Atami

Coordinates: 35°05′45.5″N 139°4′17.6″E / 35.095972°N 139.071556°E / 35.095972; 139.071556
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Atami
熱海市
Beach in Atami City with sea bathers
Beach in Atami City with sea bathers
Sakura
Atami City Hall
View of Atami in 1900
View of Atami
Atami at night
MOA Museum of Art

Atami (熱海市, Atami-shi) is a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 May 2019, the city had an estimated population of 36,865 in 21,593 households[1] and a population density of 600 persons per km2. The total area of the city is 61.78 square kilometres (23.85 sq mi).

Geography

Atami is located in the far eastern corner of Shizuoka Prefecture at the northern end of

Hatsushima. Most of Atami is located within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Warmed by the Kuroshio Current
offshore, the area is known for its moderate maritime climate with hot, humid summers, and short winters.

Surrounding municipalities

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification: Cfa). The average annual temperature in Atami is 16.3 °C (61.3 °F). The average annual rainfall is 2,012.7 mm (79.24 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.4 °C (79.5 °F), and lowest in January, at around 7.0 °C (44.6 °F).[2]

Climate data for Ajiro [ja], Atami (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1937−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 25.1
(77.2)
25.4
(77.7)
26.0
(78.8)
28.6
(83.5)
32.1
(89.8)
35.0
(95.0)
36.0
(96.8)
36.8
(98.2)
36.7
(98.1)
31.9
(89.4)
26.5
(79.7)
24.1
(75.4)
36.8
(98.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 10.7
(51.3)
11.3
(52.3)
14.2
(57.6)
18.8
(65.8)
22.7
(72.9)
25.0
(77.0)
28.9
(84.0)
30.2
(86.4)
26.7
(80.1)
21.8
(71.2)
17.2
(63.0)
12.9
(55.2)
20.0
(68.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 7.0
(44.6)
7.4
(45.3)
10.1
(50.2)
14.5
(58.1)
18.5
(65.3)
21.4
(70.5)
25.2
(77.4)
26.4
(79.5)
23.3
(73.9)
18.7
(65.7)
14.0
(57.2)
9.6
(49.3)
16.3
(61.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 3.9
(39.0)
4.0
(39.2)
6.6
(43.9)
10.9
(51.6)
15.3
(59.5)
18.8
(65.8)
22.6
(72.7)
23.8
(74.8)
20.9
(69.6)
16.1
(61.0)
11.3
(52.3)
6.6
(43.9)
13.4
(56.1)
Record low °C (°F) −3.1
(26.4)
−4.5
(23.9)
−2.4
(27.7)
1.8
(35.2)
6.0
(42.8)
11.8
(53.2)
13.5
(56.3)
17.1
(62.8)
13.4
(56.1)
7.7
(45.9)
2.4
(36.3)
−2.7
(27.1)
−4.5
(23.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 76.1
(3.00)
82.0
(3.23)
158.0
(6.22)
168.1
(6.62)
172.6
(6.80)
251.5
(9.90)
242.5
(9.55)
186.0
(7.32)
263.9
(10.39)
237.3
(9.34)
108.4
(4.27)
66.3
(2.61)
2,012.7
(79.24)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 0
(0)
1
(0.4)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
1
(0.4)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 6.1 6.7 10.7 10.2 10.0 12.4 10.9 8.2 12.1 10.2 7.9 6.1 111.5
Average snowy days (≥ 1 cm) 0 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.2
Average
relative humidity
(%)
59 60 64 67 72 80 80 79 78 73 69 62 70
Mean monthly sunshine hours 147.4 142.8 158.2 176.4 184.1 127.7 161.8 194.1 136.9 126.0 128.5 142.8 1,826.7
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Atami has been in slow decline over the past 25 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1995 45,610—    
2000 42,936−5.9%
2005 41,202−4.0%
2010 39,611−3.9%
2015 37,544−5.2%
2020 34,233−8.8%

History

Atami has been known as a

Meiji period in 1889, Atami village was organized within Kamo District, Shizuoka. It was elevated to town status on June 11, 1894, and was transferred to the administrative control of Tagata District
in 1896.

The epicenter of the Great Kantō earthquake in 1923 was deep beneath Izu Ōshima Island in Sagami Bay, close to Atami, which suffered considerable damage, as did other municipalities throughout the surrounding Kantō region.[5] The tsunami wave height reached 11 meters (35 feet) at Atami, swamping the town and drowning three hundred people.[6]

The modern city of Atami was founded on April 10, 1937, through the merger of Atami Town with neighboring Taga Village. After the proclamation of Atami as an "International Tourism and Culture City" by the Japanese government in 1950, the area experienced rapid growth in large resort hotel development. This growth increased after Atami station became a stop on the

Japanese economic crisis in the 1990s and the associated fall in large group company-sponsored vacations, but is currently experiencing a revival as a commuter town
due to its proximity to Tokyo and Yokohama.

