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After leaving Toyosu Market, I took the Yurikamome Line to
Toyosu station, then walked for around 10 minutes to collect
the car from Nissan Rent-A-Car
Toyosu
Station branch. As with the
hotel, I compared prices using
Jalan. Since there were only two of us, I opted for a
light vehicle (K-Car), the Nissan DAYZ, which provide enough
space in the backseat for our luggage. |
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K-Cars not only cost less to rent, but they also benefit from lower expressway
tolls and are more agile on rural roads. For
more details on driving in Japan and how to
apply
for an international driving permit, please refer to my previous
articles. |
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| There was a slight issue with the car reservation. I had
originally booked the 'self-check-in' option back in September
last year, but when I attempted to check in early in December, a
Japanese local driving licence was required to complete the
process. I rebooked immediately for counter service, but as the
pickup date was fast approaching, the price had increased by
nearly JP¥20,000! Apparently, counter check-ins are about 40%
more expensive than self-check-ins at the same time. |
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Compared to regular cars, the K-Car's acceleration at the start is naturally
slower, but it wasn't much of an inconvenience for me, as I usually
drive a
hybrid car and am accustomed to gentle starts. Normally, K-Car, being
small in size, has relatively narrow interior space. However, I thought
the DAYZ was quite good. There was ample and convenient space for small items
(such as beverage bottles/cups, mobile phones, coins, etc.). However,
being a K-Car, the overall feel is somewhat 'light'. When driving at
high speeds, whether it's the wind or passing heavy vehicles, there's
always a noticeable body sway. |
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The drive from Toyosu to the hotel took about 15 minutes. Behind the
hotel, there was a coin-operated car park, which was extortionately
priced at JP¥440 every 15 minutes! |
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Mt Fuji view on the way between Tokyo to Atami |
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| After loading our luggage, we set off for Atami
(熱海), the journey took roughly 1.5 hours.
The name 'Atami' translates as 'hot sea', referring to the hot
spring waters that flow from the sea, and the town has long been
a popular onsen (hot spring) destination. |
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Daiichi Torii (The First Torii Gate) |
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Daini Torii (The Second Torii Gate) |
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The stair sandô (pilgrimage path) from
Izusanhama (the seafront) |
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Upon arriving in Atami, our first destination was the
Izusan Jinja (伊豆山神社), a Shinto shrine located about 1.5
km northeast of Atami station. Honden (本殿), the main hall sits 170 metres
above sea level on Mount Izu (Izusan) and offers stunning views
of Sagami Bay (相模灘). The shrine's approach begins at Izusanhama
(the seafront) and consists of 837 steps, known as the stair sandô (pilgrimage
path), leading up to Honden. But don't worry about
climbing all those steps – there's a 'lower car park' (下駐車場)
located at the 657th step, with 8 parking spaces. For those not
driving, a bus stop is also situated here. |
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| If you'd rather not climb even 180 steps, you can park in
the 'upper car park' (上駐車場) next to Honden, which has
space for up to 30 cars. |
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The history of Izusan Jinja is difficult to trace in full, but
according to legend, the deity Izusan-no-Okami appeared in
Sagami Bay, flew up to Mount Izu, and was subsequently
worshipped there. |
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Numbers of step for the stair sandô |
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Mitsuishi (光石, the stone of bright) |
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| Shinto shrines hold two 'Ôharaeshiki' (大祓式, purification
ceremonies) every year: the 'Nagoshi-no-Harae' (夏越祓, beyond-summer purification) on 30th June and the 'Toshigami-no-Harae'
(年越祓, beyond-year purification) on 31st December. These
ceremonies are meant to purify the accumulated impurities of the
past six months. The shrine places a large reed ring, called a 'Chinowa'
(茅の輪), and worshippers are required to walk in an '8' shape,
passing through the Chinowa three times. |
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| The Chinowa is based on a story from the Bingo-no-Kuni Fudoki
(Records of the Land of Bingo). One day, the deity Butagami
(武塔神), disguised as a shabby traveller, came to ask for lodging
for the night from two brothers, Somin Shôrai (蘇民 将来) and Kitan
Shôrai (巨旦 将来). The wealthy younger brother, Kitan, rejected the
