Smoking Izakaya & Bars in Atami (2026): How to Find Them
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Why some izakaya allow smoking and others don't
The revised Health Promotion Act made restaurant interiors non-smoking by default from April 2020. A transitional exception lets pre-existing small establishments (operating as of 1 April 2020, individually owned or capitalized at 50 million yen or less, seating area 100 m2 or less) register with their municipality to keep a smoking-permitted room where both cigarettes and dining are allowed (source: https://jyudokitsuen.mhlw.go.jp/business/restaurant/type_1.php). Around Atami Ginza and the Nakamise shopping street, long-established owner-run izakaya, small restaurants and snack bars often qualify. Venues that opened after April 2020, and large chains capitalized above 50 million yen, cannot use it — their options are a sealed smoking room (no food or drink inside) or a heated-tobacco-only room.
The four venue types for smokers
- Smoking-permitted room (kitsuen kanō ten): cigarettes + food/drink OK. Grandfathered small venues only — the classic "smoking izakaya"
- Smoking-purpose venue (kitsuen mokuteki ten): cigar bars and snack bars that sell tobacco and serve no staple food (no rice or noodle dishes)
- Sealed smoking room (kitsuen senyō shitsu): cigarettes OK, but no food or drink inside the room
- Heated-tobacco-only room: IQOS / glo / Ploom only, food and drink OK — the common chain-store option
In every case, people under 20 (customers and staff alike) may not enter smoking areas, and venues must display the officially designated sign at the entrance (source: https://jyudokitsuen.mhlw.go.jp/smoking_room/).
How to find one: read the door sign
The sticker at the entrance is the reliable signal. "Smoking permitted" or "smoking purpose" means you can smoke cigarettes while eating and drinking; "smoking room" means smoking is separated from dining; "heated tobacco room" means IQOS-style devices only. No sign means the interior is non-smoking. From Atami Ginza through the Nakamise shopping street you will find narrow-fronted places and small venues along the slopes and lanes — a shop sign or noren curtain will not tell you, so walk up to the entrance and check.
Stepping outside in Atami
Stepping out for a cigarette puts you under the ordinance's duty of effort not to smoke in outdoor public places, and the seaside promenades are no-smoking zones used by many families and visitors. The locations of designated smoking spots can change with the season and with operational decisions, so check on-site signage and refrain from smoking if you cannot find any sign. We could not confirm the locations or operating hours of individual smoking areas in front of Atami Station, at Atami Ginza, or on the Nakamise and Heiwa-dori shopping streets in primary official sources, so this article does not assert them. As for how the Atami ordinance treats heated tobacco, no explicit statement could be confirmed on the city's official page, so that too is not asserted here — treat heated tobacco and e-cigarettes like cigarettes and use designated places.
If you are also booking accommodation: guest rooms in hotels and ryokan may be treated under the law as places where smoking can be allowed, but whether you can actually smoke depends on each facility, and more facilities have gone fully non-smoking in rooms. Check before booking. For travel, note that the onboard smoking rooms on the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen were abolished on 16 March 2024, so all Shinkansen are now completely non-smoking on board.
Find smoking-friendly venues on MottoSuitai
You can browse smoking-friendly izakaya, bars and cafes by prefecture on MottoSuitai's smoking-friendly restaurant search, and find outdoor smoking spots on the MottoSuitai map. For the ordinance and the no-smoking zones in detail, see the Atami smoking guide. The nationwide rules are covered in our guide to smoking izakaya and bars, local fines in the street-smoking fines guide, and cafes in the smoking-friendly cafe guide.
This is a third-party guide based on official MHLW and Atami City information as of July 2026. It names no individual venues, because each venue's registration and policy can change. Always confirm with the sign at the door, the venue's official information and the Atami City website. This article provides information about smoking environments and does not encourage smoking; smoking under the age of 20 is prohibited by law in Japan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.Can you smoke in izakaya in Atami?
A.In some. Small venues operating since before April 2020 may keep a registered smoking-permitted room where cigarettes and dining are both allowed. Look for the official "smoking permitted" sign at the entrance — this guide does not name individual venues.
Q.Can I smoke on the street in Atami?
A.The city ordinance asks people to make an effort not to smoke on streets etc. — roads, parks, beaches and other public places. The city beaches and their surrounding promenades are no-smoking zones where smoking is prohibited in principle, though designated smoking spots exist. Check on-site signage.
Q.Is there a fine in Atami?
A.Atami City's official page states no administrative fine. It lists guidance, recommendation and orders, plus publication of the names of malicious violators. The absence of a fine does not make smoking permitted in a no-smoking zone.
Q.Are there smoking areas at Atami Station or Atami Ginza?
A.We could not confirm the locations or operating hours of individual smoking areas in front of Atami Station, at Atami Ginza or on the Nakamise shopping street in primary official sources, so this article does not assert them. Check station and facility signage, shop notices and on-site signs, or look on the MottoSuitai map.