Its probably not one of Kobayashi's best works, but it's still quite an enjoybale watch. Overall I would say the story is very human, maybe a bit monotonic, but in its essence its a character story about a guy facing death and considering how his life has gone, what has left and what he wants to do, and it does that pretty well.
Its quite a long watch but the movie includes a lot of european culture (art, architectures and even a spanish dance performance) that makes it interesting to go through. Its worth a watch especially when you are a fan of Kobayashi and want to see some of his lesser known works.