Hot springs

Don't be fooled into thinking that the 'Hot Springs/Spas' on the town map are onsen baths; they are literally locations where the hot volcanic water pumps up from the ground. Some even have geysers! However, this area does have several excellent onsen open to the public for a small entrance fee.

• Atami Marine Spa
• Nikkotei (日航亭), located 10 metres uphill from the Ōyu Kanketsusen hot spring/geyser. Indoor & outdoor baths, sauna & relaxation room.

Scuba Diving

Atami is a popular day or weekend trip from Tokyo for scuba diving, largely due to its proximity to the city (40 minutes by shinkansen). Sites feature some spectacular soft corals and sea life including nudibranchs, moray eels, and octopus. Atami also has one of the only divable wrecks in mainland Japan. Visibility can be poor during certain times of year, but it peaks toward the end of the summer/early fall.

• 'Discovery Divers Tokyo; 6-25-26 Asamizodai (Sagamihara , Kanagawa 228-0828); Phone: 042 854-7711; Email: info@discoverydiverstokyo.com; [3] One English-speaking dive operation that offers dive tours in Atami is Discovery Divers Tokyo.

• Mar Scuba Tokyo;  Phone: +81 (0)90 3851 3901; Email: matt@marscuba.com; Website: http://www.marscuba.com   Mar Scuba Tokyo is the longest-running English dive operator in the Tokyo area and offers fun dives and courses in Atami and the surrounding area.

• MOA Museum of Art (MOA美術館). [1]. Opened in 1982 to house some of the collection of eccentric millionaire Mokichi Okada (see box), the displays here run the gamut from Japanese calligraphy to Tang-dynasty pottery, with a roomful of Matisse, a tea room covered in gold leaf and Socialist-realist bronze sculptures thrown in for flavor. But there's a uniting thread to it all, as according to Okada, "Art must meet three conditions: it must be true, it must be good, and it must be beautiful." No falsehood, evil, or ugliness; no death, no old age, no sickness; no sorrow, no hate, no pain, no lust. The overall effect is a little eerie, but beautiful just the same and well worth a visit. The entrance to the museum is particularly striking. Open 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM daily except Thursday, adult admission is a steep but worthwhile ¥1600 yen. The museum is accessible by bus from JR Atami station (8 minutes).

• Atami Hihokan (熱海秘宝館), [2]. If lolling about in hot water has gotten you all hot and bothered, this overpriced erotic museum will fan the flames a bit. Over 18 years only. ¥1800, including return transfer on the Atami Ropeway.

By plane

You can reach Atami from one of Tokyo's two airports. From Narita Airport, take the Narita Express train to Tokyo, then transfer to either a Shinkansen Kodama train or a Tokaido Line local train. It is 2 hours via shinkansen connection (¥7510) and 3 hours via local connection (¥5120).

From Haneda Airport, take a Keihin Kyuko line train to Shinagawa for connection to the shinkansen (1 1/4 hours, ¥4680) or Tokaido local (2 hours, ¥2290).

By train

Atami is on the Tokaido Shinkansen main line, just 50 minutes from Tokyo (¥3570 for an unreserved seat). All Kodama trains stop at Atami, and a select number of Hikari stop there as well.

Atami is also a stop on the regular Tokaido Line which runs from Tokyo (1 3/4 hours to Atami, ¥1890) and continues on to Shizuoka and Hamamatsu.

With the exception of the Keihin Kyuko from Haneda Airport to Shinagawa, all train rides listed above are free with the Japan Rail Pass.

Atami's city center is fairly compact, but buses connect the train station to the MOA Museum of Art (bus no.4) and several other points of interest.

There is an Y800 tourist bus that links the main attractions including the Atami Castle. It's called the Yu-Yu bus.

The train station Tourist Information seemed to be conveniently out of English information of any description. There is however a great Tourist Info on the sea front, between the main Atami Sun Beach and the Marine Spa Atami.

There are two car hire companies directly across from the Train station: Toyota Rent-a-car 0557-81-0100. Nippon Rent-a-car 0557-82-4588 (both Japanese only).