Atami Station Guide: Free Footbath, Coin Lockers & Bus Stops

Step off the train at Atami Station and, just steps from the gates, you can slip off your shoes and dip your feet into a free public footbath — your first taste of an onsen (hot spring) town before you've even left the station. Drop your bags in a locker, soak for a few minutes, then head out light. From here, local buses run to the museum on the hill, the harbor, the castle, and the sea. Here's how to use the station as the start of your trip.

A Free Footbath the Moment You Arrive

The first thing many travelers notice stepping out of Atami Station isn't a sight — it's the warmth. Steam drifts up from a roofed footbath on the station plaza, carrying the faint mineral scent of Atami's salt-tinged seaside springs. This is Ieyasu-no-yu, a free public footbath named after Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who unified Japan and was so fond of Atami's waters that he had them carried by barrel all the way to Edo Castle.

You don't need a reservation or a ticket. Sit on the wooden edge, roll up your trouser legs, and let the hot mineral water — around 41°C and slightly salty, the signature of Atami's seaside springs — soak into your feet for a few minutes. It's the fastest way to shake off a train journey, and a quiet way to begin.

Hours and What to Know

• Open 9:00–16:00, free of charge. After 16:00 the basin is drained for an overnight cleaning, so the water you soak in is always fresh.

• Towels sell from an on-site vending machine — bring a small coin, or pack a hand towel.

• Timing matters: if your train gets in before 9:00 or after 16:00, the footbath will be closed. It's worth planning your first or last hour in Atami around it.

• Arrived outside those hours? You'll miss the footbath, but the station's staffed luggage counters stay open later (until around 17:50), so you can still drop your bags and head straight into town.

• Mornings are the calmest. By midday on weekends, the benches fill with day-trippers waiting for a turn.

Travel Light — Lockers, Luggage Storage & the Station Map

Atami climbs from the seafront up into the hills, and you'll enjoy it far more without a suitcase in tow. The good news: the station area has both quick coin lockers and staffed counters that hold bags all day, most within a few minutes' walk of the gates. Just sightseeing for a few hours? A coin locker is quickest. Big suitcase, a full day, or want to come and go? Use a staffed counter.

Getting Your Bearings

The station opens onto a single plaza. The footbath and the bus terminal are both right in front of you as you exit, and the shopping streets begin a few minutes' walk downhill. Lusca Atami, the shopping building directly connected to the station, holds the tourist information desk, lockers, and shops. Pick up a printed Atami Station area map at the information desk on the 1st floor — it's the easiest way to orient yourself before heading out.

Coin Lockers (Quick, Unstaffed)

Best for a few hours of sightseeing. Lockers range from small to large; pick by when you'll be back and how you'll pay.

• Open 24 hours — beside the JR ticket office (look for the green Midori-no-Madoguchi sign). ¥500–800 · IC, credit, or QR. The dependable choice if you'll be out late or back after the fireworks.

• Lusca Atami, 3rd floor — inside the station building, 9:00–21:00. ¥400–700 · coins or IC.

• Atami Daiichi Building, B1 — near the footbath, 7:00–20:00. ¥300–800 · IC, credit, or QR. The widest range of sizes.

• Atami Daiichi Building, 1st floor — 9:00–18:00, cash only, ¥100–400. Some shops here close on Thursdays.

On busy weekends and holidays the large lockers can fill up, so grab one early or use a staffed counter instead.

Luggage Storage Counters (Staffed, In-and-Out Access)

Best for large suitcases, long days, or in-and-out access. Three staffed counters hold bags by the day, all a minute or two from the gates.

• The main luggage-storage counter — look for the Atami Tenimotsu Azukarijo sign (Atami Daiichi Building 1F). Staffed 9:00–17:50, and 16:00–21:30 on fireworks nights, so you can collect your bags after the show. From ¥300 (¥500 for extra-large items only). In-and-out access, umbrella loan, and advance MOA Museum tickets.

• Sagawa (Atami Daiichi Building 1F) — 8:00–18:00, ¥300–800. Opens earlier and closes later than the main counter; takes chilled and frozen items; cash, credit, or QR. It can also deliver your bags to your hotel (about ¥1,500 one-way; drop off by 13:30) — handy if you'd rather send your bags on than carry them.

• Yamato (Lusca Atami 1F) — 9:00–17:50, a flat ¥500. Parcel delivery too.

