Rebirth as an American Tycoon

[Chapter 774: Cultural Differences]

Filson remarked that it was an industry, and he wasn't wrong. In fact, he significantly underestimated this industry.

Japan's GDP ranked second in the world, essentially half of the United States'. Despite this, such a colossal figure in such a small area was certainly a point of pride for them.

The industry Filson mentioned accounted for about 1.5% of the overall economy. Interestingly, when the economy faced downturns, this proportion often increased.

An industry forever unaffected, uh, that was a bit awkward to say. However, the people of Japan didn't see any issue with it. In fact, those well-known educators had all received top-tier education.

The inspection of the industry in Japan was secondary; he genuinely aimed to unwind a bit.

A hot spring hotel near Wakayama Prefecture was booked out by William White. As for Filson and his team, they had gone ahead to China.

"Hey, Suzuki, why didn't you take me here before? The hot springs in Shirahama are way better than that last one."

"Quit messing around, you can see it from the mountain."

"What? Tanner and the others are up there."

"That doesn't matter, behave yourself. It's not good for the body; too hot. I heard you don't like the heat."

"Uh, okay, you're right. I just really enjoy this wild atmosphere."

"Let's have some sake; it's really good, handcrafted."

Shirahama hot springs were indeed delightful. Even though it was already February, there was still a bit of snow today. The hot spring William White soaked in was naturally formed.

The waves rhythmically crashed against the rocks. Occasionally, one or two snowflakes drifted from the sky. Of course, before they even landed, they vanished without a trace.

If one were to claim the water quality was excellent, that would be nonsense. Saltwater occasionally seeped in, and no matter how high the sulfur content, it would definitely get diluted.

However, the ambiance here was quite nice. His mansion in Hawaii also had a hot spring, but there was no snow there.

Beautiful women, snowflakes, sake, hot springs, crashing waves, and some premium sashimi. Unfortunately, William White was no poet.

"Dear, don't soak too long. They all say hot springs are a woman's domain. Besides, the little ones will be back soon."

"Oh? The zoo is close?"

Suzuki shot him a look. It was a bit far. Who knew how long you would take to mess around?

Fine, William White didn't plan to stay too long either. It was a public hot spring; it wouldn't be right to hog it all.

"Geez, Tanner and the others don't know how to invite a few beauties in. These guys are completely clueless."

"Ha ha ha, how could they? It's too inconvenient here. Usually, it's families that come."

"Families? Is it still like that now?"

Seeing Suzuki nod, William White was speechless. In America, that was utterly unimaginable. Not to mention older kids, even those over five or six would feel a little embarrassed, right?

The seaside hot spring was just a casual visit anyway. Shirahama was still lively this season; after all, it was public.

"Suzuki, such a prime spot for a hot spring. Why hasn't anyone bought it outright?"

After combing his messy hair, Suzuki clearly felt quite good.

"Impossible! This belongs to everyone; who would do that!"

Cough, cough, William White pointed to his own nose.

"Well, I not only bought the hot spring, I bought the whole island."

"That's America! Japan could never allow that. Did you not notice? Even the fallen trees along the way weren't cleared. It's part of nature; we don't want to disrupt that balance."

Alright, traveling all the way from Tokyo, William White indeed noticed this issue. From his perspective, there was still plenty of usable land in Japan. It surprised him that there were still many rice fields here.

"Darling, I feel a bit disappointed that we couldn't do things totally naturally."

"Hmm, when you were on Lanai..."

"Cough, that doesn't count; that's my home."

Suzuki had no rebuttal; that palace-like place indeed belonged to him personally.

From this aspect, there were still stark differences between the US and Japan.

In America, many beaches were privately owned, including the pathways. If one accidentally trespassed, it could be quite risky.

In comparison, Japan was much better. There wasn't really a notion of private beaches. Even if you accidentally wandered into the wrong place, nobody would draw a gun on you.

William White soaked in the hot spring for extra half an hour; his men just needed to explain a bit. "Uh, we're filming a movie, so you can't look. Just a small token, please accept."

That group truly waited for over half an hour. When William White's party left, he simply said he was sorry for the inconvenience, which was it.

If this were in America, rest assured, in a private area, it would either be dogs unleashed or gunshots fired. If it were public, cough, you couldn't stop others from entering. Someone would definitely call the cops.

If this escalated into the media, William White would absolutely need to come out and apologize.

Which one is better?

Honestly, it's hard to say. However, occupying public resources was indeed inappropriate. 

Of course, William White didn't mind any of this. It was straightforward: he was a stakeholder.

With money and power, one naturally grasped more resources.

What? No sense of public duty.

That wasn't the case; the US was quite particular about selling land. Those well-established beaches, no amount of money could change that.

What they sold to private owners usually required a significant investment in maintenance.

By the time it became breathtaking, cough, uh, it appreciated in value, brother, your property tax would also go up accordingly.

In America, you could occupy public resources, but there's a principle: the cost you'd have to pay would be exceedingly high. And this funding could enhance the surrounding environment and facilities.

...

"Suzuki, what do you think of this phone, from a typical Japanese woman's perspective?"

William White, planning to start anew, required an impressive toy. He also had to shake off the shadow of Motorola; honestly, that was quite a challenge.

"The screen color is beautiful, it's blue. The buttons are exquisite, with a blue backlight. But it feels a bit heavy."

"Yeah, that weight does seem a bit off. How's the size?"

"If it could be just a bit smaller, I think it would be better. But the blue screen is what attracts me the most. Today's phones just look dull."

"Ha ha, this is my trump card. It seems the metal body has some issues. The cost of titanium alloy is way too high."

"Hmm, you will definitely succeed. You're the best."

"Stop flattering me; I might get proud."

"Humph, don't fidget; they're coming back."

*****

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