Side Trips from Tokyo - Tokyo - page 301

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of Atami and the bay. It's a 5-minute bus ride from Atami Station on the YuYu Bus; or
take a bus from platform 4 to the last stop (fare: ¥160). The museum's entrance is dra-
matic—a long escalator ride through a tunnel—but the museum itself concentrates on
traditional Asian art, including woodblock prints by Hokusai, Hiroshige, and their con-
temporaries; Chinese ceramics; Japanese bronze religious art; and lacquerware. Although
some 200 items from the 3,500-piece private collection are changed monthly, keep an
eye out for a few things always on display: the Golden Tea Room (a remake of Toyotomi
Hideyoshi's tea room), a Noh theater, and a tea-storage jar with a wisteria design by Edo
artist Nonomura Ninsei, a National Treasure. Another National Treasure, displayed only
1 month a year (Feb), is a gold-leaf screen of red and white plum blossoms by Ogata
Korin, whose residence next door is also part of the museum. It takes about an hour to
tour the museum, open Friday through Wednesday from 9:30am to 4:30pm; admission
is ¥1,600 for adults, ¥1,200 for seniors, ¥800 for university and high-school students,
free for children.
I also love , Kiunkaku, 4-2 Showa-cho ( & 0557/86-3101; YuYu bus: Kiunkaku
stop), built in 1919 as the private villa of a shipping magnate, converted to a ryokan in
1947, and now open to the public. It's an eclectic mix of Japanese and Western architec-
tural styles, with stained-glass windows, fireplaces, parquet floors, gaily painted European
furniture, and tatami rooms, wrapped around a lovely inner garden. It was once a favor-
ite haunt of famous Japanese writers (including Mishima Yukio); who wouldn't feel
inspired here? Allow 30 minutes to tour the facilities, open Thursday to Tuesday from
9am to 5pm. Admission is ¥500 for adults, ¥300 for university and high-school students,
and free for children.
Finally, if you're here on a Saturday or Sunday, try to catch the 11am dancing perfor-
mance of the Atami Geisha, at Geigi Kenban (across from City Hall), 17-13 Chuo-cho
( & 0557/81-3575; YuYu bus: Shiyakusho-mae). Although reservations are not required
for the 30-minute show, I advise making one anyway to assure getting a seat, as these per-
formances are very popular with the older generation. Stick around after the show; most of
the geisha come out to greet the audience, and you can ask to have your picture taken
standing next to a performer. Admission, including tea and a Japanese sweet, is ¥1,300.

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Where to Stay
< Taikanso Located on a pine-shaded mountain slope above the city, this
beautiful ryokan was built in 1938 as the private villa of a steelworks owner and was
named after his friend Yokoyama Taikan, a famous Japanese painter. Ten years later it was
converted to a Japanese inn; since then, it's been expanded into several buildings con-
nected by covered pathways and meandering streams, adhering to a Kyoto style of archi-
tecture popular in the 16th century. Various styles of rooms are available, with the most
expensive (including the room where Taikan stayed) offering the best views, the most
space, and the best meals (Western-style breakfasts available on request). Rooms are tat-
ami, but beds can be installed upon request. The ultimate in luxury is the oldest unit, a
three-room suite with a sitting alcove and cypress tub, where Queen Beatrix of the Neth-
erlands stayed with her husband and three sons. Although all the rooms boast hot-spring
water for the tubs, there are three public baths with open-air bathing, saunas, and
Jacuzzis, as well as three private baths with outdoor baths and views over Atami (extra fee
for these: ¥2,100). Be sure to wander the corridors and garden with its 300-year-old
pines, stopping off at the footbaths on the third floor of the annex, where you can soak
your feet, order drinks, and look out over the town.