The Inagawa-kai, third largest of Japan's yakuza groups, was founded in Atami in 1949 as the Inagawa-gumi (稲川組) by Kakuji Inagawa.[7]

The Izu Study and Research Center is a study facility of the Japanese Communist Party, which holds its annual congress there.[8]

2021 landslide

Following torrential rainfall a landslide was triggered which swept through part of the city on 3 July 2021. 27 people were killed and 3 were injured.[9][10][11][12]

Government

Atami has a

unicameral
city legislature of 15 members.

Economy

The economy of Atami is heavily dependent on the tourist industry, mostly centered on its hot spring resorts.[13] Commercial fishing is a major secondary industry.

Education

Atami has eight public elementary schools and four public junior high schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education. The

Ōtawara, Tochigi
, has a campus in Atami.

Transport

Railway

Highway

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Atami is

twinned
with:

  • Beppu, Ōita
    , Japan (since August 1966)
  • Italy Sanremo, Italy[14] (since November 1976)
  • Portugal Cascais, Portugal[14] (since July 1990)
  • China Zhuhai, China, (friendship city, since July 2004) [15]

Notable people

Local attractions

In popular culture

  • In the 1951 film Tokyo File 212, a key scene takes place at a resort in Atami.
  • In the 1953 film Tokyo Story, the parents visit the hot springs in Atami.
  • Much of the 1953 film, A Japanese Tragedy, is set in Atami.
  • Atami is also the setting of the TV drama Atami no Sousakan.
  • Atami also appears in the 1954 film, Golden Demon (Konjiki Yasha), based on the novel of the same name by
    Kōyō Ozaki, as the place where two main characters become engaged to be married.[16]
  • In the 1962 film King Kong vs. Godzilla, the final battle ends with Godzilla and King Kong descending Mount Fuji into the outskirts of Atami, where they destroy Atami Castle, then plunge into the ocean, with Kong emerging victorious.
  • In the 1967 film,
    Gappa, the Triphibian Monster
    , the two adult Gappa creatures make landfall in Atami, destroying much of it in the process.
  • In the Studio Ghibli anime drama, Only Yesterday, the main character Taeko goes to Atami at age 10, visiting some of the onsen, but she passes out in the Roman bath from dizziness.[17]
  • In the 2016 anime, Prince of Stride, Atami is the first stop in the End of Summer Trial Tour.[18]
  • In the 89th episode of the anime, "Urusei Yatsura", Mrs. Moroboshi wins a 2-day trip to Atami with her husband, leaving her son Ataru, the main character, at home alone with Lum.
  • In the 2019 video game, AI: The Somnium Files, protagonist Kaname Date is a detective solving a murder mystery. In one of the game's endings, he quits the case and goes with a woman to Atami. In the 2022 sequel, AI: The Somnium Files – Nirvana Initiative, protagonist Kuruto Ryuki can have a similar ending with the same woman.

Notes

  1. ^ Atami City official statistics (in Japanese)
  2. ^ a b 気象庁 / 平年値(年・月ごとの値). JMA. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  3. ^ 観測史上1~10位の値(年間を通じての値). JMA. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  4. ^ Atami population statistics
  5. ^ Hammer, Joshua. (2006). Yokohama Burning: the Deadly 1923 Earthquake and Fire that Helped Forge the Path to World War II, p. 278.
  6. ^ Hammer, p. 114.
  7. ^ "1993 Police White Paper Chapter 1 : The Actual Condition of the Boryokudan", 1993, National Police Agency (in Japanese)
  8. ^ The Mountain Fortress of the Japan Communist Party
  9. ^ "2 feared dead, some 20 missing in large mudslide southwest of Tokyo". Kyodo News. 2021-07-03. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  10. ^ "Japan landslide: 20 missing in Atami city". BBC News. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  11. ^ "Death Toll from Central Japan Mudslide Rises to 9". Jiji Press. 9 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Improper soil accumulation suspected of leading to Japan mudslide". The Japan Times. Kyodo. 9 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  13. Japan Times
    , 18 December 2011, p. 12.
  14. ^ a b "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  15. ^ "City of Atami: Mr. Sakae Saito, Mayor (December 2014)". Mayor/Governor Interviews. Foreign Press Center Japan. December 26, 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  16. ^ "Odagiri to star in "Atami no Sousakan"". Tokyograph. 2010-04-18. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
  17. ^ Nausicaa.net: Synopsis Omohide Poro Poro
  18. ^ Prince of Stride: Alternative Episode 4 English Sub

References

External links

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