Atami is located at the base of the Izu Peninsula.  Izusan Shrine is the birthplace of Izu’s name and has a history of more than 2,000 years.  The well-known Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu who started the Edo Shogunate, which started in 1603 and lasted in Japan for about 250 years, is also worshiped at this shrine.  The symbol of Izusan Shrine is its red and white dragons.  The red dragon represents fire and the white one represents water.  They are guardians of the hot springs, which produce hot water with the power of fire and water.
These dragons are said to reside beneath Izusan and boil the water, from which there is an entryway with a stairwell that goes down 837 steps.  It is here at the base of the stairwell that one finds running hot spring source called “Hashiriyu”, believed to be the mouth of the dragon. The hot spring is believed to be divine water.
When at the shrine, please be sure to check out the red and white dragons, take in the main building, Chozusha (building for cleaning hands and rinsing mouth) and charms. Since olden times, warlords visited Isuzan Shrine for good luck and due to the strength of the good luck from the shrine their careers flourished. As such, Izusan Shrine is believed to be a strong source of good luck.