Coming back to Atami at the end of a long day on the Izu roads has its own pleasures. The town appears first as lights climbing the hillside, hotels glowing up the slope like a stack of lit windows, and the harbour below dark and still. The road drops down a series of tight curves, and the temperature changes as you descend, usually a degree or two warmer at sea level, with a smell of salt and sulphur in the air that is the signature of a hot-spring town.
This is the place to end the loop. From here, the way back toward Tokyo leads along the Sagami Bay coast through Yugawara and Manazuru, past fishing harbours and orange groves, and then either on the toll road around Odawara or onto the Tomei Expressway. The distance is about a hundred kilometres, and on a busy weekend evening the return can be slow, so allow time. Japanese expressways are well maintained, speed is closely policed, and the rest areas are good, with decent noodles, coffee, and clean facilities.
Atami is also a good place to refill and rest before the trip. Fuel is plentiful in town and on the main road at the edge, which is useful because the journey ahead is long. Cafes and small restaurants near the station serve seafood, and many ryokan and hotels offer day-use baths, an inexpensive pleasure after a day of riding. Sitting in hot water is a well-earned reward, and your shoulders will thank you.
If you arrive after dark, take care on the steep, narrow streets, where one-way systems and pedestrians catch out newcomers. Let the evening settle: eat something simple, watch the bay lights, and treat the last forty minutes into the capital as a separate ride with its own concentration. The hills of Izu behind you will still be there next time, and you will have left room to come back.