Local Trainstations and Healthcare
Thirty years ago, when I first saw a rural, single-track station, I was shocked by how desolate it was.
Is it because there are no passengers, and the station doesn’t prosper, or does the lack of station development lead to fewer passengers?
Stations in Tokyo are commercial hubs, so I thought it was a waste for rural areas.
But I came to understand that rural areas are more about car transportation.
People in rural areas rely heavily on their cars for daily life, so when they come to Tokyo, it’s no joke when they say they get tired from all the stairs in the subway. I began to understand that reality.
For the development of stations in rural areas in Tohoku, I proposed building a healthcare station building in the parking lot in front of the station.
The first floor would be a pilotis-style parking area.
Since it’s a snowy region, having a covered parking lot is convenient and helpful.
In that building, there would be a daycare center, clinic, day services, and a pharmacy.
Additionally, a branch of the municipal office’s library, a post office, and a convenience store with a bank ATM.
It doesn’t need to be the size of a department store.
A supermarket-sized building would be sufficient.
I want to propose a healthcare department store.
In this era, online consultations have been permitted.
For Shinkansen stations, specialists can even come from Tokyo.
Actually, Tokyo’s Ginza Clinic is located in the Kabuki-za Tower, where three subway lines intersect.
I believe the future development of healthcare in rural areas will be centered on railways (tracks) and online services.
National rural station development projects are not uncommon in failing or stalling.
It’s difficult to find tenants for the next spaces in department stores and commercial facilities with high rents.
Station buildings should become centers for medical care, nursing, welfare, and education.
If the bubble economy collapses, the opportunity for this might arise.
For that day, Koyama Group is currently limiting new business ventures.
We are conserving our management capacity.
I completely understand the mindset of investor Warren Buffett.
I believe this is the calm before the storm.
I see this as a good opportunity to show the achievements of Koyama Group after 40 years.
Blood sugar 149. Every morning, when I take my blood sugar measurement upon waking, I feel like I’m dueling with it.
It feels almost like gambling on a roulette wheel.
Yasunari Koyama
CEO of Koyama Group, President of Thunderbird, Vice Chairman of Health Center