Want your bags waiting at your hotel instead? Teburade-Go (Atami Daiichi Building, B1) delivers your luggage to your accommodation rather than storing it — about ¥1,000 one-way (¥1,800 round-trip), drop-off 10:00–13:00.

Fees and hours change — check with the counter or the tourist information desk on the day.

Other Arrival Essentials

• Tourist information — Lusca Atami, 1st floor. Printed maps and bus timetables, and help with directions.

• Free Wi-Fi — available around the station plaza, including near the footbath.

• Money — ATMs, currency exchange, and cash — Lusca Atami has a SmartExchange machine (1st floor, 9:00–20:00) that changes foreign banknotes into yen — one way only (foreign cash → yen). It takes US dollars, euros, British pounds, Australian and Canadian dollars, plus major Asian currencies (Chinese yuan, Korean won, Taiwan and Hong Kong dollars, Singapore dollars, Thai baht, and Malaysian ringgit). If your currency isn't covered, the Seven Bank ATM right beside it (1st floor, around 9:00–19:00) withdraws yen with most overseas-issued cards (its location page is in Japanese only). Either way, it's reassuring to arrive with some yen already on hand, so exchange a little before you travel — and keep some cash, as a few smaller shops in the streets below may be cash-only.

• Step-free access — the station has elevators, up-and-down escalators, and a multipurpose restroom (wheelchair, baby, and ostomate facilities).

• IC cards — a Suica or PASMO (Japan's rechargeable tap-to-pay transit cards) works on local trains and on the buses (more on that below), but not on the Shinkansen, which needs a separate ticket. If you don't have one yet, you can buy and charge a card at the station — keep a little cash to top it up.

From the Station into Atami — Buses & Where They Take You

Most of Atami's headline sights — the hilltop museum, the harbor for the island ferry, the castle, the ropeway — are a short bus ride from the station, not a walk. The bus terminal is right in front of you as you exit. Here's which numbered stop goes where.

For exact departure times, platforms, and other routes, see the official Tokai Bus timetable for Atami Station — it also has a Japanese, Chinese, and Korean language switch.

Using the Buses

• Find the numbered sign posted at each bay in the terminal in front of the station.

• Tap on with an IC card (Suica, PASMO, etc.) — usually the easiest way to pay, though keep a few coins as backup, since two companies operate here and not every bus may take IC.

• Board at the front, but pay when you get off — unlike many buses abroad, fares here are paid on exit. With an IC card, tap on as you board and tap off as you get off. Paying cash, take a numbered paper ticket as you board, then drop it with your fare in the box by the driver as you leave.

• Two bus companies operate in Atami, so a route you saw earlier may not be the one in front of you — check the destination on the front of the bus.

• Watch the last bus. Several routes thin out in the late afternoon. If you're heading somewhere like MOA, note the last return (around 17:35) before you set off.

Where the Buses Take You

• MOA Museum of Art — Stop 8, about 7 minutes uphill. See our MOA Museum of Art guide.

• Hatsushima Island — from Stop 7 to Atami Port (about 15 min), then a high-speed ferry (about 30 min to the island).

• Atami Castle & the Atami Ropeway — both sit on the same headland above Nishikigaura. Take a Stop 6 bus and get off at Nishikigaura for the castle, or a Stop 7 bus toward Korakuen for the ropeway up to the hilltop. See our Atami Castle guide; a free shuttle bus also runs to the ropeway area.

• ACAO FOREST — three ways, no single "best": a free shuttle bus from in front of the McDonald's on the station plaza (daily), a route bus from Stop 6 (Ajiro direction, about 15 min), or a taxi (about 15 min). See our ACAO FOREST guide.

• Kinomiya Shrine — easiest by JR: one stop on the Ito Line to Kinomiya Station (about 2 min), then a flat 5-minute walk. See our Kinomiya Shrine guide.

• Kiunkaku — a historic villa of East-meets-West design and gardens, later a celebrated ryokan that hosted some of Japan's most famous writers. A short bus ride, or about a 20-minute walk from the station. See our Kiunkaku guide.

• Sun Beach — a downhill walk or a short bus ride. See our Atami Sun Beach guide.

Staying overnight? Check for a free hotel shuttle. Many of Atami's onsen ryokan and hotels run a free pickup from the station for checked-in guests — some on a set timetable, others by reservation or a quick phone call on arrival. Pickup points are around the station plaza but can be hard to spot, so it's worth asking your accommodation where to wait — and how to arrange pickup — when you book, so you can skip the hill with your luggage.

