Day 8: Time to relax

Thursday March 3rd, 2011 by Mike Wilmer

Considering all the hard work that had been done the past days, it was time to relax a little. After sleeping in - which meant getting up at 7.30 - we set out for the Dutch embassy in the Tokyo bay area near the Kamiyacho subway station. The fan-shaped building was in the shape of the island Dejima, where only Dutch were allowed to trade with the Japanese for most of the Edo Period. The afternoon was enlightened with a visit to the coastal town of Kamakura, home to numerous Zen temples, hiking trails and other tourist attractions.

The embassy visit brought us the pleasant delight of good old coffee and biscuits, information packed presentations about Japanese history, culture and technology, and genuine Dutch discussions. We were received by the Dutch ambassador, Mr. de Heer, together with two people from the TWA. One of them was an intern who used to study in Eindhoven. The presentation and following discussions were extremely helpful in putting our newly attained views of Japanese society into a more sophisticated perspective. Very un-Japanese, the highly worthwhile visit took somewhat longer than expected.

One hour after leaving Dutch ground, we set foot in Kamakura, where hungry stomachs were treated to some local cuisine. What was left of the afternoon was spent at two Zen temples, Engakuji and Kenchoji. Unfortunately there was not enough time to finish the full city tour to the big Buddha in the south of the town. Both temples offered different, yet astounding scenery. The first temple offered the serenity of Zen archery and moss covered steps, while the latter was a vast temple complex leading to a hill top with an overview of both Kamakura and Tokyo. Shortly after sunset, the tour ended at the Shinto shrine of Hachiman, the patron of Samurais.