On Atami Onsen

Hi there. Haven�ft been to this forum in a long while but have a burning question.

Why is Atami so popular?

I�fve been to a few onsen, really enjoy the coziness and the old style buildings. Kinosaki, Takaragawa onsenkaku, Himi onsen
Even ones without the old feel like noboribetsu and what I imagine Kusatsu to be like, has the vibe.

When I made a day trip to atami from Ito once, I saw plenty of hotels and that�fs it. What�fs the appeal of the place? Why is it popular? Wouldn�ft tokyoites rather go to Gunma for their onsens? If they want Mount Fuji, there�fs hakone and the 5 lakes. If they want beach side, there�fs shirahama and Chiba?

It�fs the proximity to Tokyo plus the beach combination, I think. Only 45 minutes from Tokyo with Shinkansen.

The ocean views are a big draw. While it's not the only coastal hot spring town, there aren't a lot of towns with as any hot springs and hotels as Atami has in such close proximity to the coast. That makes it easier to find a place to stay, and Atami is also big enough to have a bit of a downtown area.

Like kamahen said, Atami's location and transportation logistics make it a convenient weekend getaway for Tokyoites. It also makes a good place to stay if you're traveling around the Izu Peninsula. Most of Izu's tourism attractions are morning/afternoon places, and Atami provides more nighttime amenities than the other towns in the area. Starting sightseeing in the morning, heading back to the hotel in Atami in the evening, gazing out at the ocean view from your room or bath as the sun goes down, then eating some locally caught fish is a pretty popular tourism plan.

�uI�fve been to a few onsen, really enjoy the coziness and the old style buildings. Kinosaki, Takaragawa onsenkaku, Himi onsen. Even ones without the old feel like noboribetsu and what I imagine Kusatsu to be like, has the vibe.�v

To most Japanese people, Atami has a vibe too. It isn't the historical "old Japan" atmosphere of the places you mention, but more of a retro Showa-era feeling. That might not be as appealing to non-Japanese travelers who want a ore classical JAPAN! atmosphere, and even among Japanese travelers Atami attracts an older clientele, but it's something some people like.

�uWouldn�ft tokyoites rather go to Gunma for their onsens? If they want Mount Fuji, there�fs hakone and the 5 lakes. If they want beach side, there�fs shirahama and Chiba?�v

Gunma is in the mountains, so if someone wants to go to a hot spring, have a nice view of the ocean, AND eat fresh seafood, Gunma is only going to check one of those boxes, but Atami checks all three. Likewise, if someone wants to go to a hot spring, see mountain scenery, and do some hiking, they're going to pick Gunma over Atami.

You're right that Hakone provides better views of Mt. Fuji than Atami does. I've never heard anyone say they're taking a trip to Atami because they want to see Mt. Fuji, though, so Hakone having the better view of the mountain isn't a mark against Atami (just like Atami's better ocean views aren't a mark against Hakone).

Shirahama has fewer hotels and onsen than Atami, and the ones it does have tend to be smaller, so bookings, especially for large groups, are comparatively easier in Atami. Shirahama/Shimoda is also about an hour and a half farther from Tokyo than Atami, which also means an extra hour and a half to get back to Tokyo on the day your trip ends. Coming from Tokyo, you have to go through Atami to get to Shirahama/Shimoda anyway, and since there isn't much to do after sundown in Shimoda anyway, a lot of people think it's more convenient to stay in Atami and visit Shirahama/Shimoda as a half-day trip from there.

As for Chiba, it doesn't have any towns that have a strong reputation for good hot springs and the level of infrastructure and convenient transportation access that Atami does.

Honestly, though, for Tokyoites, "Atami or Gunma or Hakone?" isn't such a weighty decision. They're all viable overnight trips from Tokyo, and while you can get crazy-expensive if you stay in their finest hotels and tack on the highest-tier meal plans, they also all have plenty of budget-friendly hotels and restaurants too. None of them represents a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience for Tokyoites, and it's pretty easy to hit up all three in the same year even. I've taken hot spring trips to Atami, Hakone, and Gunma (Ikaho, Kusatsu, and Akagi) and liked all of them, but for different reasons.

All that said, from the other hot spring towns you mention as feeling more attractive to you, a lot of them are in the mountains and have classical/historical architecture than Atami does, and if the seaside and Showa vibe don't appeal to you, you might not enjoy Atami as much, especially if you're in the mindset/situation where going to Atami means giving up an opportunity to go somewhere else. I think that's oftentimes the situation for non-Japanese travelers, which is why Atami isn't as popular or satisfying for foreign tourists in Japan, but for Japanese travelers, it's still a popular place.

Why is Atami so popular?

