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Shizuoka · City

Atami

熱海市あたみしAtami-shi

Tokyo's classic hot-spring town between the mountains and the sea

Atami is a hot-spring city on Sagami Bay at the north-eastern corner of the Izu Peninsula, about 40 minutes from Tokyo by Shinkansen. Once a resort of the Tokugawa shoguns and later of Tokyo's writers and politicians, it is known for its seaside onsen, the MOA Museum of Art, the giant camphor tree of Kinomiya Shrine and early plum and cherry blossoms.

Overview

Atami occupies a steep amphitheatre of hills that falls to Sagami Bay, where the Hakone volcanic area meets the Izu Peninsula. Hotels and villas climb the slopes above a small harbour and beach, and offshore lies the island of Hatsushima. The warm, sheltered climate lets plum trees bloom from January and an early cherry variety from late winter.

Atami's hot springs have been famous for over a thousand years. Tokugawa Ieyasu bathed here in 1604, and his successors had barrels of Atami water carried to Edo Castle. In the modern era the railway made Atami the closest seaside spa to Tokyo, and the town became a retreat for politicians, novelists and industrialists, whose villas survive in several places. Ozaki Kōyō's novel The Golden Demon made Atami's beach a symbol of lost love.

After decades as a destination for company outings and honeymoons, Atami has broadened its appeal with art museums, cafés and renovated inns. On 3 July 2021 a debris flow in the Izusan district, triggered by heavy rain, destroyed dozens of houses and killed more than twenty people.

Landmarks

  • MOA Museum of Art

    MOA美術館MOA Bijutsukan

    Hilltop museum of Japanese and Asian art, including Ogata Kōrin's National Treasure Red and White Plum Blossoms screens.

  • Kinomiya Shrine

    來宮神社Kinomiya Jinja

    Shrine with a giant camphor tree said to be over 2,000 years old, a national Natural Monument.

  • Kiunkaku

    起雲閣Kiunkaku

    Villa of 1919 with Japanese and Western rooms and a garden, once an inn frequented by writers.

  • Former Hyūga Villa

    旧日向別邸Kyū Hyūga Bettei

    Basement rooms designed by Bruno Taut in 1936, his only surviving building in Japan, an Important Cultural Property.

  • Atami Plum Garden

    熱海梅園Atami Baien

    Garden of several hundred plum trees that bloom from January, among the earliest in Japan.

  • Izusan Shrine

    伊豆山神社Izusan Jinja

    Ancient mountain shrine above the Hashirimizu hot spring, which flows out of a horizontal cave.

  • Hatsushima

    初島Hatsushima

    Small island about 25 minutes by ferry, with a fishing village and coastal paths.

Districts

  • Atami Station area

    熱海駅前Atami ekimae

    Shopping arcades of snacks and dried fish on the hillside above the town.

  • Seaside and Ginza

    熱海銀座Atami Ginza

    Old centre by Sun Beach and the marina, with Shōwa-era streets and cafés.

  • Izusan

    伊豆山Izusan

    Northern district of the ancient shrine and the Hashirimizu spring.

  • Ajiro

    網代Ajiro

    Fishing port in the south known for dried fish.

History

Legend holds that hot water burst from the sea here, killing fish and giving the town its name, "hot sea". Izusan Shrine above the town was a centre of mountain worship, and the young Minamoto no Yoritomo is said to have met Hōjō Masako there. In 1604 Tokugawa Ieyasu stayed in Atami for a cure, and the Ōyu geyser, then one of the world's great geysers, became a symbol of the town.

The Atami railway line opened in 1925 and the Tanna Tunnel in 1934 put Atami on the main Tōkaidō line. Atami became a city in 1937. The Shinkansen station opened in 1964, reinforcing Atami's role as a resort for Tokyo.

  1. 1604

    Tokugawa Ieyasu takes a hot-spring cure in Atami.

  2. 1897

    Ozaki Kōyō begins The Golden Demon, whose famous scene is set on Atami's beach.

  3. 1919

    The villa later known as Kiunkaku is built.

  4. 1925

    The railway reaches Atami.

