By the Edo period, Atami had established itself as a hot spring resort near the western part of Edo, along with the neighboring Yugawara and Hakone areas, and that has not changed since the Meiji era when Edo became Tokyo.In particular, the influence of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Choyo Sensai, who was ordered by Tomomi Iwakura, to build Japan’s first hot spring sanatorium “Kyukikan” in the vicinity of Oyuma Keisen in 1886 (Meiji 19).In 1889 (Meiji 22), Japan’s first long-distance call to Tokyo was made, and later in the same year, because many politicians and senior government officials visited Atami for recreation and talks.The “Atami Imperial Residence” for Emperor Taisho has been completed.
AloJapan.com