Kamakura Friday, 11.04.25

Today is the last day of our journey in Japan, and we can sleep in for a bit. We don't have to check out until around 11:00 AM. We take our luggage to the waiting bus and head to Kamakura today. It is about an hour south of Tokyo and is often visited as a day trip by 'Tokyoites'. Kamakura is an ancient imperial city from the 12th century. However, it lost significance in the 14th century when Kyoto became the new imperial capital. Today, especially in the summer, it is a popular surf spot and beach vacation destination on the Pacific. We drive along the highway, which partly leads 3-4 stories above Kawasaki and Yokohama. Right along the highway, there are many residential high-rises, lined up like silos. Upon arriving in the town, we see many nice small shops, cafés, and restaurants. We first head to a large Buddha statue, the Kamakura Daibutsu Buddha, which belongs to the Kōtoku-in Temple. It is the most visited attraction in the area. The large Kamakura Buddha dates back to the 13th century and represents the Amida Buddha. Originally, it was surrounded by a wooden building. The temple buildings have burned down several times over the years, so today only a gate remains to remind us of them. The Buddha weighs 121 tons and stands 13 meters tall.

Next, we continue to the Hasedera Temple, one of the large temples in Kamakura. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens and koi ponds. In addition, it is the home of a 9.18m high wooden statue of the goddess Kannon. Behind the entrance gate, visitors are greeted by lovely gardens and koi ponds. A long staircase leads to additional structures and the main hall. Next to it is the small Kannon Museum, which exhibits the temple's treasures. We climb the hill via steps and enjoy the view of the Pacific. We stroll through the expansive grounds and appreciate the plant life. After about 2 hours, we head back to the bus and go for a group farewell dinner at an Italian restaurant opposite the sea. We also have salad, spaghetti, and chocolate cake. We take the time to thank Kayoko for her great support, organization, and all the insightful contributions. Then we head back to Tokyo Haneda Airport, which we reach around 6:00 PM. Unfortunately, we have about 6 hours until our departure, but there are plenty of restaurants and cafés where we can wait. Around 8:30 PM, we can check in our luggage, and after passing through security, we can exchange our cash for souvenirs. On time, at 12:10 AM, we depart for Dubai. Since I took a fever pill, I could handle the 11-hour flight well. We flew over the Himalayas, and the sky was clear. We saw the snow-covered mountain peaks, which was quite impressive. From Dubai, we had another 6.5 hours to Hamburg, where we landed on time.

The vacation was very compact but also very interesting. We saw and learned a lot. However, I imagined the country to be more modern than what I experienced. It is somewhat alarming the extent of pointless jobs created to keep people employed at low wages. For example, the numerous construction site guides waving light sticks in all weather. Or parking attendants whose job is to insert old parking tickets into machines so the gates will open. Or gardeners who remove moss from lawns by hand, often bent over for hours. Generally, this society is highly exploited. Unions are weak. When strikes occur, they only last for a few hours. The strict hierarchical order is also concerning, as is the isolation. We visited soup kitchens where only individual men in suits sat silently eating their soup while looking at their phones. There is virtually no criticism of the state in society, and the pressure on children is severe. We'll see how long that lasts. On the other hand, I was fascinated by the almost perfect infrastructure. The roads are all well-coordinated, with little traffic. The trains are clean and punctual, though crowded. During rush hour, trains run every minute. The train stations are spotless. The discipline has its advantages. The politeness is very pleasant, even if somewhat forced. Overall, the service mentality is very pronounced. I did not experience a single delay, even at the airport. The helpfulness of people is also quite high, although I was surprised by their poor English skills. It is definitely worth visiting the country, even though I am aware that we've only seen a small part of it.