Cattle farms or bullet trains? Japanese village faces uncertain future.
In a remote and hidden valley with a babbling brook in the southern Japanese Alps region, Aoki Ren used to proudly show his cattle farm’s serene surroundings to fastidious buyers of quality wagyu beef.
That tranquility, however, has been shattered by helicopter noises, blasting operations, and truck traffic since the launch of local construction for the superconducting in 2016, operated by Central Japan Railway. The “maglev” train is expected to connect Tokyo and Osaka in 67 minutes – compared with the 150-minute trip offered by Central Japan Railway’s existing bullet train – with the majority of the route enclosed in tunnels. The project cuts right through the mountain village of Oshika, where Mr. Aoki and about 940 others live among nature.
