May 30, 2025
Kamakura City Hall was an amazing experience to end our first week in Japan. It perfectly tied together everything that we had learned so far and gave us a concrete example of how successful these healthy aging initiatives can be.
The previous Sunday I spent our free day exploring Kamakura, so I already knew I loved the location. I spent a chunk of the day at the beach, watching people surf. My favorite memory was watching an older man load up his surfboard on the side of his bike and start biking home. I also hiked up to the bamboo forest, walking through many smaller residential areas, and noticed how many older adults there were walking their dogs or hanging up laundry in their yard. This initial experience made me excited to hear all that the Kamakura government was doing to support healthy and happy aging in its residents.
The presentation put on by Kamakura City Hall started with a quick history lesson. Kamakura started out as a location for bonito production before growing into the thriving oceanfront community it is today. It has also been considered a super-aged society (at least 29% of residents 65+) since 2001. This super aging required an action plan unique to the community.
Social participation and community support seem to be the primary focuses of Kamakura’s action plan. The city holds classes like soba-making classes, kandama classes, and smart phone classes. They also have activities to promote physical fitness like dance, golf, or mahjong. These are all cross-generational, providing a location for older and younger generations to engage with one another.
Another thing that stood out to me during the presentation was the end-of-life planning they have in place. Older individual have the opportunity to fill out a booklet with everything from their computer and bank passwords to their most cherished memories and people. This seems like an amazing opportunity for the writer to reflect back on their life. It also gives loved ones something to hold onto after the writer has passed on. Initiatives like this can also help protect mental health for everyone involved, while also helping with the grieving process.
After the presentation, I went to see the Assembly Hall where they hold some of the community activities and lessons. Specifically, I wanted to learn more about the carved wood art that Kamakura is known for, as seen on display at City Hall. I discovered that lessons are held every other weekend. This seems like an amazing opportunity for residents to learn something new while staying physically and mentally active.
Ripple Sato
University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies Student