National Tide 1980.

Tanaka Shigehiko's willingness to put Yamato Tourism on the shelves was an unexpected item that truly touched Ning Weimin's heart, completely tilting the scales in his mind.

It's important to understand that in today's Japan, where society is characterized by extravagance and a widespread obsession with pleasure, the tourism industry, like the restaurant industry, is booming.

Whether it's international travel or domestic travel within Japan, there's never a shortage of customers, nor a concern about prices. This is the era of exorbitant profits in Japan's tourism industry.

Tanaka is right, Yamato Tourism is indeed a golden goose that lays golden eggs.

To put it bluntly, if it weren't for Takahashi Harunori's Keio background, who is such a strong-willed person, generous, and ruthless in achieving his goals, he would be completely different.

No matter how high the price offered, the former chairman of Yamato Kanko would not be willing to sell a company that is currently in a profitable phase.

As it turns out, fortunes have reversed. Who would have thought that Takahashi Harunori would lose power, and now the Yamato Tourism that fell into his hands has become a dish in front of Ning Weimin. This is what they call the unpredictability of life.

Of course, just because things are good now doesn't mean they'll be good in the future.

With Ning Weimin's understanding of the course of history, he naturally knew that the good days for tourism in Yamato were probably numbered, and could be counted on one's fingers.

After all, tourism is not a necessity.

What is certain is that as the Japanese economy turns around and the Japanese real estate market also begins to decline, the Japanese tourism industry will face an unprecedented impact.

The recession in the Japanese economy will first cause this industry's prosperity to shift from its peak to its winter.

The Japanese tourism industry is characterized by a large number of sales offices and employees, with all operating costs, except for rent, being in labor costs.

At that time, second-tier travel agencies like Daiwa Kokan, without any special advantages, will probably find it difficult to compete with the larger travel agencies.

On the contrary, they are likely to fall into a situation where they cannot make ends meet.

From this perspective, buying Yamato Kokan now doesn't seem like a particularly worthwhile investment.

But the problem is, business isn't a simple matter of addition and subtraction. Whether it's a lucrative opportunity or a trap, it's not something that can be easily discerned at a glance.

Otherwise, wouldn't everyone be a successful businessman and become a millionaire?
To be honest, while Yamato Sightseeing might be a bit of a letdown for others, a bit bland and unappetizing, for Ning Weimin it was a perfectly roasted lamb leg, sizzling with oil, glistening with flavor, and incredibly delicious.

Why?

Because of their cooperation over the years, Ning Weimin has developed a deep connection with Yamato Tourism.

He not only had a good understanding of the company's operations and knew that Yamato Kanko had established a sales network in most major cities in Japan, but he also maintained good relationships with many of Yamato Kanko's managers from top to bottom.

He even personally designed several tour routes and acted as a go-between, facilitating cooperation between Yamato Kanko and domestic travel agencies.

According to Ning Weimin, while an economic recession in Japan is inevitable, it also means a downgrade in consumption.

To know.

To date, Daiwa Kanko's business volume on China-bound routes has been slowly increasing, and customer feedback has been positive, which is all good news.

The only factor restricting the rapid growth of this business is precisely the limitation in customer base.

After all, because of their wealth, Japanese people today have too many travel destinations to choose from.

When most people talk about traveling abroad, their first choice is Europe and America, followed by Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Further down the list are Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt and Türkiye.

Typically, only elderly people who require a relaxed travel itinerary and have plenty of time, as well as lower-class Japanese people looking for cheap travel options, would choose impoverished China as their travel destination.

This is largely thanks to the fact that TV series such as "Dream of the Red Chamber," "Xi Shi," "Bao Gong," "Wu Song," "The Generals of the Yang Family," and "Nurhaci" were broadcast in Japan and gained a lot of fans. This has led to a significant increase in students, scholars, and white-collar workers interested in Chinese culture among tourists visiting China.

Otherwise, the customer base for tourism to China will be even smaller.

However, none of that matters.

Ning Weimin could foresee that as he continued to promote Chinese culture in Japan, and as the Japanese economy declined, the Japanese people's consumption concepts would inevitably change.

When Japanese people truly feel the pain of their wallets shrinking, and they have a desire to travel again, more people will choose to travel to China.

