Atami onsen for first-timers: how to bathe, and where to start

Atami means "hot sea". The name is said to come from a time when hot springs bubbled up through the sea floor off the coast, warming the water. The town has been bathing ever since. Its springs have been known for well over a thousand years, the Tokugawa shoguns had its water carried to Edo, and in the twentieth century it became the hot-spring resort every Tokyo family knew. If you've never been to an onsen before, Atami is a gentle place to begin. Here's what to expect, how to do it, and where to start.

A little history, in one walk

You can read Atami's hot-spring history on foot.

• Hashiriyu, at the foot of Izusan Shrine, is a cave spring found about 1,300 years ago. Hot water still runs out of the hillside into a tunnel you can walk into. It's one of the rare horizontal cave springs in Japan.
• The old town was once fed by seven famous springs, the Atami Nanayu. Their sites are kept along the streets of the old town, and you can follow them like a trail.
• The Ōyu geyser, at the heart of the old town, erupted naturally for centuries and is now kept going so that visitors can still see it.
• The footbath outside Atami Station, named after Tokugawa Ieyasu, is free. It's the easiest first step there is: shoes off, trousers rolled, ten minutes.

How to bathe, step by step

The rules are simpler than they look, and they all come from one idea: the bath is shared, so you get into it clean and keep it clean.

1. Shoes off, at the entrance. Put them in the lockers or on the racks.
2. Undress fully in the changing room. Swimsuits aren't worn in Japanese baths. Put your clothes in a basket or locker. Take only a small towel with you.
3. Wash first, thoroughly. Sit on a stool at the washing station and wash your hair and body with the soap and shampoo provided. Rinse well, and rinse the stool when you're done.
4. Pour a little water over yourself from the bath before you step in (kakeyu), to get used to the heat.
5. Get in slowly. Keep your small towel out of the water: fold it on your head, or leave it at the edge. Tie long hair up so it doesn't touch the water.
6. Relax, quietly. Talking is fine; swimming, splashing and loud voices aren't. Ten minutes at a time is plenty, especially at first.
7. Don't rinse off afterwards if you'd like to keep the minerals on your skin; many Japanese bathers don't. Dry yourself before going back into the changing room.
8. Drink water before and after. Skip the bath if you've been drinking alcohol.

Tattoos

Many Japanese baths still don't admit visible tattoos, but more are relaxing the rule, especially for visitors, and some ask only that small tattoos be covered with a sticker. Policies change, so check with each bathhouse before you go. There's always a gentle alternative: a private bath (kashikiri-buro), booked by the hour for your party alone. It's also the best choice for couples who want to bathe together and for anyone shy of the shared bath.

Day-use baths and ryokan baths

You don't need to stay at a ryokan to bathe in Atami. Day-use onsen (higaeri onsen) let you in for an hour or two for a modest fee, with towels to rent or buy. Many ryokan also open their baths to day visitors in the afternoon. The water is the same; the setting and the price differ. A few tips:

• Go in the afternoon, after the morning cleaning and before the evening rush of hotel guests.
• Bring coins for lockers, and a hair tie.
• Allow time afterwards. Sit with a cold drink or a pot of roasted tea and let the heat settle. In Atami, the hour after the bath is half the point.

What the water is like

Atami's springs are hot and, being so close to the sea, many are salty. Bathers here say the salt keeps you warm long after you leave the water. Each bathhouse posts a board describing its own spring: its source, its temperature and what is dissolved in it. It's worth a look, if only to see how specific Japanese hot-spring culture can be.

With us

At our house the water is warm but not a spring. The outdoor Jacuzzi on the deck and the ocean-view bath upstairs are heated tap water, and we say so plainly. For the real thing, your host takes you on onsen hopping in old Atami: from Hashiriyu, past the old geyser, to a day-use onsen chosen for your party, tattoo-friendly or private where possible, with the etiquette explained before you go in. Afterwards we walk back up the hill, very slowly. It's the best way we know to spend an afternoon in Atami, and the best way we know to start.