So you've decided to come out to Atami. You're fresh off of the train and tired from your travels. Chances are you're just looking to get back to Japan Countryside and enjoy the entrancing ocean view. Luckily for you, there are three options you have to get back to your retreat in the mountains.
The three option will be listed in descending order from most expensive to least expensive and as it turns out are also listed from fastest to slowest.
1.) Taxi
If you arrive to Atami when it's dark, you're exhausted or you're just really eager to get to the house, you can hire a taxi to drive you in about five minutes from the station. The taxi pickup area is located to the front left of the station. It typically has one or two cars ready after an influx of people come in, but just in case it doesn't, there are cars that come in and out of that location regularly.
Although this is by far the quickest option, it is also the most expensive by a long shot as well coming in a about 1900 yen( about 17USD). If you have a lot of luggage, this is also a nice option as dragging your belongings onto a crowded bus might get uncomfortable. Also, remember to give the taxi driver this address when he asks for your destination: Izusan 764-15. Without that, you might get dropped off at the bottom of the hill and needing to walk up a fair amount until you reach the house.
2.) Bus
So you'd like to save a little money but still get there fairly quickly and with minimal effort. The option you'll be looking for is the Izusan bus line. This bus can be found if you walk out of Atami station and then walk up a short ramp to the left. From there you'll see bus stops circling around a small area. You're going to want to find the #5 bus, also called the Izusan, and take that until the Izusan Koban("koban" means police station"). Unfortunately, taking this route means you'll still have to walk up the mountain a ways to get to Japan Countryside, which can be a tiresome affair if you have a lot of luggage.
The ride to the police station combined with the walk up the mountain can take anywhere from 15-20 minutes depending on how fast you walk and how crowded the bus is. The ride itself only costs 200 yen(less than $2 USD), which saves quite a lot when compared to the taxi ride; the bus also makes stops near Atami station twice an hour until 9PM at :20 and :50 respectively. The only downside is that if you happen to miss the bus, you could be waiting another 30 minutes until another arrives. A small price to pay if walking isn't really your thing.
3.) Walking
So you've packed light and want to get a feel for the area before you head to the house. Using the Atami WiFi at the train station, type in "764-15" into your phone and you'll see the walk is about 30 minutes. There is also a 40-minute walk that you can take by sticking closer to the ocean that will show you some of the nice small town scenery, but it all depends on what you have time for. Here's what the shorter walk should look like in google maps:
While this options might be the slowest, it's also free and allows you to experience the area on a more personal level as you'll see small businesses, a few shrines and feel the cool ocean breeze on your face.
With that being said, whether it be by taxi, bus or foot ,we hope to see you soon!
