"Retro color over salt water"
When: August 5th, 2018
Yep, that was sort of my mantra slash mental state when I went to a seaside city yet didn't feel like bathing in the sea.
And this had happened two times in a row. Just right a day before I went to Atami, I also went to an area called Kujukuri, another seaside town located in Chiba Prefecture for a 2 days & 1 night seminar camp along with my academic advisor and seminar friends. Some friends proceeded going to the beach after we were done with our research presentations on the last day and yours truly, with no doubt, chose to go back to Tokyo and leaving behind one of the most wanted summer activities; bathed in (flaming hot) summer sunshine and getting soaked in saltwater. Don't get me wrong. It's not that I hate beach/sea... I love playing at the beach, but apparently the longing for a "vitamin sea" mood isn't there this time around or to say it precisely, summer this year.
Alright my friends, moving on to Atami.... *sorry, for the lengthy intro, but I always love having it as a background story, so...*
Even though I'm not in the mood for a day at the beach, I can never say no to a good slow stroll in a city neighboring the beach. And this time, I got to travel with my best friend Hitomi!
Even though I'm not in the mood for a day at the beach, I can never say no to a good slow stroll in a city neighboring the beach. And this time, I got to travel with my best friend Hitomi!
Love you, Hitomi! ❤️ Here's to more traveling together. Thank you for always being a good sport, if not the best.
Upon my visit to Atami with Hitomi, I came to a conclusion that Atami is truly such a heaven for those who are into:
♨️ hot springs (onsen): This one goes without saying actually. Most online contents will tell you about this anyway. Ahem, calling out all fellow thermalists out there 🗣 who loves dipping in public hot baths as much as I do? But unfortunately Hitomi and I didn't make even a single stop to any onsen in Atami. We started our journey quite late on that day, so we got no enough time for that.
🏛 Museum hopping: If you're the one who loves to spend hours in museums and wander around one exhibition room to another, immersing in the exhibits or the museum architecture itself, then you better include MOA Museum of Art to your Atami itinerary! I plan to write a lil bit more about MOA on a separate blog post just because I need more room to express my takes and thoughts on this majestic looking museum with a very fascinating ocean view. So my friends, stay tuned! 😉
🏛 Museum hopping: If you're the one who loves to spend hours in museums and wander around one exhibition room to another, immersing in the exhibits or the museum architecture itself, then you better include MOA Museum of Art to your Atami itinerary! I plan to write a lil bit more about MOA on a separate blog post just because I need more room to express my takes and thoughts on this majestic looking museum with a very fascinating ocean view. So my friends, stay tuned! 😉
A vast view of Sagami-nada Sea
I'm so keen to talk about this captivating hall inside the building, on the said separate post of course.
📺 Showa period aesthetics: mostly appeared in cafes along the shopping arcade. But the whole townscape basically shows a strong atmosphere of Showa aesthetics though. Those Showa retro color schemes, my friends, they're everywhere on every corner, oh my God!! If you have no idea what I'm writing about, you can probably go to pinterest and enter the key word "showa aesthetics". If you happen to get into it right away, then we probably speak the same lingo! If that's not your cup of tea, it's totally fineee, let's talk about something else 😉
🎇🎆 Firework: Atami hosts a regular firework festival throughout the year ! As some of you might have known, firework festivals are commonly held during summer in Japan with July to August serving as the peak season for the event. But not for Atami, the festival is held regardless of the season. I found a page explaining quite well and briefly about the event that you could check it out here if you're interested. I'm sorry for I didn't take a single pic of the firework, but this picture below shows you the place of the event.
I guess it's so easy to spot this kind of situation all over Japan, without having to go to Atami.
But for me, the fact that every corner in Atami is bathed in color-blocking aesthetics is something that I can't help but feeling so happy when I was at this place! Anyway, I'm curious to know, what kind of visuals you love seeing on daily basis or when you're on a trip?
🎇🎆 Firework: Atami hosts a regular firework festival throughout the year ! As some of you might have known, firework festivals are commonly held during summer in Japan with July to August serving as the peak season for the event. But not for Atami, the festival is held regardless of the season. I found a page explaining quite well and briefly about the event that you could check it out here if you're interested. I'm sorry for I didn't take a single pic of the firework, but this picture below shows you the place of the event.
🍮 puddings: yep. Any serious pudding aficionados here? "Atami Pudding" or in Japanese it is pronounced as "Atami Purin" might sound a decent reason to visit this seaside city and grab yourself some of their signature puddings. This sounds silly, but... Atami Pudding seemed like one of the real deals or better-to-put-it-in-your-itinerary kind of thing when visiting this city, especially if you're a sweet tooth or just one that simply appreciate local delicacies. We saw so many people were lining for this Atami Pudding but we didn't give it a try just because... we're not into puddings that much. Unfortunately I don't have any pic showing you the real situation above. Oh, and I just found this page that gives a quite elaborate explanation about the pudding and now I kind of regretting why I didn't try this smooth and creamy dessert!
So, yeah! That was my version of Atami sum-up! I hope you can get even if it's only the slightest hint of what Atami is about from a short getaway of ours. Hitomi and I were actually at the city for maybe not more than 6 hours. I know that was a super short one but was certainly a good time. But still, I crave some more that I already promised myself to go back and explore deeper and farther of the area and on top of everything, to give more time for the onsens ♨️ and their authentic Showa period cafes! Ahh, I cannot wait to realize it!
Oh, and before I end this blog post, here are a few pictures (well, only two actually) showing what we ate at Atami! Well, we didn't eat that much that day, but lucky enough that later we found out, what we had were among the top of the Atami delicacy list! Yumm!
Onsen symbol inspired Atami Purin brand logo is just so cuteee!
Well, the shop's theme itself is a sento or Japanese communal bath house inspired. They really went into legit detail that every ornament and knickknacks inside the shop are so 'sento'-like. Will definitely be a super cute stop for your Atami stroll.
So, yeah! That was my version of Atami sum-up! I hope you can get even if it's only the slightest hint of what Atami is about from a short getaway of ours. Hitomi and I were actually at the city for maybe not more than 6 hours. I know that was a super short one but was certainly a good time. But still, I crave some more that I already promised myself to go back and explore deeper and farther of the area and on top of everything, to give more time for the onsens ♨️ and their authentic Showa period cafes! Ahh, I cannot wait to realize it!
Oh, and before I end this blog post, here are a few pictures (well, only two actually) showing what we ate at Atami! Well, we didn't eat that much that day, but lucky enough that later we found out, what we had were among the top of the Atami delicacy list! Yumm!
This cheese filled fish cake is definitely my favorite! Atami is famous for its marine products hence I'm sure that the fish used for this yummy street food is fresh and of good quality! I guess it was 400 yen as I tried to recall.
The Studio Ghibli-ish bakery where I had my lunch and Hitomi had this yummy hojicha shaved ice below.
I forgot the name of this bakery but it is so noticeable once you walk down the Atami Nakamise shopping arcade 😉
Also, it was right in the middle of scorching hot summer in August, and shaved ice was no joke, a season staple.
Well well, I guess I'm going to end this post here. Thank you for taking your time to read it and I hope you enjoy the pics and find the trip inspiring for your upcoming travel! I'll surely be back for more stories of places or events I went to. See ya! 👋
xx,
Shabrina.