Because it has a catchment of 30 million people an hour away.
It is an interesting seaside town and has some interesting attractions beyond the hot springs. And it is pretty. Food is good.
I've been a few times. Never have I done so for a view of Fuji (when you can see it frequently, it isn't so special - a good clear view is nice).

I was a bit like the OP when I first saw it, the buildings are very tired looking and the town has depressing amounts of concrete.

It is nice enough at ground level, particularly near the water, but I'm glad that we stayed at Ajiro which was much more pleasant (albeit deadly quiet) a few minutes away by train.

Showa retro is currently booming among young people (such as the z generation).
That's why Atami, where many buildings from the Showa period (1926-1989) remain, is popular.
Instagrammable sweets and gourmet dishes seem to be popular.
https://look.satv.co.jp/_ct/17509029
https://youtu.be/NMDfb2_tscY
Atami can be reached by Shinkansen from Tokyo Station, and many fireworks festivals are held here.
I also like the MOA Museum of Art.
There are also Kiunkaku and Bruno Taut's Atami House.
https://www.city.atami.lg.jp/kiunkaku/index.html
https://www.ataminews.gr.jp/spot/116/

By the way, it was this person who triggered the recent Atami boom.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E7%86%B1%E6%B5%B7%E3%81%AE%E5%A5%87%E8%B7%A1...

The Amazon link didn't work.
The person who runs (owner?) this guest house is the person who created the opportunity for the Atami boom.
https://guesthouse-maruya.jp/

Thank you everyone for your kind replies. Nice to see all these familiar names replying to my question. Especially the lengthy and detailed one by ...
Might want to check out your 'm' key on the keyboard.

In the end its just that I am not overtly interested in Showa era things. More of the technological advancement and the traditions/culture of Japan, not the middle ground.

Yes Lazy Pious, the somewhat rundown/dirty hotels of overcrowded Atami and the not-so-pristine beach was a turn off for me.

I guess this explains why Beppu is more popular, though I am more of a Kurokawa/Yufuin kind of person.

Yufuin was my favorite place in Kyushu! i liked Kurokawa too, but a little quiet for me. If you like them, then Shuzenji on the Izu peninsula is for you!

I know most of the main points have already been covered - with location and views being the two stars. There is simply no other location close to Tokyo with those views and transport links.

Even though I agree that Atami is very on the "grungy" side for Japan, there are a lot of large onsen resorts which does not require the participants to leave. As such - people come for the hot springs, views and food. I also second the MOA and I also like the former ryokan which can be viewed that gives a late Meiji/early showa vibe.

In my experience, a lot of places in Japan could be called rundown, dirty, or grimy by foreign tourists but Japanese natives might not see them that way. Of course they can tell the difference between a pristine natural setting with spotlessly maintained wooden structures, compared to a densely built-up town with reinforced-concrete high-rise hotel-style properties that have noticeable rust stains on the outer walls. But in fact they might pick the latter for an occasional, affordable recreational overnight at an onsen with family or friends. I haven�ft ever slept in Atami, but I have had many enjoyable overnight stays at �golder�h ryokan hotel-type properties in Japan. These places are often considerably cheaper than the sort of ryokan that a foreign tourist might pick based on their expectations of what a Japanese ryokan should look like, and a tourist with a fairly high budget who goes to Japan at most once a year and can pick relatively pricey lodgings might dismiss the older, unrenovated rooms and common areas as �grun down.�h But in most cases they are actually very clean, and the food and baths can be excellent. If there is a nice unobstructed view of the ocean from the window (which is more likely from a high-rise ryokan-hotel than a more �gtraditional�h style ryokan), it is easy to overlook any aesthetic imperfections of the town itself. And speed and cost of getting there are huge factors. These points have all been covered, of course.

I have often noticed that you see a lot of rust in Japan�c Part of this is because the climate is humid and iron-based construction materials simply degrade over time, and part of this is because in Japan they don�ft tear down buildings just because they are starting to get old and dated looking. Anyway, I have gotten used to it over the years and try not to judge a book by its cover when it comes to the outward appearance of towns and structures I see during my travels there. Whether the place meets my needs is more important. Sometimes I like to shop at a modern Aeon mall, and sometimes I like to wander through a decades-old traditional shotengai that many foreigners would call run-down or grimy. I choose my accommodations carefully, but for onsen stays, features such as baths, food, and window views are always high on my list in selecting them. And my trips tend to be long so I can�ft afford to splurge too terribly much�c

I'm not sure if Atami is that popular.

Back in the days when travel wasn't as easy, Atami was an accessible resort, location-wise, for those who can afford it. Authors would own villas there, sometimes first homes, and it was a popular honeymoon location. That's why a lot of huge ugly hotels were made back then. Many still carry on business.

