By JUNICHI KAMIYAMA/ Staff Writer
December 25, 2020 at 07:30 JST
An artist's rendition of an accommodation lodge at a glamping site planned by Keihan Real Estate Co. (Provided by Keihan Real Estate)
OTSU, Shiga Prefecture--A local real estate company is banking on steady demand to secure a scenic spot in the great outdoors away from the bustle of city life to enjoy some down time while the novel coronavirus pandemic rages.
But not too far away, and not too much of the outdoors.
Looking to capitalize on tourists looking for safe getaways to upscale lakeside accommodations, Keihan Real Estate Co. announced it is developing a "glamping" site near Lake Biwako in the Minami-Komatsu district in the Omimaiko area that is set to open in April.
"With the coronavirus pandemic serving as a spur, we want to attract users from the Kansai region who are not accustomed to camping," a company representative said.
Short for "glamorous camping," glamping is a term now in vogue to describe camping in luxury--somewhere between pitching your own tent in the middle of nowhere and a stay at a high-end hotel. It usually involves tents or lodges outfitted with beds and other amenities for those who want to escape from the city for a weekend but not have to rough it too hard.
The company, which is affiliated with Keihan Holdings Co., is building 50 lodges on a 40,000-square-meter plot. Each site comes with space for a campfire and a barbecue.
Nearly half of the lodges will come with a canoe dock, offering direct access to the surrounding Lake Omimaiko-Naiko. Some will have playground equipment and a facility for visitors’ dogs.
They each have capacity for two to six people. The cost of an overnight stay starts at 20,600 yen ($198) per person, taxes included.
Keihan Real Estate owns a 120,000-square-meter plot of land in the Omimaiko area, which includes the planned glamping site, but most of it has remained unused for the past 50 years or so, the company said.
It also has plans for a hotel and a bicycle rental facility to help it develop the area into a base for tourism.
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