Atami Ekimae Onsen Bathhouse

What it is like

Three minutes from JR Atami Station, tucked behind the station roundabout, this community bath opened in 1947. Housed on the ground floor of the ageing Atami Ekimae Shinkō Kaikan, with an old-style attendant's counter and a small tiled bathroom, it feels like a Shōwa-era sento frozen in time. The water, though, is the real thing: the 74°C source is cooled with added water only and flows through untreated — rare in Atami, where many hotels recirculate — and in 2024 the independent Pure Onsen Association certified it as Atami's first 'pure onsen'. Salty and rich in sulphates, it heats you to the core so thoroughly that you keep sweating after you dress. The tubs hold three or four people and the regulars are locals; visitors mostly drop in for a quick soak before the Shinkansen. Atami has a long history — Tokugawa Ieyasu bathed here and had its water carried to Edo Castle — and this is the cheapest, closest place to try it, for ¥500 by the station.

Before you go

• Opens at 2 pm — no morning bathing. Closed Wednesdays. Cash only.
• No soap or shampoo provided; buy sachets at the counter or bring your own. Towels sold.
• The tubs are small, so give and take is needed when busy (Saturday evenings, holidays 4–7 pm). Right after opening on weekdays, 2–3 pm, is quietest.
• The water runs hot (42–43°C). There is a cold tap, but ask before using it when regulars are in.
• No parking — use coin car parks around the station.
• No explicit tattoo policy is posted, but this is a small local bath, so be discreet.
• If you are short of time, the free 'Ieyasu-no-yu' foot bath in front of the station (9:00–16:00) offers a taste of Atami's water.

Access and surroundings

Three minutes on foot from JR Atami Station (Tōkaidō Shinkansen, Tōkaidō and Itō lines): exit the roundabout, turn right, and it is behind the McDonald's. From Tokyo Station the Kodama Shinkansen takes about 45 minutes, local trains about 1 h 45 min. The Nakamise and Heiwa-dōri arcades in front of the station keep a retro feel, with dried fish, onsen manjū and Atami pudding to snack on. Within 10–15 minutes' walk are Atami Sun Beach, the Kiunkaku villa (Taishō–Shōwa architecture, ¥610) and Kinomiya Shrine with its 2,000-year-old camphor tree. Atami's other community baths (Yamada-yu and the like) are well away from the station, so for anyone arriving by train this is by far the most convenient choice.