26. Chapter: Breakfast Buffet and Amanohashidate Sandbar: Both Stunning

Fortunately, I set my alarm for 7: I have never seen such a breakfast buffet in my life. I believe nearly everything the Japanese cuisine has to offer was here, hot and cold, sweet, salty, and umami. About 12 different types of fish, fried, grilled, pickled, marinated, raw, steamed, caviar in large bowls, three different miso soups, nori in all possible forms, vegetables, salads, fruits, various omelets, fried pieces of meat, dumplings, cream pastries, yogurt, juices, three large tables almost collapsing under the weight, but by 8:15 everything was literally devoured! Breakfast was actually scheduled from 7 to 9, and the poor late risers stood disheartened and resigned, chuckling in front of the meager remains.

The naturally formed sandbar of Amanohashidate, which divides the entire large bay and considerably shortens the paths for pedestrians and cyclists, is certainly one of the most beautiful places I know in the world. A sand strip about 75 meters wide, accessible via a swing bridge, stretches 2.6 km through the water from shore to shore, with a wide strip of old, thick, long-needled pines in the middle, with a path in between, on one side a wide white sandy beach along the entire length, on the other a rather barren shore with trees reaching to the water.

I have a very special connection to pines, as they are my “home tree” from Berlin; we had 18 pines in our garden, Grunewald and all of Brandenburg are full of pines and even our Christmas tree was almost always a pine. The scent of the needles merges here with the fresh salty sea breeze, and that is truly irresistible.

Interesting how reactions change. When I was here for the first time, I was full of wonder and lively, jubilant enthusiasm. Now, warm joy of reunion and a deep satisfaction, almost emotion, prevails that absolutely nothing has changed here and probably everything will still be the same in 50 and 100 years (“Oh, said Mr. K. and turned pale,” B.Brecht). I walk the entire stretch once there and back, sit on benches, collect a few shells, pat one or another old tree, and indulge my eyes.

In the afternoon, I then get back on the train and continue to Kinosaki Onsen, but I can only tell about that tomorrow.