  5. 1934

    The Tanna Tunnel opens, putting Atami on the Tōkaidō Main Line.

  6. 1937

    Atami is incorporated as a city.

  7. 1964

    Atami Station opens on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen.

  8. 1982

    The MOA Museum of Art opens on the hill above the town.

  9. 2021

    A debris flow in the Izusan district on 3 July kills more than twenty people.

Culture

Atami's culture is that of a resort shaped by Tokyo. Writers from Tsubouchi Shōyō to Tanizaki Jun'ichirō and Dazai Osamu stayed or worked here, and the statue of Kan'ichi and Omiya on the beach recalls The Golden Demon. The town's geisha tradition survives in its kenban, the geisha registry, which gives regular dance performances. Summer and winter are marked by fireworks launched over the bay, a tradition that has continued since the 1950s.

Festivals

  • Atami fireworks

    熱海海上花火大会Atami Kaijō Hanabi Taikai

    Fireworks over the bay held on many nights through the year, amplified by the amphitheatre of hills.

  • Atami Plum Festival

    熱海梅園梅まつりAtami Baien Ume Matsuri

    From January to early March at the plum garden.

  • Kogashi Festival

    こがし祭りKogashi Matsuri

    Summer festival of Kinomiya Shrine in mid-July with portable shrines and floats.

Food

  • Himono

    干物himono

    Horse mackerel and other fish split and dried, sold throughout the town.

  • Kinmedai

    金目鯛kinmedai

    Red alfonsino from Izu waters, simmered in soy sauce.

  • Onsen manjū

    温泉まんじゅうonsen manjū

    Steamed buns filled with sweet bean paste, a classic spa-town sweet.

  • Fresh seafood bowls

    海鮮丼kaisen-don

    Rice bowls with local fish in restaurants near the harbour.

Getting around

  • Atami Station is on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, about 40 minutes from Tokyo, and the JR Tōkaidō and Itō lines; Odoriko limited expresses continue to Itō and Shimoda.
  • Local buses climb the steep streets to the MOA Museum, the plum garden and Izusan; the town centre is a short walk downhill from the station.
  • Ferries sail from Atami harbour to Hatsushima.

Day trips

  • Hakone

    箱根Hakone

    Hot springs, Lake Ashi and views of Fuji over the mountains to the north-west.

  • Nirayama Reverberatory Furnace

    韮山反射炉Nirayama hansharo

    Mid-nineteenth-century furnace for casting cannon, part of a World Heritage Site.

  • Itō and Jōgasaki

    城ヶ崎海岸Jōgasaki kaigan

    Lava cliffs, a suspension bridge and the volcano Ōmuro-yama on the east coast of Izu.

  • Mishima

    三島Mishima

    Mishima Taisha shrine and spring-fed streams of Fuji water, one stop by Shinkansen.

  • Shimoda

    下田Shimoda

    Port where Perry's Black Ships arrived, at the southern tip of Izu.

Other cities in the prefecture

CapitalShizuokaShizuoka-shiIeyasu's retirement capital between Suruga Bay and the Southern AlpsDesignated cityHamamatsuHamamatsu-shiIeyasu's castle town turned city of instruments and engines

Frequently asked questions

How far is Atami from Tokyo?

About 40 minutes by Tōkaidō Shinkansen, or around an hour and a half on the JR Tōkaidō Line.

Is Atami good for a day trip?

Yes. A day allows for the MOA Museum of Art, Kinomiya Shrine and a bath in one of the day-use onsen; an overnight stay adds the evening atmosphere and, on some nights, fireworks.

When is the best time to visit Atami?

Late winter for plum and early cherry blossoms, summer for the beach and fireworks, and winter for hot springs in mild weather.

What happened in Atami in 2021?

On 3 July 2021 heavy rain triggered a debris flow down a valley in the Izusan district, destroying houses and killing more than twenty people.

Related

Sources

  1. 1.熱海市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 熱海市
  2. 2.文化遺産オンライン (opens in a new tab) — 文化庁
  3. 3.Japan National Tourism Organization (opens in a new tab) — Japan National Tourism Organization

Editorial team · Published: