Atami combines a strong focus on onsen with gardens and cultural sites, each offering a different perspective on the area. Several indoor and outdoor baths are located near the station, while Atami Plum Garden and Kiunkaku represent different chapters in the area's history. So when planning your visit, it helps to start by asking whether baths, a landscaped garden or historic architecture are of particular interest to you.

Onsen baths near the station

At Atami Onsen, several indoor and outdoor baths are located near Atami Station. Ieyasu no Yu, a footbath, is just outside the station. The bathing options therefore differ in form: alongside indoor and outdoor baths, there is also a footbath. If you choose Atami mainly for its onsen, this variety offers a practical starting point for planning. You can consider what kind of bathing experience interests you rather than viewing the visit as a single, uniform offering.

Atami Plum Garden and its trees

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. The park is home to 469 plum trees across 60 varieties. Its size and variety of trees give the garden a distinctive character: the focus is on a large landscaped area with many varieties, not on a single building or natural monument. Anyone interested in gardens will find a clear point of reference here when choosing a focus for their visit. Its location west of the built-up area is also one of the park's defining features.

Kiunkaku: Villa and later use

Kiunkaku offers an architectural and historical focus. Visitors can see a historic building and a Japanese garden dating from the Taishō and Shōwa periods; both are designated Tangible Cultural Properties of Atami City. The building's history also has two clearly distinct stages: Kiunkaku was built as a villa in 1919 and converted into an inn in 1947. Thus, the site's original use as a villa and its later conversion come together in one place. This is a different historical story from that of the Plum Garden, established in 1886: here, the focus is on the changing use of a building, while there it is on the creation of a garden.

Fishing at Atami Port

The fishing facility at Atami Port occupies a quay wall on the inner side of Atami Bay that is 260 meters long and 14 meters wide. Access to the outer side is prohibited. Fishing rods and bait are sold at the facility. For visitors, the distinction between the inner and outer sides is the most important practical information; the measurements also give a sense of the quay wall's actual size. The port offers another clearly defined focus alongside the baths, garden and historic architecture.

A natural monument at Kinomiya Shrine

Another point of interest is the sacred camphor tree at Kinomiya Shrine. It is more than 2,100 years old and is designated a National Natural Monument. Unlike the many plum trees in the garden, this is a single, striking natural monument. It offers a distinct option when choosing what to include in your itinerary: among the places described, Atami has both a garden with numerous trees and a tree whose age and designation make it particularly noteworthy.

Choose the right focus for your trip

These places appeal to different interests: onsen baths near the station, a spacious city park with many varieties of plum, Kiunkaku and its history of construction and use, the fishing facility at the port, or the camphor tree as a natural monument. If you are looking for a hotel in Atami, it may help to first decide which of these themes you want to shape your stay. This lets you base your choice of destination on specific experiences without combining the different places into a single itinerary.

Discover more destinations

Kosai, Shizuoka, Kamo District, Midaka, Fujieda, Omaezaki, Kakegawa, Fuji

For the broader travel overview: Shizuoka Prefecture.