Heading back to Tokyo, or arriving by highway bus from Tokyo or Ueno? Those long-distance routes are covered in our Getting to Atami guide — this page is about getting around Atami once you've arrived.

Around the Station — Souvenirs, a Rooftop Garden & First Bites

Before you catch a bus — or once you're back at day's end — you don't have to go far for your first bite of Atami. Two covered shopping streets — Heiwa-dori and Nakamise — begin a few minutes downhill from the station, and the smell of grilling dried fish and steaming buns hits you before you've decided what to eat.

What to Try First

• Onsen manju — steamed sweet buns, sold warm to eat as you walk. Usually sold as a single bun, but you'll also spot cute, photogenic ones skewered together on a stick.

• Savory street bites — isoage (a thick deep-fried fish cake) and grilled dried-fish or seafood skewers are cooked to order at shopfronts and handed over hot — a warm, savory snack to eat as you walk.

• Atami pudding — a retro-packaged local favorite that often sells out on weekend afternoons, so go early if it's on your list.

• Seafood bowls — the rice-bowl and grilled-fish spots cluster here. Arrive before 11:30 and you'll usually walk straight in; come at noon on a weekend and you'll queue.

Beyond Food: A Rooftop Garden & Souvenirs

The station isn't only about eating. A few easy stops, all within a couple of minutes of the gates:

• Lusca Atami's rooftop garden — a free open-air garden on top of the station building (around 9:00–21:00), a green spot to pause away from the platform bustle.

• The shopping arcades themselves — Heiwa-dori and Nakamise are where to pick up small souvenirs like tenugui (hand towels), sweets, and local crafts; paper lanterns and old-fashioned storefronts also make for an easy photo stroll even if you're not buying.

Then Head Deeper

The shopping streets are the first taste, not the whole meal. From here it's easy to spread out into the rest of town — the Ginza shopping district for an older, quieter strip of restaurants and bars, or the Baien plum garden for a green walk. For a fuller rundown of what to eat, see our What to Eat in Atami guide.

A note on cash: some smaller shops here may be cash-only, so it's handy to keep some yen on hand. There are ATMs in the station and in Lusca Atami.

FAQ

Q1. Is there really a free footbath at Atami Station?

Yes. Ieyasu-no-yu, a roofed public footbath, sits on the station plaza and is free to use from 9:00 to 16:00. There's no ticket or reservation — just sit on the edge and soak your feet. Towels are sold from an on-site vending machine. After 16:00 it's drained for overnight cleaning, so plan to visit within those hours.

Q2. Where can I store my luggage at Atami Station?

Two options. Coin lockers suit a few hours — and the lockers beside the JR ticket office run 24 hours, handy if you'll be back after dark. For big suitcases or a full day, the staffed luggage-storage counter (Atami Tenimotsu Azukarijo) in the Atami Daiichi Building (open 9:00–17:50; 16:00–21:30 on fireworks nights), a minute from the gates, offers in-and-out access from around ¥300. Large lockers can fill up on busy weekends.

Q3. Can I use a Suica or IC card on Atami's buses?

Yes. A Suica or PASMO (Japan's rechargeable tap-to-pay transit cards) works on most of Atami's local buses — tap on as you board at the front and tap off as you get out, and keep some coins as backup, since two companies operate here and not every bus may take IC. The same cards work on local JR trains, but not the Shinkansen, which always needs a separate ticket. If you don't have a card yet, you can buy and charge one at the station.

Q4. Which bus do I take, and when's the last one back?

From the terminal in front of the station: Stop 8 for the MOA Museum of Art (about 7 minutes), Stop 6 for Atami Castle (get off at Nishikigaura), and Stop 7 for Atami Port and the Hatsushima ferry. Buses thin out in the late afternoon — the last MOA return is around 17:35 — so check the timetable at the stop, or the official Tokai Bus timetable, before you set off. A taxi by the station is the backup.

Q5. Is Atami Station accessible for wheelchairs and strollers?

The station itself is well equipped — elevators, up-and-down escalators, and a multipurpose restroom with wheelchair, baby, and ostomate facilities. The town beyond rises from the seafront up into the hills, so buses and taxis from the station terminal are the easiest way to reach the main sights without walking the slopes.