Mr Robinson said you can buy land in Japanese locations where you couldn’t buy anything else in the world for such reasonable prices and high returns.
"Unlike ski fields in Australia like Thredbo, Japan’s resort areas aren’t yet as sophisticated – although it’s home to some of the best powder skiing in the world. Many resorts don’t yet have fine dining restaurants, supermarkets or bottle-shops," Mr Robinson said.
"Although land prices have risen 1,000 per cent in four years when we purchased our properties, even at 1,000 per cent higher than four years ago, it’s still a lot cheaper than most ski resorts around the world."
Mr Robinson has observed that as infrastructure investment in Japan increases, it brings with it many opportunities for Australia.
"Many products in Japan cost a fortune. It’s cheaper to bring in exports from Australia. We’ve purchased a lot of our of our building materials from Australia including a range of items such as frameless glass shower screens, carpet, lighting, bedding and bath fittings to name just a few. We’ve also employed Australian accountants and lawyers.
"Japan’s culture is changing from its ‘sensei’ system – where a small elite group of intellectuals and business people make decisions. The ‘new’ Japan is more open to new business techniques especially in regional/rural areas which are offering amazing opportunities for a wide range of professional services," he said.
According to Mr Robinson, a self-confessed weak Japanese speaker – the Japanese treat Australians extremely well. "The Japanese all learn how to speak English at school. Japan is probably one of the most western-friendly non-English speaking countries in the world – most people speak a bit of English. It’s an easy place to travel to and very safe," he said.
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