Progressive Koza debuts Music Town tomorrow

[JUNewsBot]

JUNewsBot Has Just Posted the Following:

It's been three years in the making, and Friday Koza unveils its high tech, multicultural Music Town at Goya Intersection. Music Town, a ¥7,1 billion undertaking, is the new home to dozens of restaurants, music halls, recording and editing studios, entertainment halls, money exchanges and retail businesses.

Click here to view the article. (http://www.japanupdate.com/?id=7782)

Feel free to hold a discussion regarding this article here.

[P_chan]

I went to the wendy's today. It was all right but very packed. I want to go to the suikya sometime soon.

[TheNoNamedOne]

I know a carpenter who worked on the inside of it while it was being constructed. He had a lot of criticisms about the design -- such as the elevators.

He said that it was only natural large instruments and other things would be needed to be moved throughout the place from time to time with different events, and he couldn't understand why they didn't install hospital patient size elevators, rather than the normal small ones. He had a few other things to say too, but kinda forgot exactly what they were.

I wish Okinawa City would not have used funds to build this. The government should not be investing in things that businessmen in a captitalist society should be doing, or have the chance to do by making a profit when they notice the need and demand for it. When the government steps into the business world by supplying things, then it is a step to socialism. Sure, some things are just so large and costly, such as health care or prison systems, that the government does need to step in with funds to create the system, but a building for music here, or an athletic facility there, those latter things are something businesses surely can handle.

Look at Okinawa City's Corrinza. This has been a huge money drain on Okinawa City, as well as the Tomarin Wharf building in Naha.

[DoctorP]

The idea of Koza is not so much to bring business to that building, but rather business to the surrounding area. It was built to provide a showcase for outside music, local musicians to play and provide people a place to sit and relax and enjoy the music. Much like the musicians that perform outside American Village now.

That is one reason why I don't see what the big fuss is over the future shopping mall in Awase. They are two different things, the shopping mall will attract people who prefer to be inside air conditioned facility, Koza is intended to allow you to be outside (even when raining) and enjoy some fresh air and music.

[ness4k]

Wendy's...man it's been so long. I really need to get my lazy ass over there. Course I'm gonna hate standing in line forever. Cause you know just about every American on this island is going there. Least those who have had Wendy's in the states. Anyone know if the cashiers speak good English? I'm a picky eater and I don't want my burger coming back with everything on it b/c I can't tell them what I want.

[socalheart]

I wish Okinawa City would not have used funds to build this. The government should not be investing in things that businessmen in a captitalist society should be doing, or have the chance to do by making a profit when they notice the need and demand for it. When the government steps into the business world by supplying things, then it is a step to socialism. Sure, some things are just so large and costly, such as health care or prison systems, that the government does need to step in with funds to create the system, but a building for music here, or an athletic facility there, those latter things are something businesses surely can handle.

Look at Okinawa City's Corrinza. This has been a huge money drain on Okinawa City, as well as the Tomarin Wharf building in Naha.

Perhaps the government is hoping that revenue from the new shopping center will surpass the cost to build it. We can only hope that the center is well taken care of, which will influence other Gate 2 shops to maintain clean store fronts.

As a similar example, rumour has it that the Häagen-Dazs® vendor at Downtown Disney made enough on opening night to cover his costs for the whole year and still made a profit. That of course is an extreme and possibly special circumstance, but similar.

The local government is also hoping to bring more tourism from the mainland and foreign countries other than America. Having been with a Gate 2 business for its entire life, I'm familiar with the various campaigns the city has undertaken to boost tourism. With the restructuring of prefecture governments, it's likely they require a lot more income now to run the city.

I do understand that the government doing this can set a precedent that is not entirely desirable. I like to think that they did this to start things off only. I do see the benefit of this before the negatives. It'd be interesting to see what their game plan was for this in English.

As for the Korinza being a money drain on the city, look at where they put it! The parking garage is difficult to navigate, people still park in the two-lane street, the intersection with Chuo Park Avenue is an accident waiting to happen every five minutes, and the place is haunted. I've been there once for a theatre recital. From what I understand, the best things about that place are Best Electronics, the 100 Yen store and the lotto number stand.

[TheNoNamedOne]

Sure, I am not debating whether or not their intentions are good. I am sure they are, just as they were with Korinza and hoping that it would revitalize the Park Avenue area. It hasn't.

Now, if some business minded person or corporation who had wanted to invest in a state of the art Music Town on the same lines, after seeing a demand for it, or understanding after it were completed a demand would rise up for it, has no incentive to do so now once the government has stepped in. How could he compete with charging in some way at a certain price when the government gets there first and offering it as a kind of public benefit?

If Okinawa City wants to revitalize its businesses and bring people back to the area, they first must address the parking issue. That is why most people don't go, and surveys have pointed that out as a reason. I doubt this Music Town is going to be a boon to the local economy like they envision.

Governments should focus on police, fire stations, road infrastructure, possibly health care for its citizens, and national defense. These are all huge areas where large investments of sums are needed that surpass most businesses' abilities, and the citizens have an interest in them being present with stability with the government.

Private enterprise and captitalism can do the rest. Let people vote with their wallets so long as that voting does not cause suffering or misery.