Hello! This is Atami Bay Resort Korakuen!

A month has passed since the New Year began. How is everyone doing?

It’s been cold these days, hasn’t it? When it’s this cold, I feel like soaking in a warm hot spring and relaxing.

By the way, I’m sorry to suddenly talk about something that has nothing to do with the main plot, but actually, going to public baths has been a bit of a boom for me lately….

I had always liked going to hot springs and bathing facilities with saunas, but I had never really been to a public bathhouse.
(There aren’t many public bathhouses in Atami or the surrounding area…. There are various hot springs though…)

Let’s go take a bath on a holiday! I often went to places like “Ocean Spa Fuua,” but only to places that had a rest area. I often went to places like OCEAN SPA Fuua.

When I was in Tokyo on an errand, I happened to see a newly renovated sento (public bathhouse) that had been there for a long time, and I stopped by and thought, “This is a very beautiful sento. LOL!

Of course, traditional public bathhouses are attractive, but renovated public bathhouses are also very comfortable spaces.

I was reminded of the charm of public bathhouses, which retain some nostalgia but are clean and fit for today’s lifestyle (^^).

Since then, I have become interested in other bathhouses, and whenever I have the opportunity, I visit several of them!

It is very interesting to see how the good old customs and culture have been skillfully put together in a modern style while carefully preserving the good old customs and culture!

If you have a chance to visit, please do so.

I’m getting off on a tangent right away, but this time I would like to introduce the Atami Plum Festival, a standard event that cannot be missed in Atami in winter!

Following the previous “Itogawa Cherry Blossom Festival,” this is the second consecutive blog related to cherry blossom viewing, but that is how hot the cherry blossom viewing events are in Atami in January and February!

The Atami Plum Orchard Plum Blossom Festival, now in its 82nd year, is a time-honored event that reminds us of the coming of spring, and is well known by tourists and locals alike.

The Atami Plum Garden is nationally known as the earliest-blooming plum tree in Japan, with various varieties of plum trees blooming in early, mid, and late blooming order!
During the period, the park is decorated with white, light red, dark red, and other colorful flowers, making it very beautiful!

This time, I would like to introduce my actual visit to the Atami Plum Garden Plum Festival!
(I actually went there on January 30, 2026!)

This year’s 82nd Atami Plum Blossom Festival will be held from January 10 to March 8, 2026!

Upon entering the park, the scent of plum blossoms spreads softly, reminding us that spring is gradually approaching, even though it is still chilly.

On the day I visited, the park was in full bloom, especially the early-blooming plum trees, and there were people taking pictures and enjoying a leisurely stroll here and there.

Unlike cherry blossoms, plum blossoms do not bloom all at once, but rather each variety blooms in turn, so you can enjoy a different view depending on the timing of your visit. The long period of blooming makes it enjoyable no matter how many times you visit!

The Atami Plum Garden also has walking paths, bridges, and streams where visitors can enjoy viewing the plum blossoms while walking at a leisurely pace.

There are slopes and stairs, but there are benches along the way, so it is recommended to take a leisurely stroll while resting.

The manholes in the park were also painted with plum blossoms! Stylish, isn’t it?

At Atami Plum Garden, there are many varieties of plum trees in bloom, and although they may look similar, if you look closely, you can see slight differences, which was interesting to discover!

It was just a small question, but there are about 60 varieties of plum trees in bloom at the Atami Plum Garden, which is quite a large number, so perhaps it covers almost all the plum trees that bloom in Japan? I was curious… I looked up how many varieties of ume there are, and to my surprise, there are more than 300 varieties…!
(By the way, my own image was that there must be even fewer cherry blossoms, so I looked it up, but cherry blossoms are even more numerous than plums, and according to one theory, there are about 400 species…. I didn’t know that… LOL)

(By the way, this yellow flower is called “waxflower,” which looks like a plum tree but is not a member of the plum family! At first I thought it was a type of plum tree.)

Plum trees are also very deep when you look into them….

During the Ume Festival, events and stalls are held mainly on Saturdays and Sundays, and the park is also lined with stores where visitors can enjoy amazake (sweet sake) and other snacks.

The time spent gazing at the plum blossoms with a hot drink in one hand is a unique way to enjoy winter!

(In the photo, from left to right, there are amazake, ume yukari, and ume matcha, and I had the ume matcha! Ume matcha is a plum kelp tea with matcha green tea, and it was warming in the cold winter air, a taste that soaked into all five organs…! It’s great to take a breather with a warm drink while looking at ume blossoms_(:3)_)

As I continued my walk, I also saw a tit (probably) on a branch of a plum tree, and it was very cute and fluffy, probably because it was winter.

(I tried to take a picture of them, but they were moving around so much that this was the best I could do…) LOL)

Can you see the titmouse somewhere in this picture? ( ´∀｀ )笑

The Atami Plum Garden Plum Festival will be held until March 8, so why not visit to feel spring a little earlier?

Finally, for those of you who are planning to visit the Ume Festival, here’s a little news for you!

Guests staying in Atami City will receive a discount of 100 yen for admission to the Atami Plum Garden, instead of the usual 300 yen!
Of course, Atami Korakuen Hotel is also eligible! (A certificate of stay is required, so please inform the front desk staff when you check in or check out that you would like to have a certificate of stay issued!)

From Atami Korakuen Hotel, “Atami Plum Garden” can be reached in about 10-15 minutes by car! (You can also take a connecting bus from “Atami Korakuen” to the Plum Garden!)

Enjoying the Ume Festival at a slightly reduced price is another great point of staying at this time of the year.
Please take this opportunity to enjoy the early spring scenery of Atami.

Click here to book your stay at Atami Korakuen Hotel!