request due to the traveller's appearance, but the elder
brother, Somin, despite his poverty, still did his best to offer
hospitality. |
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The next day, Butagami made a reed ring and gave it to Somin,
saying 'A plague will soon strike this village, but as long as
you wear this ring around your waist, you will not be harmed. In
gratitude for your sincerity, I'll protect you and your
descendants. Whenever a disaster comes, wear this ring and chant
"I'm the descendant of Somin Shôrai."' Soon after, the plague
arrived, and Kitan and his family died, but Somin's family was
spared. |
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Sagami Bay view on the Izusan |
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Hatsushima (初島) and Ôshima (大島) |
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While the shrine's origins are somewhat obscure, its connection
to MINAMOTO-no Yoritomo (源 頼朝), the first shogun of the Kamakura
shogunate (鎌倉幕府), is well-documented. Yoritomo's father,
MINAMOTO-no Yoshitomo (源 義朝), initiated the Heiji Rebellion
(平治の乱) in 1159 in an attempt to overthrow the influence of TAIRA-no
Kiyomori (平 清盛), but he was defeated and killed in the process.
Yoritomo was exiled to Izu, where he was later placed under the
supervision of HÔJÔ Tokimasa (北条 時政). One day, Yoritomo visited
Izusan Jinja to pray for the restoration of the Minamoto clan's
power, where he met Tokimasa's daughter, HÔJÔ Masako (北条 政子),
and they later married. |
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After the Heiji Rebellion, TAIRA-no Kiyomori grew even more
powerful and imprisoned the retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa
(後白河上皇), forcing Emperor Takakura (高倉天皇) to abdicate in favour
of his son, Emperor Antoku (安徳天皇), Kiyomori's grandson. This
allowed Kiyomori to dominate the imperial court. Yoritomo and
his brother MINAMOTO-no Yoshitsune (源 義経) raised an army to
challenge the Taira, leading to the Genpei War (源平合戦). The Taira
were defeated, and Yoritomo was appointed 'Sei-I Taishôgun'
(征夷大将軍, the official title for the de facto ruler under the
shogunate system, commonly known as 'shogun' in English),
founding a system that lasted 682 years and effectively
diminished the emperor's power. |
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Izusan Jinja became revered as the 'guardian deity of the
eastern provinces' by the Kamakura shogunate and continues to be
a place where people pray for good fortune. The shrine is also
well-known for its association with Yoritomo and Masako, making
it a popular site for prayers for successful marriages. |
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the Bench Stone, said to be where Yoritomo and
Masaki sat together during their courtship |
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The portrait of Yoritomo and Masaki sitting on
the Bench Stone |
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Temisuya (the purification fountain) |
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Nearby, the Temisuya (purification fountain) features an outlet
shaped like a red and a white dragon. According to legend, a red
and a white dragon are entwined beneath Mount Izu, their tails
extending to Lake Ashi (芦ノ湖) in Hakone (箱根) and their heads
lying under Mount Izu. The hot spring water is believed to flow
from their eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. The red dragon
represents fire, while the white dragon symbolises water, and
their union is thought to have created the hot springs. |
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Next to the Temisuya is the Raidensha (雷電社, the Altar for
Thunder). The altar's founding date is unknown, but it is
mentioned in the historical text 'Azuma Kagami' (吾妻鏡) under the
name 'Hikari-no-Miya' (光の宮, 'the palace of bright'). It was rebuilt
by both the Kamakura and Muromachi (室町) shogunates and later
reconstructed by TOKUGAWA Hidetada (徳川 秀忠), the second shogun of
the Edo period. The current structure was built in 1935 by the
Home Ministry. As the deity overseeing politics, it has been
worhipped by every shogun of the successive shogunates, starting
with MINAMOTO-no Yoritomo. |
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| Between Honden and the local history museum, you'll
find a remote worshipping altar dedicated to Hakusan Jinja
(白山神社). If you follow the narrow path next to the altar, after a
20-minute walk, you'll reach Hakusan Jinja, and another 20
minutes will take you to the Musubumyôshin Honsha (結明神本社, the
main hall of Musubumyô Shrine) and the original Izusan Jinja. The return trip would take roughly 2 hours, so I decided to skip
it! Here's a bit about the other shrines... |
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| According to legend, during the summer of AD 729, and
epidemic spread across eastern Japan. In a miraculous turn of
events, heavy snow fell overnight at the site of Hakusan Jinja
in Ishikuradani (石蔵谷), and the snow remained for several days.
