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The Best Places to Visit in Atami

5 June 2025

Atami is a hot spring resort, only 1-hour and 20 minutes from Tokyo by the Shinkansen train. You can see beautiful views of coastline as it faces the sea and benefits from a hilly location. In addition to its hot springs, you can enjoy a diverse range of tourist attractions such as museums, parks, beaches, shrines and botanical gardens.

This article introduces some of the best places to visit in Atami for tourists from overseas.

Best places to visit in Atami

These are the must-see places to visit in Atami. Note that Atami has many hills, so we recommend taking the city bus rather than walking. All the sights explained here are close to bus stops.

Atami Plum Garden

Atami Plum Garden is famous for its 500 plum trees, with many varieties blooming at different times from early to late season. A popular event here is the "Plum Festival," held from January to March, featuring many stalls and activities. However, it's also beautiful all year round, with seasonal flowers and autumn leaves. There are walking paths and streams nearby, making it a great place for nature walks.

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Atami Plum Garden

Visiting During Autumn for Beautiful Leaves

Atami Plum Garden is not only lovely in the plum blossom season. Autumn is especially beautiful with colourful leaves. The photo below was taken on 2 December when I visited. The garden is quite spacious, and it takes about an hour to see everything. There are many lovely spots including rivers and bridges. It is a great place for enjoying a peaceful nature walk!

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Autumn Season (Atami Plum Garden)
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Autumn Season (Atami Plum Garden)

How to Get to Atami Plum Garden

There are 3 ways to get to Atami Plum Garden: by bus, by train or by taxi.

By Bus

Take bus number 1 from the Atami Station bus stop, heading to "Baien, Ainohara-danchi, Shimizu-cho Loop". Get off at the stop named "Baien (梅園)".

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Bus Stop at Baien, Atami

By Train

The nearest train station is Kinomiya Station (来宮駅), the next stop after Atami Station on the JR Ito Line. You can use your JR Pass or an IC card like Suica.

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Kinomiya Station (来宮駅)

Kinomiya Station has luggage storage and coin lockers, but the number of lockers is limited. There are also coin lockers at Atami Plum Garden, but they only accept cash. If you plan to visit multiple places, using the lockers at Atami Station is recommended.

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Luggage Storage (Coin Lockers) at Kinomiya Station

By Taxi

If you prefer an easy option, taking a taxi is also a good choice. It takes about 5 minutes from Atami Station and costs around ¥1,000.

Kinomiya Shrine

Kinomiya Shrine is one of Atami's top attractions, famous as a powerful spiritual spot. The main highlight here is a huge camphor tree over 2,000 years old, recognised as a national natural monument. It is said that your wishes will come true if you walk around the tree. You can also relax at a café inside the shrine grounds, enjoying tea and sweets while viewing the sacred tree. Throughout the year, many festivals and events take place, especially the summer festival, which is particularly vibrant and exciting.

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Kinomiya Shrine
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Path at Kinomiya Shrine
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Torii gate at Kinomiya Shrine
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The entrance of Kinomiya Shrine

How to Use the Purifying Water

Before praying at Kinomiya Shrine, it’s good to clean your hands and mouth at the water station. This is called "temizu (手水)" in Japan.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Bow lightly.

  2. Rinse your left hand.

  3. Then Rinse your right hand.

  4. Pour some water into your left hand and use it to rinse your mouth. (Don’t drink it—just swish and spit it out quietly.)

  5. Rinse your left hand one more time.

  6. Finally, bow again.

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How to Use the Purifying Water

The 2000-year-old Giant Tree

The main attraction at Kinomiya Shrine is the giant camphor tree, over 2,000 years old. There is a legend that says if you circle the tree once, you will gain one more year of life, and another legend says your wishes will come true if you circle it while thinking about your wish.

Originally, the tree split into two trunks at the base, but one trunk was destroyed by a typhoon about 50 years ago. Despite its scars, the tree continues to stand strong, impressing visitors with its resilience.

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The 2000-year-old Giant Tree

Atami Ropeway

Next, we recommend the Atami Ropeway. Although it is only 10 minutes by bus from Atami Station, you can see the entire coastline of Atami from the observation deck where you can also enjoy the cafe. The ropeway is very reasonably priced at only ¥400/adult for a one-way ticket and ¥600/adult for a return.

Atami Ropeway
Atami Ropeway
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Atami ropeway

ACAO Forest

ACAO Forest is a large garden where visitors can enjoy seasonal flowers. A wide variety of plants are in bloom here, including roses, bulb plants and herbs. You can feel the seasonal changes as you walk through the garden. On sunny days, you can take photos here against the beautiful background of the blue sea and sky. The park is one of the best places to visit in Atami. In April 2024, the access became easier with the introduction of a shuttle bus service from Atami Station (⇨Link).

  • Address: 1027-8 Kamitaga, Atami, Shizuoka 413-0101, Japan
    (Click to open Google Maps)

  • Open: every day

  • Opening hours: 9:00 AM to 17:00 PM

  • Entry: ¥4,000/adult and ¥1,000/child

ACAO Forest
ACAO Forest

Atami Sun Beach

Atami Sun Beach is a 400m long sandy beach with palm trees. It is the most popular beach in Atami, attracting many families and young people in summer. The beach is lit up at night and you can enjoy its beautiful scenery throughout the year. It is also good for walking. You can relax and enjoy the nature and history of Atami. The opening period for the beaches this year has not yet been decided, but in 2025 they were open from 12 July to 31 August. If you enjoy swimming, please note that exposure of tattoos is prohibited.

  • Address: Atami, Shizuoka 413-0012, Japan
    (Click to open Google Maps)

  • Open: every day

  • Opening hours: 9:00 AM to 16:00 PM

  • Entry: free

Atami Sun Beach
Atami Sun Beach