> why would we ever want in Java to hold a variable that you can't read immediately what is the type

I can use my IDE to see the type if necessary.

> Everything that came after isn't really memorable nor helpful,

There are several improvements that are very helpful

One example is how multi line strings help me to read more clearly without the unnecessary string concatenations:

   var sql = """
             SELECT foo
             FROM bar
             WHERE last_updated > :lastUpdated
             """;

Another example is how switch statements have improved code readability, at least from my personal subjective viewpoint.

   String dayName = switch (day) {
      case 1 -> "Monday";
      case 2 -> "Tuesday";
      case 3, 4, 5 -> "Other day";
      default -> "Weekend";
   };