Where should we go, July 3 to 5?
Two options, the same questions for each — read across, then we'll settle it in the chat.

Kurobe
a hot-spring gorge town reached by one direct shinkansen, and a high alpine route beyond it

Atami
a hot-spring town on the coast, one of the closest to Tokyo
getting there
about 2 hr 48 min
about 1 hr
cost per adult
about ¥12,510
about ¥2,190
weather
Normally rainy season, and the mountain is cold
Normally rainy season, warm and humid by the sea
with a three-year-old
One easy train ride, a free museum, a park footbath — but the alpine day is a hard haul with a toddler.
Easy — an indoor pool, the castle play floor, and a flat seafront to stroll.
food
Sparse — white shrimp and the kamameshi at Kajika; the best sushi is in Toyama, on the way.
A dense, rain-proof food-walking scene by the station — seafood, himono, kissaten, pudding.