Atami in Two Days

Three ideas shape the route:

• Walk the town downhill — Atami Station sits on a slope above the sea. Take the bus up to the MOA Museum, the highest stop, and the rest of the day runs downhill: to the shrine, then to the waterfront
• The coast in the morning — the Jogasaki coast faces east, so the sea is at its brightest before noon. Walk it first thing on day 2
• Mt Omuro last — buses from the foot of Mt Omuro to Ito Station are frequent, which makes it easy to line up with the train home

The eight stops, in map order:

If your inn is close to the station, the easiest option is to drop your bags there in the morning; many inns will hold luggage before check-in. The MOA Museum bus does not run on the museum's closing days.

In a hurry? Get off the same 16:02 Odoriko at Atami and change to a Kodama shinkansen to reach Tokyo at 17:18 (¥4,850). South of Ito, the Izukyu Line runs with the sea on the left.

Prices are published rates and search results as of September 2026. The inn is left out because it varies so much by place and date. Atami's hot-spring inns mostly sell rooms with dinner and breakfast, and guests usually check in late afternoon to fit the dinner time.

Step off the shinkansen and you are already at the door of the hot-spring town. Right opposite the ticket gates, two covered shopping streets open up: Nakamise-dori and Heiwa-dori. In the morning, go straight to the bus for the MOA Museum; come back here at midday for lunch.

• Lunch — grilled dried-fish set meals and seafood bowls. Popular places queue at midday, so arriving around 12:20 is about right
• Snacks — freshly fried fish cakes, hot-spring buns, pudding. There are benches halfway along to sit down
• The station foot bath — the plaza in front of the station has a free foot bath, Ieyasu no Yu, handy while you wait

Seven minutes by bus from the station, on a height above the sea. The museum is known for its Japanese and East Asian art, above all Ogata Korin's Red and White Plum Blossoms, a National Treasure. Open 9:30–16:30 (last entry 16:00), closed Thursdays.

• The escalators — several in a row take you from the entrance to the main building. Halfway up, a round hall has kaleidoscope images projected across its dome
• The Golden Tea Room — a reconstruction of the tea room covered in gold leaf, walls and pillars alike, said to have been made for Toyotomi Hideyoshi
• The view — from the lobby and outdoor terraces you see Sagami Bay and, on a clear day, Hatsushima and Izu Oshima
• The garden — a Japanese garden and tea houses in the grounds, just right for a stroll after the galleries

The Red and White Plum Blossoms screens are usually shown in plum season, around February. If there is a work you particularly want to see, check the exhibition calendar on the museum's site.

One stop from Atami on the Ito Line, then about five minutes on foot from Kinomiya Station. At the back of the grounds stands the shrine's sacred camphor tree, a national natural monument.

• Order of visit — pray at the worship hall first, then go on to the camphor. When you circle it, follow the flow of other visitors
• Tea in the grounds — the shrine runs rest spots such as the Hoko tea room beside the assembly hall. Take a break before heading downhill
• The tree at night — after dark the camphor is lit up. If your inn is not far, it is worth coming back

Twenty minutes downhill from the shrine brings you to the sea. Start at Shinsui Park by the marina and walk north along the water to the sands of Atami Sun Beach.

• Moon Terrace — a plaza in Shinsui Park built out over the sea, chosen as a Lovers' Sanctuary
• The promenade — palms and decks said to be inspired by Sanremo in Italy, Atami's sister city
• Sun Beach — the beach right in front of the hot-spring town. At night the sand is lit up and looks quite different

Spend the first night unwinding at a hot-spring inn: a soak before dinner, then again at night and in the morning. Atami's springs are mostly salty, which is said to keep you warm long after you get out.

• Choosing an inn — to watch from your room, pick an inn with sea-facing rooms. Near Sun Beach, the shore is a short walk away
• Where to watch — Atami Sun Beach is the best spot. It gets crowded on show nights, so go early
• Next morning — day 2 starts with a 9:03 train, so have breakfast around 7 and leave time for a morning bath

On day 2, ride about 40 minutes from Atami to Jogasaki-Kaigan Station. A 30-minute walk through a residential area brings you to the sea at Boranaya, a restaurant that marks the start of the Jogasaki Picnical Course. From here the path runs south along the clifftops, past Kadowaki Bridge, to Izu Kaiyo Koen.

• Boranaya — a thatched fishermen's hut first built in the Edo period for mullet fishing, restored as a restaurant; its speciality is golden-eye snapper (kinmedai). It opens 11:00–15:00 (closed Thursdays), so on this schedule it is simply the starting point. To eat here, push the later buses back
• How long — tourist guides give the course as about 3 km, 90 minutes at an easy pace. Boranaya to Kadowaki alone takes around 25 minutes without detours
• Along the way — the remains of a gun battery from the 1850s, columnar joints in the lava, and rocks where the waves spout. The path is well kept but uneven with roots and stones

South of Kadowaki, the Nature Research Trail continues to Yawatano, making about 9 km of coastal path in all. This route covers only the northern Picnical Course.

The highlight of the path is Kadowaki Bridge, slung between two cliffs: 48 m long and 23 m above the sea. It sways a little underfoot, and you can see the waves through the gaps.

• Not a fan of bridges? — a path lets you go round instead
• A break — there is a kiosk and toilets by the lighthouse. Have an ice cream while you wait for the bus
• To the bus — the Izu Kaiyo Koen stop is about 15 minutes on along the path

Twenty-six minutes by bus from Izu Kaiyo Koen bring you to the foot of Mt Omuro (580 m), rising from the middle of Izu Kogen. The chairlift station is right opposite the Shaboten Koen bus stop. Have lunch at one of the places at the bottom first.

• The chairlift — ¥1,000 return. 9:00–17:00 from March to September and 9:00–16:00 from October to February (last ride up). A few minutes to the top
• Round the rim — a path of about 1 km circles the crater, 20–30 minutes. On a clear day you see Mt Fuji, Izu Oshima and the Amagi mountains
• The crater floor — the bottom of the bowl is a flat lawn used as an archery range

The lift stops in strong wind, lightning or poor visibility, and closes for longer maintenance in June and December (7–18 December in 2026). The bus stop for the way home is right in front of the lift.

• Avoid Thursdays — the MOA Museum (open on public holidays) and Boranaya both close on Thursdays. Don't make day 1 a Thursday
• Reserve the train home — weekend Odoriko trains fill up. Unreserved is fine on the shinkansen out, but book a seat for the return
• Dress for walking on day 2 — the coastal path has rocks, roots and slopes: wear trainers. Pack into a small backpack, or send your bag home from the inn by courier
• If it rains — the coast gets slippery and the Omuro lift stops more easily. Swap day 2 for Izu Kogen's museums, or a slow day in Atami
• Check the times — the times here are one example from the Saturday timetable for October 2026. Weekdays, Sundays and seasons change the bus frequencies, so check a route planner the day before