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[Kiunkaku and Café Yasuragi]

Did you know that there is a famous Taisho period mansion in Atami called "Kiunkaku" that has been loved by some of Japan's greatest writers? Walking around the Kiunkaku and then having coffee or tea at the Kiunkaku Café Yasuragi is a highly recommended course for adults traveling to Atami.

Located on the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, Atami is a tourist destination surrounded by the sea and mountains and rich in natural hot springs. It is easily accessible from the Kanto region, and as a Tokyo native, I have visited this spot many times as a destination for day trips with friends or overnight trips since I was a student, but I did not know about this spot until I was an adult.

Kiunkaku was built in 1919 as a villa of Kaichiro Nezu, the railroad tycoon who founded the Tobu Group, and was considered one of the three most famous villas in Atami, along with the now closed Iwasaki Villa and the now defunct Sumitomo Villa. Since 2000, the villa has been owned by the city of Atami and is open to the public.

The main building (Japanese-style house) retains the beauty of a Japanese-style house, the Western-style house combines Japanese, Chinese, and European architectural styles and decorations, and the garden is designed to be comfortable from any angle. Each walk is a new experience.

The blue-green walls of the Japanese-style "Kirin and Taiho" building caught my attention when I first stepped inside, and it is said that the blue plaster is a traditional technique from the Kaga region of Ishikawa Prefecture. The sunroom, with its large windows, stained glass tops, and floor of brightly colored light blue and light purple tiles, is based on "Art Deco" design, and the way the stained glass and tiles glistened in the sunlight was so beautiful that I could not move on to the next room for a while.

At the end of the tour around Kiunkaku, there is a café called "Yasuragi," which retains the original bar space from the ryokan era. Surrounded by emerald green velvet sofas and quaint furnishings, guests can enjoy original coffee and other beverages. I had the Atami black tea with marmalade. It is the perfect place to soak in the afterglow of Kiunkaku's architecture while enjoying the view of the garden.

Please visit Kiunkaku and Yasuragi when you are in Atami. It will surely be a relaxing time in your busy life.

Kiunkaku
https://www.city.atami.lg.jp/shisetsu/bunka/1002036/1002039.html
Café Yasuragi
https://www.city.atami.lg.jp/kiunkaku/1001907.html
Highlights of Kiunkaku
https://www.city.atami.lg.jp/kiunkaku/1001903.html