But nowadays, I have the impression that more residents in Greater Tokyo prefer to move out to Yugawara instead. Atami is still a Shinkansen and Tokaido local train line stop, but as you say it has too many buildings. Today, if you want to build a villa, places like Izu and Chiba are also accessible, affordable and sophisticated. And if you just want to go on a trip, there are too many places you can go by amenity trains and cars. Typical honeymoon destinations have now long been Hawaii, Okinawa and Australia among many other affordable places around the world.

So, today, I don't think Atami is necessarily more popular than any of the many other resorts.

I forgot to write that I've been to Gunma, Hakone, Shirahama and Chiba, all while I living in Tokyo, and then the Five Lakes as a Yokohama resident, but I don't recall spending the night in Atami (although my parents may have taken me there when I was a toddler in the 1960s).

Visited Japan many of times, always stayed couple of nights in different onsens. Some small and rural, some lively and modern. Onsen-towns, remote villages. Never disappointed!
Haven't been in Atami, but once we had to choose Gero (logistical and availability reasons). Here in forum Gero is not recommended, so was a bit nervous what we get. But really it is somehow lovely town, with museums and a lot to discover by bike. Yes, too much concrete, not as pretty and romantic as Yufuin, but seems Japanese enjoyed there and we too.

One effect of declining popularity can be declining prices, which can make a town such as Atami appealing to people who don�ft want to spend a lot of money. And the existence of huge numbers of rooms (due in part to the size of some of the resort hotels) contributes to this. When I can get double occupancy in a large, comfortable Japanese style room, two excellent meals, and a nice rotenburo for the same price as a smallish twin room in a decent but uninspiring hotel with no meals in Tokyo, I am willing to be less than snooty about some of the other details. And if the town is full of options, typically any given hotel is going to be less crowded. I often get the baths all to myself in some of these places�c

That said, the only time I slept on the Izu Peninsula it was in the town Uco mentioned, Yugawara, in a traditional ryokan that had great baths and meals (but no views). It was a lovely stay, but the same place has gotten a little pricey and I probably wouldn�ft pick it again.

I thought the town was nice enough with the Kiunkaku and a few other sites, but the onsen view over the coast is memorable. I also liked being able to keep the full-sized bath towel worth more than the entrance fee.

It's not my favorite onsen, but it's definitely not a "bad" onsen. My memory of Atami Onsen is positive.

I agree with the previous statement that it has a stronger appeal for people living in Japan than for those here on vacation who have to make choices in which each choice eliminates others.

Having such a famous and historic onsen so near a Shinkansen Station is also uncommon. If you want an onsen trip that is quick and easy, Atami would have to rank high.

Other famous onsen, like Gero (another onsen that is extremely well-rated among Japanese but considered average by many foreigners), Nyuto, Kurokawa, Kinosaki, Kusatsu, etc. do not have direct Shinkansen access. The onsen area is just a 15-20 minute walk from the Shinkansen station. You don't have to think about bus times or train transfers.

Honestly, with the price of Tokyo hotels these days, the shinkansen station in Atami almost makes me want to consider a strategy involving Atami as a home base and �gcommuting�h to Tokyo�c Of course, when the price of the JR pass goes through the ceiling in a few months, commuting anywhere by shinkansen is going to be a lot less strategic. Tokyo Wide Pass is still a pretty good buy (I love that it covers the full trip to Shimoda!), but probably not enough to warrant staying someplace other than Tokyo or maybe Yokohama as a base for exploring Tokyo.

Years ago I learned the trick of staying in a location that is considered �gunappealing�h by tourists (or is simply off the radar screen) to save money, and using a JR pass to quickly get to places I want to see. I�fm not serious about suggesting Atami as a home base, of course, but I�fm really sad to see the good old nationwide JR pass suddenly become shockingly more expensive.

I love all the standard tourist recommendations, top-ten lists, and �gmust see�h spots because they keep the tourists away from all the places I like to go, hehe.

Sorry, I�fve taken this thread way off topic�c

Thank you everyone for your replies. Especially Uco for your insights.

My personal experience in Atami was a daytrip from Ito. I wanted to rent a car to Mt. Fuji but left my international license in my home country. I remember walking around town and seeing a multitude of hotels. I was guiding my university pals as part of a post-graduation trip, and till this day I can remember that it was the first city/town in Japan where I did not feel the cleanliness that Japan is known for. It has bugged me till this day. I've been to Japan a few number of times since, and have yet to find a location as such. (agree outside the main city area with the museum and garden atop a hill is a thumbs up)

Agree with Kim on the JR Pass, plan to go in August to use it one last time. Only ever took the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kagoshima and to Zao. Never all the way North to Hokkaido.

Still waiting for the day I get to stay at Nyuto. Been more than a decade since Uji mentioned it.

P.S. @mfedley, Didn't know you had so many blog posts. Added some places to my Google Maps.
Thank you.