Recommended sightseeing spots around the MOA MUSEUM OF ART
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If you come to Atami, we'd like to introduce you to some popular sightseeing spots! There are many spots to visit, but if it's your first time here, we recommend starting off with these spots.
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The museum is built on a 230,000m2 hill in Atami, and you can see beautiful views of Izu Oshima and Hatsushima from the main lobby and Moore Square. The facility also features a garden that changes with the seasons, with cherry blossoms and azaleas in the spring, fresh greenery in early summer, and autumn leaves in the fall. Enjoy a relaxing resort-like experience while savoring art and nature. The museum opened in 1982, and 36 years later, from 2016 to 2017, it underwent renovation work to revamp the exhibition space and update the facilities. The lobby area and exhibition space were designed by the New Material Laboratory, which is headed by internationally renowned contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto together with architect Tomoyuki Sakakida. We tackled the question of how to reconstruct and pass on the materials and techniques used in ancient, medieval, and early modern times in the present day, and through various attempts, we created a modern space using traditional Japanese materials, embodying the new MOA MUSEUM OF ART.
- Table of Contents
- What is Atami?
- Click here for directions to Atami
- Atami Area Guide
- Top 5 sightseeing spots in Atami
What is Atami?
Atami City is located in the easternmost part of Shizuoka Prefecture and has a population of about 33,000. It is home to hot springs such as Atami Onsen. It is located at the eastern base of the Izu Peninsula and faces the Sagami Nada. In 1889, Atami Village merged with Izu Village, Izumi Village, and Hatsushima Village to form the new Atami Village, and Taga Village and Taga Village merged to form Taga Village. In 1891, Atami Village became Atami Town, and on April 10, Showa, it merged with Taga Village to form Atami City . It then merged with Ajiro Town in Showa , and has continued to exist to this day.
Click here for directions to Atami
Atami Area Guide
Atami City is located at the base of the Izu Peninsula Shizuoka Prefecture in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture. It is a Atami destination surrounded by sea and mountains and is rich in nature, consisting of six areas: Izu Yugawara Onsen, Izu Onsen, Izu Onsen, Izu Ajiro Onsen, Ajiro Onsen, and Hatsu Island. Each area has its own characteristics, so you can enjoy a standard trip, a date where you can eat around, or a relaxing soak in the hot springs. You can enjoy a trip to Atami to suit your tastes.
Top 5 sightseeing spots in Atami
1. Izu Shrine
Situated on the northeast hillside of Atami at 170 meters above sea, this historic site has been venerated by lords and shoguns for centuries, among them Minamoto no Yoritomo, Ashikaga Takauji and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Its history goes back to 271, and the shrine has inspired many poets of various times. Today, it offers a scenic site for trekking and birdwatching.
Izusan Shrine
708-1, Izusan, Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture 413-0002
Izuyama Shrine is a historic shrine located in Izuyama, Atami City, known for its blessings in finding love and warding off evil. It is said that Minamoto no Yoritomo and Hojo Masako nurtured their love here, and it is also famous as a power spot for making love come true. From the shrine grounds you can get a panoramic view of Sagami Bay, and enjoy the natural beauty of the four seasons. The grounds also contain a sacred tree that is several hundred years old, and Yusaki Shrine, which enshrines the source of the hot spring, "Hashiriyu," making it a sacred space where history and nature blend together. After worshiping, you will feel purified in both body and mind. (Photo by AC)
2. Kinomiya Shrine
Situated on the outskirt of Atami’s downtown, this shrine is a popular spot among the young and the old alike. Its origin is from the Nara period (8th century), as legend has it, when people enshrined an ancient oak tree near the beach by divine sign of Itakeru no Mikoto, the guardian deity of nature. Today, the oak tree on the site is more than 2,000 years old.
Kinomiya Shrine
43-1 Nishiyama-cho, Atami-shi, Shizuoka 413-0034
Kinomiya Shrine in Atami City has long been worshipped as a shrine that brings good fortune and good luck. Within the shrine grounds stands a large camphor tree that is over 2,100 years old and is designated as a national natural monument. Legend has it that walking around the tree will extend your life by one year, and the shrine is known as a power spot. There is also a cafe within the grounds where you can relax after worshiping. (Photo by AC)
3. Kiunkaku
This former family villa, built in 1919, served several wealthy families, notably the influential businessmen Uchida Shin’ya and Nezu Kaichiro. It consists of four wings, two in the Japanese style and the other two of a more modern style with European influence. There is also a beautiful garden. The architecture retains much of the original structures and the reminiscence of the city’s golden age as the nation’s favorite spa resort.
4. Soshisha
The 20th-century writer Tsubouchi Shoyo is known for his translation of William Shakespeare’s work. The residence and garden reflect the writer’s personal values and ideas, like the weathervane with a kingfisher on top of his library wing being inspired by Shakespeare’s King Lear. Soshisya literally means a pair of persimmon trees, which used stand in the garden.
Soshisha
413-0016 11-17 Mizuguchicho , Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture
This is the villa of Shoyo Tsubouchi, who is known for his translations of Shakespeare. Shoyo himself designed and designed everything from the building to the trees in the garden, and his tastes are reflected in key features such as the jade weather vane, which is said to have been inspired by Shakespeare's "King Lear." The name "Soukaisha" comes from the two persimmon trees planted in the garden.
5. Omiya no Matsu
A celebrated scene in a famous serial novel Konjiki Yasha (1897-1902) made this location famous. A dramatic parting between a young man Kan’ichi and his bride-to-be Omiya under an iconic pine tree seized the nation's heart. This is the location of the scene, and bronze statues by sculptor Tateno Kosei (1916–2005) stand there as a reminder. The current pine tree was planted in 1966 as a successor of the original one.
Omiya no matsu
413-0012 Shizuoka Prefecture, Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture
This pine tree was one of the settings for the Meiji era newspaper novel "Konjiki Yasha." It is the setting for a famous scene in the novel, where the protagonist Kan'ichi Hazama says goodbye to his fiancee, Omiya. Nearby, there is a statue of Kan'ichi and Omiya created by sculptor Hiroaki Tateno (1916-2005), as well as a monument to "Showa Yasha." The current pine tree was planted in 1966 as the second Omiya pine tree.
The museum is built on a 230,000m2 hill in Atami, and you can see beautiful views of Izu Oshima and Hatsushima from the main lobby and Moore Square. The facility also features a garden that changes with the seasons, with cherry blossoms and azaleas in the spring, fresh greenery in early summer, and autumn leaves in the fall. Enjoy a relaxing resort-like experience while savoring art and nature. The museum opened in 1982, and 36 years later, from 2016 to 2017, it underwent renovation work to revamp the exhibition space and update the facilities. The lobby area and exhibition space were designed by the New Material Laboratory, which is headed by internationally renowned contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto together with architect Tomoyuki Sakakida. We tackled the question of how to reconstruct and pass on the materials and techniques used in ancient, medieval, and early modern times in the present day, and through various attempts, we created a modern space using traditional Japanese materials, embodying the new MOA MUSEUM OF ART.
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