The "new rich," including managers of information technology enterprises and successful stock investors, not to mention baby boomers, are turning their attention to cabin cruisers with luxurious salons and staterooms.
Not missing a business opportunity, boat builders are pushing sales of posh new cruisers.
Three years ago, a man in his early 30s who runs an IT company visited a sailboard store in Yokohama's Kanazawa Ward along Tokyo Bay. After trying one out, he took a test run in a cabin cruiser.