People who licked the snow found their illness immediately
cured, leading to Hakusan Shrine becoming associated with
healing. |
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The Musubumyôshin Honsha is dedicated to the deities Nichi-sei and
Gatsu-sei. In AD 101, it is said that twins were born from an ancient
cedar tree on Mount Izu – a boy and a girl. The twins were later adopted
by Hatsukihime (初木姬), the goddess of Hatsushima, and grew quickly.
Eventually, the twins married, and they became revered ancestors of the Izu clan, known for their role in bringing good fortune in marriage. |
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| The twins' marriage – isn't that incest? Actually, looking
at myths from both Asia and Europe, there are many stories of
incest. In Greek mythology, Zeus had relationships with his
sisters and aunts. The Bible also describes Lot fathering two
nations, Moab and Ammon, with his two daughters. Additionally,
when God created Adam and Eve, the second generation had to
engage in incest in order to reproduce. Even in Chinese mythology,
the Chinese people are said to have descended from the
incestuous union of the siblings Nyu-Wa (女媧, also spelled Nüwa)
and Fu-Hsi (伏羲, also spelled Fuxi). |
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| Izusan Jinja was moved to its current location in AD 836.
The original site had multiple buildings and three torii gates,
but during the Edo period, a mountain fire destroyed them. Now,
only a stone torii gate remains, along with a rebuilt worship
hall. |
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Remote worshipping altar to Hakusan Shrine |
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The path to original Izusan Jinja |
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| After leaving Izusan Jinja, it took about 20 minutes to
drive to
Atami Castle (熱海城), where parking is JP¥500 per vehicle. |
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| Atami Castle, perched atop a 120-metre mountain in
Nishikigaura (錦ヶ浦), is a modern tourist attraction built in
1959. Though it mimics the style of a Momoyama-period (桃山時代)
castle, the structure is made of reinforced concrete. From the
observation deck on the top floor, you can enjoy panoramic views
of Atami and Sagami Bay. On clear days, you can even spot Tokyo
Skytree through the telescope. |
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Tickets to Atami Castle cost JP¥1,200 for adults, and there is also an
Atami Trick Art Museum on the premises, which requires an additional fee
or can be included in a combined ticket. The hilltop restaurant, Hilltop
Terrace, offers a sea view. In addition to the observation deck, Atami
Castle has a samurai culture museum, a jet footbath with a sea view,
exhibitions on Japanese castles, and ukiyo-e (浮世絵) art. The basement
offers free recreational facilities such as arcade games and table
tennis. |
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| Since the castle didn't have much historical context and the
exhibitions inside weren't very appealing, we decided not to pay
for admission. We simply took photos and checked in outside, as
the view of the sea was lovely. |
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Seaview from Hilltop Terrace |
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| The main attractions in Atami are its hot springs and the
Atami Fireworks Festival, held a few times a year.
If you want to see the fireworks, be sure to plan your visit
accordingly. The hot springs, however, are available year-round.
After visiting Atami Castle, I headed to a ryokan (旅館,
traditional Japanese inn) to enjoy the hot springs that evening. |
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