Though located a bit of a distance away from Atami Station, guests may take a free shuttle bus that departs from the station to get to this onsen..

The first bath I entered was the Infinity Bath, an open-air standing bath. The view was absolutely spectacular here. It almost seemed like the batht became one with the sea, and it made me feel like I was floating in the air while soaking in the ocean, which was definitely an unforgettable experience.

There is also an outdoor free-flowing hot spring bath, which is rich in chlorides, keeping you warm and toasty while moisturizing your skin at the same time.

After a soak in the onsen, guests can also enjoy a relaxing time in the classy ocean lounge, giving a perfect end to this onsen experience.

I was surprised when I first heard that guests have to access the baths here through a ride on a mountain tram, which makes it feel almost like a theme park. Self-operated with just a push of a button, the tram takes you up a slope of about 30m, and this definitely adds to the excitement.

After the tram reaches the platform where the outdoor bath is located, guests will be greeted by a spectacular view of the town of Ito, overlooking the faraway horizon. Although the outdoor bath here is a mixed-gender bath, there are also specific timeslots reserved for women for guests who choose to stay a night at the hotel.

The spring water is bitter and rich in chlorides, with a smooth and silky texture on the skin. This hot spring is a free-flowing spring that is undiluted, which lets you enjoy a mineral-rich bath.

A simple lukewarm hot spring indoor bath can also be found within the hotel building, which lets you have a relaxing long soak. In the winter, some hot spring water from the outdoor bath is added to this bath in order to increase the temperature of the water for a warm bath.

The public baths are a significant part of Ito's hot springs, which are deeply rooted in the everyday lives of the local townspeople. The kindness of the regulars who visit to the baths, as well as the sight of the hot spring water flowing out from a faucet, definitely made it a memorable experience.

I also highly recommend paying Tokaikan a visit. This is a former onsen ryokan, or traditional Japanese inn, that was built in 1928. Though not open for overnight stays currently, tourists can have a look around inside the building. Their baths are also open to guests on weekends and national holidays.

One of the numerous onsen towns located on the eastern coast of Izu Peninsula, Hokkawa Onsen has an outdoor bathing spot, Kuroneiwa-buro, that offers amazing views.

While previously a mixed-gender bath back in the day, currently the baths are gender-segregated, with a rugged stone bath for the men, and a tasteful and elegant round-shaped bath for the women.

Enjoy a spectacular view of waves crashing against the shore right in front of your eyes as you soak in the chloride spring water in the baths. Although a sign scribbled on one of the stones in the men's bath reads "an outdoor bath that gives you a view of America as you bathe", the sight that greets you as you soak is in fact a view of Izu-Oshima Island.

Funado no Banya located at Imaihama is also an outdoor bath offering amazing views of the sea. The water here is classified as simple hot spring water which have a low concentration of minerals, and the baths here are open and spacious.

The old wooden building of this ryokan gives off a rustic vintage vibe. The onsen baths here are filled with water straight from the source from two of the inn's plentiful springs, and the women's bath was open and spacious.

▲ The door to enter the mixed-gender bath from the women's changing room

This ryokan is famous for its huge mixed-gender bath. Female guests can enter the mixed-gender bath from the changing room in the women's bath.

I took a bath here too, and the traditional old-school vibes of the wooden bathhouse, made from hinoki (Japanese cypress) wood, had a unique beauty and appeal to it. The hot spring water felt soft with a smooth and silky texture to the skin. Bathing here was a relaxing experience that made me nearly forget about the passage of time.

▲ Pictured here bathing is a model

Here at Hotel Kawachiya, the water in the baths are supplied straight from their own source spring, with the piping hot water making the baths steamy and moist from the vapor. This onsen hotel uses a special system made from bamboo in their baths called yumetake, which cools the natural hot spring water without having to dilute it with tap water, in order to give guests the best bathing experience.

Kannon Onsen is a remote mountain inn in Izu renowned for its hot spring waters which have a high alkaline content. Hot spring water safe for drinking is also sold here, and is well-known among the locals through TV commercials.

The hot spring waters here are super smooth and has a great cleansing effect on your skin. With a good round of moisturising after the bath, my skin felt super clean and smooth afterwards.

And of course, I had to hydrate myself after the bath with the drinking water from the hot spring! Maybe drinking it will also give me blessings from Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy.

Odaru Onsen's Amagiso is also a remote inn up in the mountains. This inn has a variety of baths for guests to enjoy during their stay, which are all filled with simple hot spring water that has a low mineral content.

The outdoor bath, which gives a spectacular view of a majestic waterfall with a drop of 30m, is definitely the highlight among them. This display of nature definitely makes for an out-of-this-world experience/

The outdoor bath area requires guests to wear swimsuits for access, so do remember to bring along your swimwear for some family or couple fun. Kill two birds with one stone by nourishing your skin in the waters while having fun!

This is a bathhouse open to day visitors that boasts smooth sulfate spring waters straight from the source. At 51 degrees Celsius, the water here is pumped from the source spring straight through a tank and right into the baths, without undergoing any diluting or heating.

▲ The men's open-air bath is even more open and airy

The open-air baths are surrounded by nature, making for a relaxing and rejuvenating experience. No wonder people keep coming back!

Registered as a Tangible Cultural Property by the Japanese government, this traditional ryokan is a wonderful fusion of old and new styles, making it a feast for the eyes.

The main bath, Tempyo Bath Hall, is the embodiment of grandeur, with thick pillars connecting to the ceiling made entirely out of wood from giant hinoki cypress trees, a material that is impossible to source now.

You can even see the koi fish in the pond across the glass panels swimming closer as you bathe. Word has it that the famed Japanese writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa wrote in a letter during his stay here commenting that this was almost like an aquarium.

I shall end off by lastly introducing Tokko no Yu, which is said to be the origin spring of Shuzenji Onsen. While unfortunately not open to visitors for bathing now, it was still striking to visit a place that could very well have been the start of Izu's onsen history.