Chapter 03 · Experiences
No. 26
Festivals and seasons
Japan's earliest spring
日本一早い春
Spring starts here while Japan is still in coats: Atami-zakura on the Itokawa in January, Baien's plum grove next, and Kawazu's river running pink in February.
時刻表Timetable
- 所要Duration
- 3–8 hours
- 季節Season
- Mid January to early March.
- 人数Group
- 1–12 guests
- 移動Getting there
- On footBy trainTransportation by car and a bilingual guide will be arrangedThe hire company bills you directly; our fee is for the guiding.On foot and by local bus in Atami; for Kawazu, by train, in your own car, or in a licensed hire car the hire company bills.
- 集合Meeting point
- Atami Station or the house.
- 料金Price
- Guide fee, from ¥5,000 each with your stay
Add a paid tour and the stay is 10% less; discounts don't combine
Reserve
Choose a day, and book it
Finding the open days…
The story
Spring starts here while the rest of Japan is still in coats. Atami-zakura flowers along the Itokawa in January, Baien's plum grove follows, and in February the Kawazu river runs pink between its cherry trees. Back at the house, the red plum by the deck is out too.
Atami's spring arrives in January. The Atami-zakura along the Itokawa stream bloom about a month before Kawazu's, lit after dark during their festival, and Atami Baien, opened in 1886, is said to have the earliest plum blossom in Japan.
In February we can go further south to Kawazu, where the river runs between banks of pink. Or stay home: the Kagoshima red plum by our deck flowers deep crimson in February, and its scent lingers on the evening air.
A spring that starts while the rest of Japan is still in winter; the house's own red plum flowers by the deck in February.
路線図
The route
Times are a guide; the day bends to the weather.
Start
The Itokawa stream
糸川遊歩道
40 min
58 Atami-zakura trees, January to early February.
+0:40
Atami Baien
熱海梅園
1 h 15 min
469 plum trees of 60 varieties.
+1:55Finish
Or: Kawazu
または河津
2 h
The cherry river, February to early March.
Good to know
Included
- Your host as guide, in English or Japanese
- A route planned around your group and the weather
- Help booking tickets and restaurant tables
Not included
- Travel: train fares, fuel and tolls for your own car, or the hire car
- Admissions, boats and workshops, paid on the day
- Meals and drinks
- Price
- Guide fee per person, tax included. With your stay: ¥10,000 for one guest, ¥7,500 each for two, ¥5,000 each for three to twelve. Tour only: ¥10,000 each, for two guests or more. Admissions, partner fees, meals and travel are paid on the day. Book a paid tour with your stay and the stay itself is 10% less (you always get the single best discount). Groups of seven or more, please book 10 days ahead.
- Meeting point
- Atami Station or the house.
- Weather
- Fuji, the stars and the fireworks depend on the sky; we tell you the evening before if it's worth going.
- Cancellation
- Guide fees follow the stay's cancellation tiers. Partners' own terms apply to theirs.
On the mapG3
Atami Baien and the Itokawa stream · About 4 km from the house
Sources
- 01
Atami-zakura, the city tree, blooms from January into early February, about a month before Kawazu-zakura; 58 trees line the Itokawa promenade, lit up at night during the festival.
Source: ataminews.gr.jp (opens in a new tab) - 02
Atami Baien opened in 1886 and has 469 plum trees of 60 varieties; it is said to have Japan's earliest plum blossom and latest autumn leaves.
Source: ataminews.gr.jp (opens in a new tab)
Ask us about a date.
Tell us the day, who's coming and what you'd like to see. Your host replies within a few hours, in English or Japanese.
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