Moreover, with the increasing number of international sporting events held in China, the city's infrastructure and transportation conditions are improving, and it also possesses abundant high-quality natural resources.

Once the trend of Japanese people traveling to China is established, it will maintain high growth for a long time, and the business potential in this area is enormous.

Therefore, Daiwa Tourism, which already has a first-mover advantage, has become a short-term industry unicorn, and its tourism business to China will inevitably become Daiwa Tourism's second growth curve.

Looking at the bigger picture, even if China's national strength rises and it eventually surpasses Japan, it can still encourage Chinese people to travel to Japan.

Cross-border tourism between China and Japan is an inexhaustible gold mine.

From this perspective, buying Daiwa Tourism at this time is not a loss at all; it's a perfect buy at an absolute low point before the business boom.

Even if you buy it at the original price without any discount, it's still a good deal.
And that's not all. As Ning Weimin delved deeper into his considerations, he discovered that he actually had the ability to provide a third growth curve for Yamato Tourism.

Even the fourth, the fifth...

This is not bragging.

Don't forget, take France as an example, Ning Weimin has even better industries and more abundant personal connections there.

He not only owns restaurants, castle hotels, and wineries, but also has friends in the fashion and film industries.

All of this will directly enhance Yamato Tourism's business advantages in the European region.

Making Yamato sightseeing more affordable and offering richer, more unique experiences could potentially break through the industry's ceiling and snatch some market share from large travel agencies.

It's not impossible to go against the industry cycle and grow bigger and stronger by doing the opposite.

How should the value of tourism in Yamato be defined?
With this in mind, it was a natural progression, and a fairly comprehensive tourism business network spanning China, Japan, and Europe came to Ning Weimin's mind.

Moreover, this spider web-like thing has also absorbed all of Ning Weimin's current assets and projects.

Domestically, this includes restaurants, bookstores, tobacco and alcohol shops, stamp shops, clothing stores, fast food restaurants, ancient buildings, advertising, celebrities, taxis, planned aquariums, arts and crafts shops, film shooting locations, the Pierre Cardin Building, and Yunyuan Garden… In Japan, it includes parking lots, liquor stores, clubs, high-end food ingredients, restaurants, trading companies, bookstores, publishing houses, film studios, music production companies, animation IPs, and film copyrights…

There's also LVMH, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, the Champs-Élysées, castle hotels, Château de la Champagne, private jets and yachts...

All of this is interconnected by the forked network.

These originally chaotic and independent elements eventually formed a dazzling whole, allowing Ning Weimin to see his career prospects clearly.

Based on the tourism industry, create an unprecedented business empire.

Originally, it was an industry that handled everything, but through tourism, it could not only connect all of them but also obtain a high premium.

He wanted to protect traditional culture and promote national culture.

All investments made without expecting a return will eventually be cashed out through tourism, further boosting the market and promoting asset appreciation.

For him, once he understood the core of the tourism business, he could connect all the details, integrate the fragmented elements, and form the best resource integration.

To give an analogy, it's like in the internet age: those in the catering industry have Meituan, those selling goods have Alibaba, those writing novels have Yuewen, and those who want to become live streamers have Douyin.

Now that he has his own platform for monetization and traffic acquisition, it would be difficult for him not to become a legend.

How can I describe that feeling in more detail?
It's like someone going up a mountain to seek immortality, constantly surrounded by clouds and mist.

When he reached the top, he still couldn't see the way ahead and became increasingly unsure of which way to go.

Just as they were feeling lost, a strong wind blew by, and the fog cleared away.

At this moment, he not only discovered that the stone steps leading to the immortal's cave in the distance were right under his feet, but also that the scenery outside the cliff was absolutely stunning, offering a panoramic view of all the mountains.

Yes, it's that awesome.

You see, Ning Weimin's long-standing confusion was suddenly resolved in this instant because of a single sentence from the other party during the negotiation. Even the phrase "enlightened by a sudden awakening" wouldn't be enough to describe this profound sense of enlightenment.

It's like Sun Wukong, who had just sprung from a stone, making a bet with the other monkeys, and accidentally jumping over the Water Curtain Cave, only to discover how beautiful this blessed land was.

In short, there are no perfect companies in this world, only companies that fall into the hands of the most suitable people. Ning Weimin had already made up his mind to take over Yamato Tourism no matter what.

