Atami: Hot Springs, Gardens and Cultural History

Explore Atami through a range of travel interests: bathing options at Atami Onsen, nature and gardens at Atami Plum Garden, architectural history at Kiunkaku, and a natural monument at Kinomiya Shrine. The fishing facility at the harbor also adds to the picture of this destination. If you’re looking for a hotel in Atami, you can start by considering which of these aspects you’d like to shape your stay.

Hot Springs and Plum Garden

At Atami Onsen, several indoor and outdoor baths are located near Atami Station; the Ieyasu no Yu foot bath is in front of the station. The onsen experience thus includes different types of bathing: indoor and outdoor baths on the one hand, and a foot bath on the other. If you’re considering Atami for its baths, you can think more specifically about which type interests you rather than viewing the onsen as one single, uniform offering.

Atami Plum Garden is a 4.4-hectare city park in the gently rising hills west of the built-up area. It was established in 1886 and is home to 469 plum trees of 60 varieties. The garden combines a defined size with a clear focus on plum trees. This gives it a different emphasis from Atami Onsen when choosing what interests you about a trip: plum trees and the garden take center stage in the park, while the baths offer different ways to bathe.

Kiunkaku and Kinomiya Shrine

At Kiunkaku, visitors can see a historic building and a Japanese garden from the Taishō and Shōwa eras. Both are designated Tangible Cultural Properties of Atami City; the designation covers both the building and the garden. The building was constructed as a villa in 1919 and converted into an inn in 1947. These dates mark different stages: construction as a villa in 1919, followed by its change of use to an inn in 1947. Kiunkaku’s architectural history is therefore more than a single founding date.

The sacred camphor tree at Kinomiya Shrine is more than 2,100 years old and designated a National Natural Monument. This offers a different perspective on time than Kiunkaku: there, the focus is on the 1919 construction and the 1947 conversion, while the tree’s age reaches far beyond that. The sites differ not only as a building and a natural monument, but also in the time periods that define their respective focus.

Fishing at Atami Harbor

The fishing facility at Atami Harbor uses a 260-meter-long, 14-meter-wide quay on the inner side of Atami Bay. The outer side is closed to visitors. Fishing rods and bait are sold at the facility. The designated fishing area and access restrictions are important distinctions for anyone planning to fish: the facility uses the inner side, while access to the outer side is prohibited. Rod rentals and bait add a specific sales offering for this activity to the location information.

Discover more destinations: Shimada, Higashiizu, Fukuroi, Makinohara, Shizuoka, Yaizu, Minamiizu, Kannami

View the broader travel guide: Shizuoka Prefecture.