leasing new containers as per MLA with some condition as well as L/T as they have a large number of new containers in the factories. If the current brisk demand from shipping lines will continue for a while leasing companies will reduce their depot inventory to great extent and will push up their utilization. I wish the market to turn into the one which will make leasing companies busier.