Everything old is new, and cool, again at this hotel in Japan’s hot spring town comeback king

As a new generation of travelers discovers Atami, it’s the New Akao’s time to shine again.

Atami is a great town to go to if you don’t want to do anything. That’s not a sarcastic, backhanded compliment, either. The coastal town in Shizuoka Prefecture is famous for its seaside hot spring inns and hotels, and the quintessential Atami getaway involves lots of looking out at the ocean, soaking in hot spring baths, and looking out at the ocean while soaking in hot spring baths.

Atami had its heyday in the late Showa Era years of the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, but once the bubble economy popped, the stream of travelers largely dried up. By the time the economy had picked up again, the town had acquired a bad rap as an unfashionably outdated place to visit, Recently, though, there’s been a boom in interest in the Showa retro aesthetic, and Atami is once again a top travel destination, as our Japanese-language reporter Natsuno Futon saw first-hand on her recent visit.

The rotary area just outside Atami Station, as well as the covered shopping street that extends from it, were filled with travelers looking for tasty things to eat and souvenirs to buy (such as plushies of Atami’s balding middle-aged man fairy mascot). But like we said, one of the best things to do in Atami is “nothing,” and Natsuno was headed to one of the best places in town to do just that.

Several hotel shuttle buses make stops at the Atami Station rotary, and the one that Natsuno and her family were waiting for was the one for guests of the Hotel New Akao.

The New Akao is the Atami hotel, a major landmark that’s been known to travel fans in Japan for decades. The ride to the hotel from the station takes about 10 minutes, so it’s not far, but it feels like a trip to another world as the bus enters this tunnel along the way.

Once you come out the other end, the road continues rising and winding…

…and then the iconic, old-school New Akao (ニューアカオ) sign comes into view.

As you can see, the hotel stands very close to the water, which gives it some fantastic views…

…but the interior is no slouch either, and as soon as you step into the lobby, you’re whisked back to the old-school luxury of the Showa era.

There’s no modern minimalism here. The lobby is nicely maintained, but also unabashedly proud and committed to the now-retro aesthetic, with plush patterned carpet as far as the floorspace allows.

As Natsuno was traveling with her husband and two daughter, they’d booked a room with three beds.

As you can see, their guestroom has been renovated compared to the lobby, and the style is a nice mix of contemporary comfort and nods to Showa sensibilities in its color schemes.

And since there room was in the hotel’s Ocean Wing, the window gave them a great vantage point to see the light of the late-afternoon sun dancing on the surface of the water.

If you’re craving a bit of a sea breeze, the window does open, but just a bit, because if you were to slip or drop your phone…

…it’s a long way down.

As mentioned above, Atami was a major travel hotspot during the bubble economy, when lavish employee trips were a common part of Japanese business culture. That trend has largely died down nowadays, and the New Akao recently converted one of its private banquet rooms into a kids play park, with Natsuno’s daughter made good use of.

In addition to equipment to climb in and around, there’s a nod to the hotel’s past with a retro section with classic toys and electronics…

…and right next to it is a digital play space where kids can turn their hand-drawn illustrations into projected images.

But something that hasn’t changed is the New Akao’s main dining room, called Nishiki.

It may be a restaurant, but the vibe here is more like a grand theater, giving each meal a touch of dramatic flair.

▼ The buffet’s Mt. Fuji-shaped cakes were especially clever.

▼ If you’re lucky, your meal might even coincide with a live piano performance.

Of course, Atami is first and foremost a hot spring town, and the New Akao has several different indoor and open-air bath areas. Guest photography isn’t allowed in them, but they’re all beautiful, as these photos from the hotel’s official website show.

Actually, there’s beauty to be found all over the hotel. Because of its cliffside location, the facilities are arranged in a sort of terraced array, with hallways and staircases connecting one part of the property with another.

Some of these passages have unique and charming art displays, while others have windows that give you perspectives of the surrounding scenery you can’t get anywhere else in town, making them enticing spaces to explore.

By the way, if you like to have a few more structured activities on your travel itinerary, the New Akao does have a wealth of options, ranging from yoga classes and cycling tours to crafting classes, sea kayaking, and an “ocean pool” for adventurous swimmers.

But it’s a hotel that’s especially hard to beat if you’re in the mood to just relax, and as long as that something that travelers like to do, the New Akao will be a place for them.

Hotel information
Hotel New Akao / ホテルニューアカオ
Address: Shizuoka-ken, Atami-shi, Atami 1993-250
静岡県熱海市熱海1993-250
Website

Hot spring photos: Hotel New Akao
All other photos ©SoraNews24
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