Atami Onsen 熱海温泉

The waters of Atami have been luring bathers as far back as the Nara period (710–94). Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) was so enamored of their healing properties that he tried to re-create the onsen back in Edo (now Tokyo). The various onsen in Atami—there's not just one—have also drawn many of the rich and famous of the modern era.

The Tokaido Shinkansen and Tokaido and Ito lines all go to Atami Station, and many buses go there as well.

To get from Tokyo to Atami, you can take the Kodama Tokaido Shinkansen, the limited express Odoriko, regular Tokaido trains, or the bus. The shinkansen is the fastest at around 50 minutes. The highway bus is much cheaper but takes two and a half to three hours depending on traffic.

The high-temperature water with its high salt content has excellent insulation properties, helping with neuralgia, and excessive sensitivity to cold. The water also tightens up the skin and tones the body.

There are several places near Atami Station that have open air and indoor baths. There are private baths available to rent. There is even a footbath called Ieyasu no Yu in front of Atami Station named for the famous shogun.

Onsen manju, a kind of sweet dumpling, is probably the signature sweet people think about when they look for a gift to take back from Atami. The core ingredient is sweet bean paste. There are plenty of variations to choose from, including ones that incorporate bitter orange peel, barley flour, Japanese yams, brown sugar, tea, and even perilla leaves.

Visit Atami Castle for great views of the town and the Pacific Ocean, get your art fix at the MOA Museum of Art , and visit the Acao Forest with its 12 themed gardens. The latter has a DIY workshop where you can make flower-themed items. The MOA museum has some magnificent works of art spread across a beautiful hill-top site overlooking the ocean.

Atami Castle was built in 1959 as a tourist attraction. The ropeway is the easiest way to get there from the main onsen area at the base of the mountain. There is a museum inside that tells stories about various castles around Japan. But most importantly, the view from the castle is fantastic.