Although theoretically it would be more worthwhile for him to wait until the Japanese economy has driven the Japanese people to complete despair before buying assets, it seems that he should not rush into it now.

But nothing is absolute in this world. If he misses this opportunity, he might not get another chance. He dared not take such a risk of missing out.

He's even willing to exaggerate a bit, after all these calculations in his mind, he'd do it even if the other party asked him to pay double the premium.

After all, although there are many travel agencies in Japan, there really isn't one as suitable as Yamato Kanko for him.

This is not nonsense. You should know that large travel agencies in Japan are usually publicly listed companies.

The financial accounts are too complicated, the costs are enormous, and there are many restrictions on operations.

Streamlining staff and expenses cannot be done arbitrarily.

Ning Weimin knew his own limitations. He lacked industry experience and might not be able to handle things well. He might end up creating a bottomless financial black hole for himself.

Conversely, smaller travel agencies don't have these constraints that make him feel uncertain.

The problem is that most companies are small in scale and rely on large travel agencies for subcontracting of many of their businesses, making it difficult for them to operate independently.

Where else can you find a business like Yamato Tourism, which has already reached a considerable scale and has a very comprehensive business network, covering not only the whole of Japan but also extending its outbound travel business to Central and Europe?
To put it simply, Yamato Tourism is like a newly emerging medium-sized city with highly developed infrastructure. It has a small population, a light financial burden, but unlimited potential.

As mayor, once he takes office, he should focus on developing the economy and do what he does best.

Many of the hard and tiring tasks had already been done by others, and he was simply enjoying the fruits of others' labor. He was just one step away from a bountiful harvest, all of which would be considered political achievements.

Even the road he paved for tourism in Yamato back then wasn't in vain; there's no better time than this.

From this perspective, Ning Weimin even suddenly felt that Takahashi Harunori was actually a pretty nice person.

Although it's against oneself, it brings far more benefits; it's practically a huge blood transfusion prepared by God for me.

However, to be fair, one thing at a time, even with huge profits, one should not ignore the risks.

For his own safety, Ning Weimin still did not intend to let Takahashi Harunori go so easily. He wanted to gain benefits while also bringing down Takahashi.

Although he couldn't continue to be forceful in this situation, people aren't stupid; they can always come up with a solution.

Sure enough, with a quick thought, he decided to follow the other party's example and try a softer approach.

He intends to use the same tactics of mutual benefit to manipulate the other party into accepting his ideas.

"Let's be frank. I have indeed seen your sincerity, and I am indeed interested in the goods you have put on the shelves. Especially now that you are short of money, and I have a lot of funds on hand, if we can reach a settlement and complete the asset transaction, it would indeed be a win-win situation for both of us. No one would refuse unless they were a fool."

"That's great. In that case, we're in agreement," said Tanaka Shigehiko with satisfaction, and the other three representatives also looked pleased.

"Don't rush," Ning Weimin continued. "While that's true, out of concern, I have another question I'd like to ask. After all, it takes time for us to complete the contract and for the funds to be in place. The market opens tomorrow, and even if we announce our transaction plan as positive news, will that really dispel public concerns? Especially with Morgan Stanley's intention to take over short selling, I think, given your limited funds and insufficient strength, it's more likely that the market will continue to plummet at the opening, and your company's stock will remain sluggish and subject to suppression, right?"

“That’s right, the possibility is very high, but we’ll figure something out.” Tanaka Shigehiko didn’t want to lose face. “After all, Tsuchiya is a professional in the securities industry, he’ll have a way to break this deadlock.”

Out of professional pride, Yoichi Tsuchiya nodded reluctantly, but he didn't seem particularly confident.

The others were more direct. Kobayashi said somewhat unhappily, "Speaking of which, isn't this all because of you? Are you mocking us by saying this?"

"No, no, I didn't mean that at all. On the contrary, I have a suggestion for you. I sincerely hope that you can resolve the problem and get out of this predicament as soon as possible."

"Oh?"

It's no wonder that the EIE board representatives looked puzzled, because such negotiations, driven by their respective interests, are logically unreasonable.

They couldn't believe Ning Weimin was such a kind person, offering them advice and strategies. (End of Chapter)