Atami Castle

Atami Castle

CASTLE

Atami Castle was built as a tourist attraction in 1959. Historically the city never had a castle, however it was built to bring tourists to the area and provides an exhibition about the different castles in Japan. The castle also exhibits a dress-up area, riddle room, arcade (all the games are free to play) and an erotic ukiyo-e exhibition hall.

Standing 100m above sea level, the top floor offers a panoramic view over Atami and Sagami Bay. The castle is popular during cherry blossom season – around last March/early April. You can also enjoy the fireworks in summer. There is a trick art museum next door (discount tickets can be bought if you plan on visiting both the castle and the trick art museum).

There is a car park which holds 250 cars at the base of the castle and you can park there for a flat fee of ￥500.

Review

Upon first visiting the castle, I had no idea that it was actually built so recently. Most traditional castles I’ve been to have a very different atmosphere so I wondered why everything inside seemed so different in comparison to the other castles dotted around Japan.

Buying your tickets is a fairly easy experience, the counters actually have pictures/prices of the different tickets they offer so you can easily just point if you don’t know any Japanese to ask. Each floor inside the castle is dedicated to at least one different attraction. My recommendation is leave the the top floor until last and then relax in the basement playing video games in the arcade when you’ve finished exploring the museum.

The castle exhibit is very interesting, especially if you don’t have time to see any other castles in Japan. They have pictures of all the castles, along with dates and their locations. There are also wooden sculptures for some of the main castles. The dress-up room has a few yukatas, ninja and samurai outfits (or at least they did when I visited), although these are mostly for children. There are some adult costumes for you to enjoy too. The erotic ukiyo-e exhibition hall is only for over 18s and it’s very graphic so if you don’t like looking at non-censored artwork then stay clear of this room. It’s not super realistic but they do tend to emphasize certain body parts while in some interesting positions. There are also free foot springs for you to use. Make sure to take one of the mats to sit on as the surrounding area can get a little wet. I recommend getting an ice cream, dipping your feet in the hot water and relax looking at the scenery.

By far the highlight of the trip is the top floor and arcade. If you arrive on a good day you can see far, with 360 views of the surrounding areas. I definitely recommend trying to take pictures if the weather is good. The basement holds the arcade, full of free-to-play games. It’s very noisy and there are a lot of children but fun anyway. It can be a little difficult to play the rhythm games due to the noise. There is also table tennis at the side for you to play with your friends.

ADDRESS

Atami Castle,
1993 Sogayama,
Atami,
Shizuoka Prefecture,
413-0033

+81559540606 (Japanese only)
http://atamijyo.com/ (Japanese only – google translated English available)

RECOMMENDED ROUTE:

If you don’t have a car you can take the train to Atami station and then get a taxi from the station. Alternatively you have two bus options. The castle is a direct stop on the Yuyu Sightseeing Loop Bus (around 15 minutes from the station at ￥250 per ride of ￥700 for a full-day pass). You can also take the Atami Ropeway (￥400 one way or ￥600 for a round trip ticket) and then walk for three minutes. The ropeway is accessible by taxi or a two minute walk from the Marine Spa Atami bus stop on the Yuyu Sightseeing Loop Bus route. Please ensure to get your day ticket before you board. Click here for a map of the bus routes (only in Japanese).